Abstract

Staff shortages and reduced budgets have made transportation agencies increasingly reliant on intelligent transportation systems (ITS) for commercial motor (CMV) vehicle enforcement activities. Technologies such as license plate readers, US Department of Transportation (USDOT) number readers, weigh-in-motion scales, static scales, and preclearance systems like PrePass and Drivewyze help automate enforcement and free up personnel to focus on inspecting those vehicles most likely to pose compliance and/or safety risks. To document adoption rates of different technologies, researchers surveyed transportation agencies, vendors, and law enforcement agencies. Surveys responses provided useful insights into how jurisdictions are approaching the use of advanced technologies to improve enforcement. Although license plate readers and USDOT readers are gaining popularity, their use remains less common than different types of scales and preclearance systems. Price could be a stumbling block to wider adoption as readers can exceed $500,000 per installation. Most jurisdictions routinely evaluate the accuracy of data generated by advanced technologies. However, many outsource assessments to vendors. Survey respondents commented that, overall, their jurisdictions are satisfied with the performance and accuracy of the technologies they have acquired to improve CMV enforcement. The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) and other agencies can use the findings of this report to inform future investment decisions, build more robust partnerships with private sector stakeholders and across jurisdictional lines, facilitate data ex-change, and coordinate enforcement activities.

Report Date

10-2025

Report Number

KTC-26-09

Digital Object Identifier

https://doi.org/10.13023/ktc.rr.2026.09

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