The Arkansas Department of Transportation is rolling out high-tech wizardry that can check whether big trucks are over weight limits while they roll down the highway.
It is part of $1.4 million pilot project that includes installation of weigh-in-motion scales on Interstate 40 and Interstate 55 near the Transportation Department's weigh stations for trucks entering the state.
"This is going to take a lot of unsafe trucks off the highway that we miss," said Chief Ron Burks of the Arkansas Highway Police, a division of the Transportation Department.
Trucks over the weight limit -- typically 80,000 pounds for an 18-wheel tractor-trailer rig -- also damage roads, something the department says it doesn't have money to repair.
It is unclear how many overweight trucks the division misses now, but what is clear is the number of trucks it is in charge of monitoring.
In the past 12 months, 3.2 million trucks passed through or by the two weigh stations near West Memphis -- one on I-40 west and the other on I-55 north, according to agency data.
"There's no way, we can check that many trucks," Burks said.
Until the new weigh-in-motion equipment was installed on the I-40 westbound lanes near the Riverside Weigh Station outside West Memphis, Burks' agency could weigh fewer than half of them.
According to the data, 1,481,680 trucks were weighed on weigh-in-motion systems that the department has installed at entrance ramps to the Riverside Weigh Station and the weigh station on I-55, known as the Bridgeport Weigh Station.
Of those trucks, 178,373, or 12 percent, were directed to static platform scales for additional screening, according to the data.
Burks said his agency doesn't assume that a truck is over the weight limit. Instead, it uses the weigh-in-motion system to detect which trucks might need more accurate assessments of their weight.
But the Highway Police don't have the option with all trucks. Some trucks have "pre-clearance" authority to bypass the weigh stations.
Major trucking companies that have good safety records can qualify for "pre-clearance" authority. Such trucks are equipped with transponders that can transmit data to the weigh station, giving the truck a green light to pass the weigh station if all the data are properly transmitted.
That data doesn't include weight.
During the past 12 months, 1,753,051 trucks enrolled in pre-clearance programs bypassed the I-40 and I-55 weigh stations.
"It should be noted that the pre-clearance programs are set to randomly pull in a percentage of trucks just to keep them honest," Burks said.
As a result, over the past 12 months, 298,293 trucks, or about 17 percent, enrolled in the pre-clearance program were diverted into the weigh stations for further screening, according to the data.
The weigh-in-motion equipment recently installed in the main lanes will now weigh trucks equipped with transponders.
"With the new systems, if their weight is not compliant, they will receive an in-cab transponder signal to pull into the station for further screening," Burks said. "It's a pre-emptive check. If their weight is good, they will continue to bypass the weigh station."
The trucking industry is aware of the pilot program.
"We do support the weigh-in-motion technology installation," said David O'Neal, vice president of safety programs and industry engagement for the Arkansas Trucking Association.
O'Neal said the approach hits the correct balance between protecting the highways and keeping commerce moving.
"We think it makes the whole process more efficient," he said. "It allows law enforcement personnel at weigh stations to prioritize their engagement with motor carriers and it keeps the wheels of commerce rolling.
"Truckers don't have to stop, and they can better utilize their time."
A Section on 11/27/2017