110 | TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT
Technology in motion WIM technology is a very effective way to enforce vehicle weight and dimension regulations – and the technology is improving all the time Words | Dr Gerd Simons and Tomas Pospisek, Kistler Instrumente AG, Switzerland
In recent years, weigh-in-motion (WIM) technology has proven to be an ideal solution for direct enforcement in road traffic control. Where high-speed WIM systems previously simply helped identify vehicles that violated weight limits, now they are used more to directly penalize overloaded vehicles. Overloading – be it accidental due to negligent vehicle loading, or intentional as a cost-saving measure – affects road traffic in various ways. It damages infrastructure, reduces road safety and adds to unfair competition between transport modes and operators. Overloading also violates taxation rules including vehicle registration fees, axle taxes and toll infrastructure fees. As a result, it is essential to address the issue of overloaded trucks by enforcing vehicle weight and dimension regulations. The integration of advanced truck load monitoring systems into ITS marks a big step forward compared with compliance officers’ long-established roadside enforcement methods. Traditional enforcement is complex and time-consuming, with only five to six large vehicles being handled per day on average.
The advantages of WIM WIM systems can measure vehicle loads at high speeds. They collect traffic data continuously, producing data sets that can help identify operators who are transporting goods without the correct permit. While the results vary from country to country, up to 100 violations a day can be identified. The procedure shares similarities with automatic speed enforcement: WIM systems can be operated 24/7, do not require enforcement personnel, and are suitable for highways with a high volume of vehicles. The most important benefit is automatic direct enforcement, which means that traffic is measured constantly and consistently.
Intertraffic World | Annual Showcase 2018
In 2015, Kistler was the first WIM manufacturer to receive the Organisation Internationale de Métrologie Légale (OIML) R-134 certificate for vehicle weighing, using strip sensors at 3-65km/h (2-40mph). This certificate recognizes that Kistler’s WIM systems, comprising the maintenance-free Lineas quartz WIM sensors and the Kistler WIM Data Logger, can be used for legal weighing applications. The systems provide reliable data on traffic volume, axle loads and gross vehicle weight. Several Eastern European countries have
already brought in legislation that permits the application of WIM technology in traffic enforcement. Most of these systems – provided by different system integrators – utilize Kistler quartz sensors for data acquisition. The Lineas Quartz WIM sensor technology measures wheel and axle loads extremely accurately, to determine gross vehicle weight under rolling traffic conditions. Kistler’s WIM equipment offers officials flexible and maintenance-free traffic monitoring options.
