In-Road Tire Technology Leads to More Violations

Since North Carolina deployed technology to detect truck tire defects in 2018, violations for “tire flat or fabric exposed” have more than doubled.

According to Scopelitis Transportation Consulting, the number of these violations increased from 2,031 violations before the deployment, to more than 4,900 in 2021. The violation is now the third most common vehicle violation in North Carolina, accounting for approximately 10% of all vehicle violations written.

The Tire Anomaly and Classification System, produced by International Road Dynamics, supports the screening of commercial vehicles at highway and ramp speeds at weigh station facilities to identify vehicles with missing or underinflated tires. It uses technology embedded in the roadway near roadside inspection stations to identify tire defects.

North Carolina was one of the first states to test the system and has since had 16 TACS systems installed along its interstates. Virginia and Illinois have also had success with deploying this system, noted STC.

The Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles recently announced it was able to identify and remove 13,000 unsafe tires from commercial vehicles traveling on Interstate 81 in one year.

TACS was installed at the Stephens City Motor Carrier Service Center along I-81 near Winchester in June 2020. An average of nearly 1,200 unsafe tires are detected each month. This year, DMV will install the TACS technology at the Troutville Motor Carrier Service Center on I-81 near Roanoke and the Alberta Motor Carrier Service Center on I-85.

Illinois started with one system. Now, it has 14, and its goal is to get them installed at every interstate scale in the state within two years.