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Green Light, Reg Light
by Steve Macleod
In B.C. a program is being developed to let truckers bypass weigh stations. Of course, drivers will first have to prove theyŭre safe and compliant, but it should pay dividends down the road. B.C. Transportation is putting the Green Light Transportation System through a three-month pilot test, but it's hoping to be done by June 2009. During the testing phase, about 500 vehicles will help shape the system into a useable form. The department will be relying on a cross-section of short-, medium-, and long-haul participants during the initial phase. Automated Vehicle Identification (AVI) equipment and Weigh-In-Motion technology installed at scales will identify a truck through a transponder and signal the truck. A green light means continue down the highway and a red light means report to the scale. Once a truck has been weighed at an inspection station in B.C., that truck will be given pre-clearance for all stations in the system for the next 12 hours. Currently the weigh stations hooked up to the network are Port Mann eastbound, Golden eastbound and westbound, and Hope and Kamloops in between. Once the Green Light system is in full swing, more weigh stations in the province will be upgraded and included in the network. To prevent abuse a random report factor will be issued, so thereŭs a chance that a truck will have to report to a scale within its 12-hour Green Light period. "The random report factor can be done by carrier or vehicle," says Robin Dunn, senior business analyst, business services, B.C. Ministry of Transportation. "If you're good your chances will drop down to 5% at the lowest. If you're marginal your rate might go up as high as 60%. So it's a system that promotes good behavior." The random report factor is evaluated daily and is volume based. So, the more trips made in the network, the faster the random report rate will go up and down. The voluntary program will be free to enroll in, aside from the $25 cost for purchasing a transponder. The initial random report percentage will be based on a current National Safety Code rating. "Our objective is to make more efficient use of the weigh scales we have and to improve the safe flow of commercial traffic," says Dunn. "Traffic in this area is going to triple in the near future and we're not going to get three times the staff, or three times the stations, so we have to work better with what we have." Alberta has revitalized a similar program and the two provinces are currently working out a reciprocity agreement. The Alberta Partners In Compliance (PIC) program currently has 16 companies enrolled, with transponders in 1700 trucks and more awaiting approval. There are 12 scales equipped right now in Alberta and all 16 scales will be ready by the end of 2009. "The driver acceptance on this has been phenomenal and that's really the most important part," notes Lane Kranenburg, manager of PIC. "The saving to companies is substantial, but making the drivers happy is really what this is about." While both provincial programs aim to give safe and compliant drivers the freedom to bypass scales at highway speed, there are some differences in the two. In Alberta, a company has to prove its safety record to the PIC administrators through electronic safety audits and in turn get to bypass weigh stations in Alberta 95% of the time - all the time. One thing the provinces can agree on is an active effort in taking the bypass initiative beyond their own borders.
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