Evaluation of thermal imaging technology for commercial vehicle screening.

Details

• Creators:
  Walton, Jennifer R. ; Spellman, Mark S. ; Crabtree, Joseph D.
• Corporate Creators:
  University of Kentucky Transportation Center
• Corporate Contributors:
  United States. Federal Highway Administration ; Kentucky. Transportation Cabinet ; Multimodal Transportation and Infrastructure Consortium
• Subject/TRT Terms:
  Brakes Commercial Vehicles Evaluation Inspection Recommendations Technology Assessment Thermal Imagery Tires
• Publication/ Report Number:
  KTC-15-19/MTIC7-14-1F
• Resource Type:
  Tech Report
• Geographical Coverage:
  Kentucky
• Corporate Publisher:
  University of Kentucky Transportation Center
• Abstract:
  Brake and tire violations are common problems identified through commercial vehicle inspections. Identifying and
  
  correcting these types of problems before a crash occurs can produce significant safety benefits. Thermal imaging
  
  technology can be used by commercial vehicle enforcement to screen vehicles as they approach a weigh station to
  
  determine if they may have flat tires and inoperable brakes. The vehicles do not have to be stopped at a weigh station to
  
  be screened. Kentucky currently has three stations outfitted with thermal imaging technology. The objectives of this study
  
  were to evaluate the benefits of using the thermal imaging cameras to identify brake and tire problems and to develop
  
  recommendations for how enforcement personnel can receive the most benefits from this technology. The data presented
  
  in this report include: 1) a summary of previous research, 2) evaluations of the technology, 3) on-site data collection at a
  
  Kentucky weigh station, 4) an interview with one of Kentucky’s primary users of the technology, and 5) an analysis of
  
  Kentucky inspection data, specifically, brake and tire violations and vehicle out-of-service (OOS) rates. A Federal Motor
  
  Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) evaluation concluded that the OOS rate for vehicles pinpointed via thermal
  
  imaging camera systems was 59 percent, whereas the OOS rate for conventional inspection was only 19 percent. Facilities
  
  with a thermal imaging system recorded a higher percentage of tire and brake violations per inspection as well as a higher
  
  vehicle out-of-service (VOOS) rate than facilities without a thermal imaging camera. However, the effectiveness of
  
  thermal imaging technology was significantly influenced by whether law enforcement embraced it as well as by
  
  inspectors’ proficiency operating the systems. This study recommends that enforcement staff who can access thermal
  
  imaging technology receive periodic training on its operation, then graduate to a practicum that lets them use the
  
  technology under expert supervision. Promotional materials that highlight the value of thermal imaging technologies
  
  should be distributed to all Kentucky enforcement personnel. In addition, methods and enforcement mechanisms should
  
  be identified so that personnel can be held accountable for using the technology.
  
  
• Format:
  PDF
• Funding:
  MTIC-7-14
• Collection(s):
  US Transportation Collection
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:436d21d0441935d7ac676ee09dbfc576da60ab9508ae09cfb0e492e8875119369308d2e8c03cf1ef72e7ed785bed1a4ebd82c2da54b1f8626476e0f5b7b710ea
• Download URL:
  https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/29711/dot_29711_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 272.74 KB ]