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Weight watchers
Page 20
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VOSA's trials of technology designed to nab overload ed trucks was a success — now it's going nationwide.
Dominic Perry reports.
F,—.. or the past six-mon ths VOSA has been trialling a new scheme to crack down on cowboy operators. It involved linking its already successful automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras with weigh-in-motion sensors (WIMS) to catch and identify overweight trucks on the road.
The trial, which took place in the West Midlands, was designed to assess how accurately the WIMS equipment (which is installed just under the road surface) performed and whether it could work with the ANPR technology to pinpoint offending trucks.
Behind the trial is a desire by VOSA to use its resources more effectively, undoubtedly driven by the need to create efficiencies within its system in the light of budget constraints.
Successful integration of the two systems might also have the potential to reduce the burden on 'compliant' operators part of VOSA's vaunted targeted enforcement regime in which law abiding operators are treated with alight touch.
With flying colours
According to VOSA's results the equipment passed the trial with flying colours in terms of both accurate weighing and vehicle identification. In fact of the 271 trucks identified by the WIMS equipment as being overloaded, subsequent weighing on a dynamic axle weighbridge showed they were all overweight and 204 were sufficiently overweight to attract an immediate prohibition.
Also adding weight to VOSA's targeted enforcement theory that a haulier is flouting the law in one aspect of his operation is probably breaking it elsewhere too of the 271 drivers stopped during the check 52 were issued with prohibitions for serious hours breaches and a further 44 prohibitions were issued for various mechanical problems.
A spokesman says the early signs are that the combined ANPR/WIMS equipment will "provide VOSA with a highly effective targeting tool for vehicle weight enforcement." Project leader Gordon Macdonald adds: "These results prove conclusively that combined ANPR and WIMS installations provide an effective targeting tool."
Macdonald says pre-ANPR/ WIMS weight checks were finding only 10% of the vehicles examined overweight but in the trials this figure was dramatically improved.
Watch those foreigners
He says it also showed that sectors of the industry not previously targeted by VOSA were now being brought to its attention: "One or two operators were becoming regulars, but it's also thrown up foreign vehicles," he adds.
"It's shown these guys to be big offenders. Also abnormal loads and mobile cranes were being identified as a problem these are things that previously we would not have dealt with."
He believes that another advantage of the system is its ability to monitor traffic 24 hours per day Four sites have now been identified where more ANPR/WIMS systems will be installed over the next year, with more to follow if the project proves itself a success.
Given the number of foreign vehicles identified in the trial there's a strong possibility that one of the motorways leading to the Channel ports will be targeted. Macdonald would only say that the sites were on "roads of strategic importance".
Decisions on the positioning of further equipment will be taken in conjunction with the Highways Agency and local police forces. "You have to do this in a joined up way.Macdonald remarks.
The Highways Agency will to gain an incidental benefit from the system in that it is like to reduce the abnormal damage caused to the carriageway by overloading. It should also reduce incident-related congestion.•