Book Description

This report documents evaluation results and recommendations for Michigan commercial vehicle enforcement strategies and facilities. Through literature review, online survey and site visits, enforcement strategies and facilities in other states and countries were studied. Site visits of existing Michigan commercial vehicle enforcement sites and review of current and past reports by the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) and the Michigan State Police (MSP) revealed the existing conditions of facilities and potential needs for improvements. Benefit-cost analyses for the existing fixed weigh stations and other enforcement sites were conducted. The results indicated that addition of lowspeed Weigh-In-Motion (WIM) with bypass lane is most likely to improve efficiency of a number of existing fixed weigh stations. Also, adding a preclearance system was found to improve efficiency of specific fixed weigh stations. The results, however, showed that fixed weigh stations are not economically beneficial when located along low volume roads. Recommendations for removing such stations are also provided. Furthermore, the report recommends implementation of systems that integrate enforcement technologies and consolidate data to assist enforcement officers in screening and verifying compliance of commercial vehicles.