Caltrans Field Trials of the Intelligent Truck-Mounted Attenuator (ITMA)

Details

• Creators:
  Torick, Dave ; Kumar, Dinesh ; Duong, Anh ; Nazari, Shima
• Corporate Creators:
  Advanced Highway Maintenance and Construction Technology Research Center (Calif.)
• Corporate Contributors:
  California. Department of Transportation
• Subject/TRT Terms:
  Advanced Traffic Management Systems Automatic Headway Control Autonomous Maintenance Vehicles Autonomous Vehicles Car Following Evaluation Field Tests Global Positioning System GPS-denied Navigation Highway Maintenance Intelligent Transportation Systems Intelligent Truck-Mounted Attenuator (ITMA) Leader-follower Vehicle Systems Navigation Public-road Field Trials Public Roads Raised Road Markings Truck Mounted Attenuators Work Zone Safety

  More +
• Publication/ Report Number:
  CA26-4159 ; UCD-ARR-26-01-30-01
• Resource Type:
  Tech Report
• Geographical Coverage:
  United States
• Edition:
  Final Report: January 2023 - October 2025
• Corporate Publisher:
  California. Department of Transportation
• Abstract:
  Truck-mounted attenuator (TMA) operators are exposed to traffic-related hazards during Caltrans maintenance operations. To help reduce this exposure, the Advanced Highway Maintenance and Construction Technology Research Center (AHMCT), in partnership with Caltrans, conducted controlled public-road field trials of the Intelligent Truck-Mounted Attenuator {ITMA). The ITMA is a two-vehicle system in which a leader vehicle guides a semi- or fully intelligent follower vehicle equipped with a TMA. Building on prior closed-course evaluations, this project prepared the system for field evaluation through hardware upgrades, communications improvements, interface enhancements, and operator training. The ITMA was evaluated during striping, sweeping, and raised pavement marker operations in both semi-intelligent and fully intelligent modes. Field trials demonstrated consistent following behavior, predictable emergency stopping, and stable performance in varied roadway and GPS-challenged environments. Operator feedback indicated positive acceptance and increasing familiarity with system operation. The results support the continued evaluation of the ITMA and inform future decisions regarding its potential operational use.
• Format:
  PDF
• Funding:
  65A07 49 Task 41
• Collection(s):
  US Transportation Collection
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:e2b49da488794efcec775b5e3c24cd353bfdb5443c5557a7562adbf169780413e7387f4c787e04d169ca4aaa382aa401624763dd58cd54a787e3af90185656c1
• Download URL:
  https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/90490/dot_90490_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 2.66 MB ]