Dual purpose for new weigh-in-motion site

A new weigh-in-motion weighbridge is being installed on State Highway 1 at the Rakaia Bridge to support the introduction of high productivity motor vehicles (HPMV) on this key South Island, New Zealand, freight route. The HPMV system allows vehicles carrying a divisible load of essential goods to weigh more than the official 44 metric tonnes without a permit, but only on specified routes.
October 13, 2014 Read time: 3 mins

A new weigh-in-motion weighbridge is being installed on State Highway 1 at the Rakaia Bridge to support the introduction of high productivity motor vehicles (HPMV) on this key South Island, New Zealand, freight route.

The HPMV system allows vehicles carrying a divisible load of essential goods to weigh more than the official 44 metric tonnes without a permit, but only on specified routes.

The NZ Transport Agency’s Southern regional director Jim Harland says as the Transport Agency works towards moving more freight on fewer vehicles throughout New Zealand, it is important to monitor the impact of heavier loads on roads and bridges to protect the assets from damage.

Two of the key assets on this critical transport link from Christchurch to Dunedin are the Rakaia and Rangitata No. 1 bridges, both of which were built in 1939 and are earmarked for US$8.3 million of strengthening work in the future.

“By installing the weigh-in-motion site we can monitor loads over the bridges to ensure we minimise any damage while we plan this work to achieve greater value from our assets,” said Harland.

He says monitoring to date had not identified any risks to the key assets from the operation of heavier freight vehicles on this route; however overloading had the potential to damage the assets.

“The US$392,000 weigh-in-motion site will also enable the Transport Agency to collect data for all vehicles travelling over the Rakaia Bridge and enable us to identify freight operators who are in breach of their permit. The site will have a camera for automated number plate recognition; we will follow-up with freight companies, whose trucks are overloaded, as well as checking on operational speeds and unpaid Road User Charges to assist with highway maintenance costs.”

It is expected the introduction of seven weigh-in-motion sites throughout New Zealand will assist with the recovery annually of US$2.3 million in unpaid road user charges.

He says the Transport Agency encourages willing compliance by freight operators because of the safety risk from overloading and disproportional wear and tear on the road network. “By operating a weigh-in-motion site we can collect the data and then target those operators who are in breach of their permit. This way we minimise the impact on the 90 per cent of truck drivers who comply with the regulations.”

A full compliance check can take 20 minutes to an hour, resulting in considerable lost time and added costs for freight operators.

Classification & Data Collection

Related Content

  • Do satellites provide a heavenly view of tolling’s future?
    December 16, 2014
    Satellite-based tolling opens up new options for authorities and can be integrated with DSRC systems as David Crawford discovers. As the proud custodian of the European Union (EU)’s longest road network covered by a single (truck) charging scheme – and the only one to include all major roads - Slovakia has become the continent’s poster-nation for the virtues of GNSS/CN (Global Navigation Satellite System/Cellular Network)-based tolling. It is also proved to be a very fast implementer. Speaking at the 2014 I
    Read More
  • Automating enforcement of environmental zones
    July 27, 2012
    Amsterdam City Council has chosen to move away from manual enforcement of its environmental zone, which is intended to keep highly polluting goods vehicles out of the city centre, and is installing an automated, ANPR-based system. The signs are not much to look at: white with a red circle and the all-important word Milieuzone ('Environmental zone'). But these signs mean that Amsterdam's city centre is strictly off-limits to polluting goods traffic. At the moment compliance is monitored by special wardens wh
    Read More
  • Temporary traffic monitoring with Bluetooth and wi-fi
    May 31, 2013
    David Crawford reviews developments in temporary ITS. Widespread take-up of technologies such as Bluetooth and wi-fi are encouraging the emergence of more sophisticated, while still cost effective, ITS responses to the traffic issues posed by temporary road situations such as work zones and special events. Andy Graham of traffic solutions specialists White Willow Consulting says: “A machine-to-machine radio link is far easier and cheaper than reading characters on a plate.” There can be other plusses. Tech
    Read More
  • Measuring vehicle lengths with a single loop - promising results
    July 27, 2012
    District 7 of Caltrans has been conducting trials to see whether the use of a single inductive loop to measure vehicle lengths and so identify heavy trucks is feasible. So far, the results have been very promising, according to Lead Transportation Engineer Steve Malkson. Between them, the adjoining ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, the US's two biggest, cover some 10,700 acres (43km2) and 68 miles (109km) of waterfront.
    Read More

Highlighted Content