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About ITD
About ITD
Leveraging Technology to Improve Safety
Innovative highway technology can improve road safety and enforcement activity. Every year, cutting-edge tools increase what’s possible. Learn about how the ITD program is helping make roadways safer, and how States can apply for grant funding to implement innovative ideas.
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Program Management
Program Management
Keeping States Aligned with ITD Goals
A State’s ITD program has many moving parts. ITD Program Managers play a critical role in making sure their State’s ITD program supports FMCSA’s mission. Learn about the different levels of ITD participation, the steps States take to be considered “Core Compliant,” and how Expanded ITD allows States to build on core capabilities.
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ITD Data
ITD Data
Exchanging Safety Data to Enhance Safety
Securely exchanging data between State CVIEWs and FMCSA’s SAFER database is the foundation of FMCSA’s ITD program. Learn about how States exchange data with FMCSA, and with each other, and steps States can take to ensure their data is of the highest quality possible. ITD users can also log in to conduct web queries of SAFER and other FMCSA web systems.
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Resources
Resources
Information to Help States Implement ITD
FMCSA is committed to providing States with the resources and information they need to implement effective ITD programs. Learn about the basics of the ITD program and how your State can get involved. ITD users can also log in to access recordings of previous webinars, conference materials, and web infrastructure technical specifications.
RESOURCES
To provide an additional opportunity for States to engage with their peers, FMCSA introduced the ITD State Spotlight in 2023. Every quarter, during an ITD Program Managers' meeting, a participating State presents their strategies to achieve their ITD goals, enabling other States to benefit from their experience and insights.
ITD State Spotlight: Indiana
June 2024
Indiana is leveraging ITD funds to make it easier for CMV drivers to find places to park their trucks, with the goal of helping to reduce driver fatigue and improve highway safety. The State’s Truck Parking Information Management System (TPIMS) monitors availability in State-owned truck parking lots and tells drivers in real time where to find open spaces. Indiana’s Department of Transportation (INDOT) says the system is part of infrastructure upgrades at all of the State’s rest areas and welcome centers that will add more than 1,200 new parking spaces for trucks.
Keys to Success
When the TPIMS system was first deployed, it was less reliable and more costly to operate than expected. The INDOT team reassessed the design and found technology better suited for their needs. Indiana shares the problems, improvements, and lessons learned from its TPIMS, including how an adaptive response to challenges led them to build a successful system after a rocky start.
The Technology
Indiana’s TPIMS transmits parking information to drivers via dynamic road signs, ensuring a driver doesn’t pull off the road only to find a lot is already full.
The initial design included both primary and secondary types of detection technology: in-ground wireless magnetometers to detect and count vehicles entering and exiting the lot, and a license plate reader (LPR) system to identify each vehicle as it entered and left the lot and to determine how long it had stayed (dwell time). Design and development of several lots with TPIMS began in 2016 and was completed about two years later. Once the equipment was operating, INDOT noticed issues that seriously limited performance and added burdensome costs:
- Performance issues with lower price/lower quality LPR camera equipment included poor recognition of license plates, especially in low light. Although infrared illumination could have improved performance, it had been excluded from the scope to reduce costs.
- Determining vehicle dwell time requires aggregating, storing, and analyzing license plate data, which is considered PII. Meeting PII security requirements requires highly complex software and onsite fiber-optics communications networks. Technical issues arose that would require scope changes; INDOT’s in-house team did not have the resources to conduct software changes and the team learned that onsite networks would require specialized contractors and impede construction of the parking sites.
INDOT redesigned the system, removing the LPR system and replacing the wireless magnetometers with side-fire radar equipment, which has a longer lifespan and is easier to maintain. INDOT used ITD funding to upgrade the initial parking lots, which are now fully functional.
Truck parking availability is now integrated with INDOT’s 511 Traveler Information System.
Lessons Learned
The problems: The magnetometers had hidden costs, such as ongoing maintenance; the LPR equipment wasn’t right for the job; and PII security required software changes the in-house team.
The solutions: Keep maintenance in mind and assess the risks of using a new technology—INDOT’s detection technologies weren’t proven for use in parking lots when work began. A project team should ask themselves whether a technology was evaluated for short- and long-term use under the conditions specified for their project and how it compares with existing technologies. A team also should identify the risks and impacts of design changes made at any phase in the project and be realistic about the staff time and resources available to vet, deploy, and maintain a project.
Fun Fact
INDOT’s upgrade of rest areas and welcome centers adds much-needed truck parking across the State. Each welcome center also offers insights into local culture and history by highlighting themes such as the Indianapolis 500 annual auto race, Lake Michigan on the State’s northwestern border, and of course—basketball.