Indiana To Use Cameras To Crack Down On Overweight Trucks

[kscarbel2]

Lafayette Journal & Courier / January 1, 2016

The Indiana Department of Transportation will test license plate-tracking technology next year to monitor "unpermitted overweight vehicles," the agency said Tuesday.

Officials said INDOT will pilot the technology after an overweight semi passed over Interstate 65's southbound Wildcat Creek bridge in Tippecanoe County. Crews spent three days repairing damage to the structure, finishing on July 1 — about a month before construction on the northbound bridge caused a monthlong detour from Lebanon to Lafayette.

To monitor violators, a camera system will work in tandem with one of about a dozen "weight-in-motion" sensors embedded in the asphalt. The sensors weigh vehicles as they travel across Indiana's interstate system, said Scott Manning, strategic communications director for INDOT.

When the sensor records an overweight load, the nearby camera — which will be installed on I-94 in LaPorte County — will snap a photo of the violator's license plate, Manning said. Since INDOT is not charged with enforcing laws and the program is only a pilot, Manning said the agency would send an "awareness letter" to rule-breakers.

"The intent would be to use what we've learned from the pilot to ultimately get to a state statute standpoint, where we would be able to ... actually send a letter with an accompanying fine," Manning said.

If the pilot in LaPorte County is successful, more cameras could be rolled out as INDOT may "recommend legislative changes" to state lawmakers, according to a press release. Kapsch, a company specializing in transportation technology, agreed to provide pilot equipment — which could be installed by spring 2016 — at no cost, Manning said.

Once damage to the southbound Wildcat Creek bridge was discovered, the agency "inspected all bridges of similar design" across the state "and found no systemic problems" — except damage to one bridge near downtown Indianapolis, according to a timeline provided by INDOT said Ann Rearick, director of bridges.

After repairs were finished, Purdue University and INDOT experts retroactively inspected weight-in-motion data from a sensor in Merrillville to determine a 58-ton truck had likely caused the damage to the bridge when it crossed sometime in May, Rearick said. Trucks weighing more than 40 tons must receive a permit from the state to ensure the load is properly configured; in this case, a single axle on the truck was bearing nearly 72,000 pounds, Rearick said.

"It was definitely running illegal, and the load was distributed very poorly," she said.

Manning said it's difficult to assign a number to how often overweight trucks drive on Indiana roads, saying in an email that "vehicles can cause both specific damage, like in the case of the I-65 bridge, and accelerated degradation to pavement or structures." A 40-ton truck, for example, causes as much pavement damage as 9,600 cars, according to a press release.

The program could keep trucking companies honest, creating a "competitive playing field for businesses that desire to follow state permit rules," the press release states. Manning called the incident a rare occurrence, but noted "there's only going to be more trucks on our roads in the next few decades.

"And trucks are carrying more and more weight, so this has the potential to be more of a challenge," he said. "It kind of behooves us to be proactive and address this early."

One overweight vehicle could spell trouble for aging state bridges in Tippecanoe County, including one spanning Wildcat Creek on Indiana 26. INDOT announced in October it would replace the bridge— built in 1941 about 3 miles east of I-65 — after inspections revealed its support structure was unsatisfactory. The bridge's deck is rated a five, its superstructure a three and its substructure a four, according to inspection reports from May.

Ratings below five indicate a need for repairs or replacement. The May inspections indicate the deck, superstructure and substructure of I-65's north and southbound bridges over Wildcat Creek were rated six, five and four; and six, five and five, respectively. Officials said those ratings haven't changed as of December.

When I-65 was reopened in September, ending a 33-mile detour that snarled interstate traffic, the stretch of road became a focal point of efforts to secure funding for improvements to Indiana's aging transportation infrastructure. State Sen. Brandt Hershman, R-Buck Creek, proposed a bill Dec. 10 that would send $418 million now held in reserves for local governments back to those communities for road and bridge improvements.

Hershman worked closely with Gov. Mike Pence's office on this bill, which is intended as a counterpart to a plan that will be authored by Sen. Carlin Yoder, R-Middlebury. Hershman's bill, however, funds local roads, where as Yoder's proposed bill would fund state roads, Hershman said. Pence unveiled his $1 billion 21st Century Crossroads plan in October, which would cobble together reserve funds, new spending, trust fund interest and new bonds for state-owned infrastructure improvement.

But complicating the issue are nearly 200 recently completed pavement projects that could crumble years ahead of schedule because of critical mistakes contractors made mixing asphalt, according to an investigation by the Indianapolis Star. But Manning noted 95 percent of INDOT inventory is in "fair or better condition."

"In order to improve on our metrics in terms of bridge condition and pavement condition," he said, "one of the aspects that we need to be mindful of is making sure the vehicles that use our state network are doing so in compliance."

[m16ty]

After repairs were finished, Purdue University and INDOT experts retroactively inspected weight-in-motion data from a sensor in Merrillville to determine a 58-ton truck had likely caused the damage to the bridge when it crossed sometime in May, Rearick said. Trucks weighing more than 40 tons must receive a permit from the state to ensure the load is properly configured; in this case, a single axle on the truck was bearing nearly 72,000 pounds, Rearick said.

How in the world can a truck grossing 116,000lb have 72,000lb on one axle?

Something just doesn't seem right about that. Makes you wonder if the scales were malfunctioning.

[kscarbel2]

Truckers may pay more to haul in Indiana

CNHI / January 12, 2016

In a state known as the “Crossroads of America,” the number of overweight trucks has tripled in less than a decade, accelerating damage to aging roads and bridges.

More than 380,000 trucks that exceed federal weight and size standards were permitted to travel in Indiana last year, up from about 135,000 in 2007. Those numbers are part of the reason why some lawmakers want the trucking industry to pay more for infrastructure.

Under a plan proposed Monday by House Republican leaders, private carriers would pay about 7 percent more for diesel fuel - in taxes and a surcharge - than what they pay now.

The measure is getting surprising support from the Indiana Motor Truck Association, which represents truckers who carry goods from about 80 percent of Indiana manufacturers.

“We’ve been saying at the federal and state level that we need to raise taxes on fuel and fix the roads,” said Gary Langston, association president. “We’ve been saying that for a long time.

“Bad roads and congested highways cost us money,” he said.

The House Republican plan would automatically adjust the state’s fuel tax for inflation, resulting this year in a 4-cent hike on a gallon of gasoline for all motorists, including truckers who use diesel fuel.

It also raises the motor-carrier surcharge, paid quarterly by trucking companies, by another 3 cents per gallon.

Those increases combined are expected to raise $60 million a year for road and bridge repair. It’s just a fraction of the $1 billion needed in for infrastructure, but supporters say it will make a dent.

In addition, the measure allows local governments to charge a higher “wheel tax” on buses, trailers and trucks that are licensed in their counties. Under current law, truck-owners pay the same as car-owners.

House Ways and Means Chairman Tim Brown, R-Crawfordsville, said the plan acknowledges that trucks create more wear on roads than cars.

A Purdue University study found a single, 40-ton truck can do as much damage to roadway pavement as 9,600 cars.

Last week, an overweight truck broke a one-lane, 133-year-old bridge in small town Paoli. Police said the driver, carrying 43,000 pounds of bottled water, tried to cross a bridge with a weight limit of 6,000 pounds.

The broken bridge, costing about $1 million to repair, is an extreme example of truck damage, said Rep. Steve Davisson, R-Salem, whose district includes Paoli.

“But, every day, heavy trucks are beating the dickens out of highways and bridges,” he said. “So the question is, ‘Are they paying enough for maintenance of our roads?’ “

Under current law, Indiana requires any vehicle over 40 tons to acquire a special permit that certifies the load is properly configured to minimize roadway damage. The state charges $55 for an overweight permit, plus up to $1 per mile for loads that exceed the 40-ton weight.

Those fees won’t change under the proposed plan.

What may lie ahead, though, is a crackdown on trucks that fail to pay. Since January 2013, State Police have issued 13,000 tickets to drivers of illegally overweight trucks and another 11,000 warnings.

Police worry they may only be catching a fraction of offenders. In response, transportation officials are launching a pilot project this spring to determine how many illegally overweight trucks are passing through the state.

The project will use cameras, and a weight-and-motion sensor embedded in a section of busy Interstate 94 in northern Indiana, to track heavy trucks and capture their license plate numbers. If successful, the technology could be used throughout the state to issue fines for violators, transportation officials say.

[Mcrafty1]

How in the world can a truck grossing 116,000lb have 72,000lb on one axle?

Something just doesn't seem right about that. Makes you wonder if the scales were malfunctioning.

Musta been on a single axle Mack truck....prorly a B61 ............

[GreenGiant2]

Time to cover plates so camera can't see numbers