The Arizona Department of Transportation has expanded its use of technology that screens moving trucks for weight and identifying information. The state had been using the tech at select rest areas, including McGuireville on Interstate 17, Sacaton on Interstate 10 and Canoa Ranch on Interstate 19. It is now being used at all of the state’s commercial ports of entry along I-10, I-40 and State Route 95 in Parker.
“This truck screening system will allow our officers to focus on the commercial vehicles that need our officers’ attention,” said Jeff Stanhope, deputy director for ADOT’s Enforcement and Compliance Division. “It helps us make better use of our resources and efforts while allowing trucks in compliance to go on their way.”
The technology uses weigh-in-motion sensors, cameras that read USDOT numbers and license plates, and message signs. An additional feature at the Ehrenberg and San Simon ports of entry on I-10 also identifies commercial vehicles with tires that could be damaged or in need of repair.
As a truck approaches a port of entry, highway signs direct the driver into the right lane. When the truck is a half mile from the port, the weigh-in-motion sensors and cameras capture the vehicle’s weight and identifying information and relay it to ADOT Enforcement and Compliance officers at the port. A computer checks the truck’s credentials against national and state databases, and if the truck is cleared and within weight limits, the message boards along the highway give the truck a bypass signal. If there is an issue identified with the truck, such as expired registration, federal out-of-service orders, or required permits not on file, the signs direct the driver to pull into the port for further inspection.
