Effects of Direct Enforcement WIM

Introduction

Local authorities often face reality when comparing the planned and true road lifetime. The planned lifetime is based on a qualified estimation of traffic intensity and structure. Yet, it is very complicated to predict the number of overloaded trucks, even though it is very important, as these vehicles are the ones causing the most road damage.

We carried out studies that aimed to determine the level of road damage as accurately as possible. That is by using WIM systems to measure Equivalent Single Axle Loads (ESALs) - the real cumulative road load.

Observations

This example shows that the planned road condition differs from the real driveway condition. There are two conclusions. Firstly, the road has to be repaired much sooner if the planned costs should be met. Secondly, it has to be repaired in time. Otherwise, the costs will rise significantly. Weighing vehicles on axles provides data accurate enough to determine the actual road load, which enables the user to plan maintenance effectively.

Results show that installing the CAMEA WIM system for direct fining typically results in a significant drop of overloading violators. That decreases the road damage up to five times.

Apparently, small vehicles, such as personal cars, are almost irrelevant in terms of the road damage.

Conclusion

Once used for enforcement, applying WIM extends the road lifespan significantly - the repairs can potentially be carried out at the optimal time and the original plan of costs and repairs can be met. It disables illegally heavy trucks from driving through the place. They must either be loaded properly or use a different path. To prevent moving the overloaded traffic to other roads, building a dense web of WIM stations is recommended.