RICHMOND, Va. — The Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles (VDMV) is using innovative in-road sensor technology developed by a Canadian transportation intelligence systems company to monitor the tire health of trucks traveling the commonwealth's highways.
The DMV disclosed recently it removed 13,000 unsafe tires from commercial vehicles traveling on Interstate 81 in a 12-month period thanks to the use of technology known as the Tire Anomaly and Classification System (TACS).
The technology — developed by International Road Dynamics Inc. (IRD) of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan — enables weigh-station technicians to identify commercial vehicles traveling with flat, missing, mismatched or underinflated tires and notify drivers to stop their journeys and arrange for a repair.
The DMV said it detects about 1,200 unsafe tires a month at its Stephens City Motor Carrier Service Center along Interstate 81 near Winchester, where the first TACS was installed in June 2020.
Based on the success of that trial, the DMV plans to install TACS technology units this year at the Troutville Motor Carrier Service Center on I-81 near Roanoke and the Alberta Motor Carrier Service Center on I-85.
"DMV's motor carrier service centers put the most innovative technology to work to keep truck drivers, and all motorists, safe," Virginia Secretary of Transportation Shannon Valentine said. "Bringing TACS on board is yet another commitment toward innovative solutions to make the Commonwealth's roads safer."
"Tire blowouts can cause serious crashes," DMV Commissioner Richard D. Holcomb said. "By detecting unsafe tires, most times before a truck driver even knows there is a problem, we can prevent crashes from occurring and save lives.
"The hard-working folks at DMV's motor carrier service centers take very seriously the role they play in keeping our highways safe; TACS gives them another tool with which to work."
The DMV operates 13 motor carrier service centers along highways in the Commonwealth along with 12 mobile crews. A typical motor carrier service center is staffed with size and weight compliance agents who weigh vehicles, collect truck data and partner with the Virginia State Police to issue citations for non-compliance.
IRD describes itself as a multi-disciplinary intelligent transportation systems (ITS) company with the expertise to develop integrated technical solutions to solve challenging transportation problems.
Established in 1980, IRD offers a growing portfolio of related services and solutions, bringing new technology to transportation planning, operations and management by harnessing the power and value of the Internet of Things to deliver transportation intelligence.