Electronic screening can be performed at fixed sites (e.g., weigh stations) and mobile sites to confirm that transponder-equipped vehicles are safe, not over-weight, have appropriate credentials, or have not been placed out-of-service. Electronic screening systems enable enforcement personnel to identify high risk carriers, and approve compliant vehicles without requiring them to stop for manual inspection.

Electronic screening equipment at the roadside typically consists of automatic vehicle identification (AVI), weigh-in-motion (WIM) scales, signage, workstations, and roadside telecommunications. Kentucky estimated it would cost approximately $150,000 to deploy basic screening equipment (AVI, WIM, and electronic signs/loop detectors) at a single site, not including the cost of land, buildings, or fixed scales. Annual recurring costs associated with basic screening included $15,000 for equipment replacement, and $6,500 in operating costs (not including labor).

The majority of cost of electronic screening is borne by state agencies, and costs can vary greatly depending on the level of integration between roadside inspection facilities and the CVISN safety information exchange network. CVIEW (Commercial Vehicle Information Exchange Window) software, which supports CVISN using the SAFER data mailbox to exchange data between states, can account for a significant portion of initial start-up costs. The cost of full CVISN electronic screening (AVI, WIM, and vehicle safety data snapshot capability) is greatest during the initial deployment where software development is required to make the system compatible the unique characteristic of data collection in each state. The cost to equip additional sites will be substantially less since software development will not need to be repeated.

The following table provides the cost to add electronic screening to a fixed site currently equipped with static scales and the cost for each additional site. Basic screening equipment (AVI, WIM, and electronic signs/loop detectors) is $150,000 per site. Initial upgrade from basic to full CVISN (AVI, WIM, & snapshot capability) including software development is $372,252. Initial deployment of full CVISN electronic screening at a static scale site is $522,252. The cost of upgrading each additional site (fixed scale or basic screening) to full CVISN electronic screening is $303,540.

 

Cost Element	Cost for the First Site	Cost for Each Additional Site
AVI Reader	$15,000	$15,000
Scale, WIM, Mainline	$125,000	$125,000
Electronic Signs/Loop Detectors	$10,000	$10,000
Administrative/other	$27,000
Communication equipment	$123,000	$123,000
Consultant (software development)	$166,712
Interfaces	$25,000
Personal Computer (3 desktop)	$10,000	$10,000
Retrofit fixed weigh scale	$20,000	$20,000
Training, PC (3 persons)	$240	$240
Training, Info Technology (3 persons)	$300	$300
TOTAL	$522,252	$303,540

The annual O&M cost per CVISN electronic screening site is $217,646. The table bellows provides a breakdown of the O&M cost.

Notes:
States attempting to adapt or extrapolate costs information from this study should first account for any significant differences between their operating procedures, equipment, and data collection systems, and those used by states participating in this study.