Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration Administrator Anne Ferro tomorrow will get a chance to check out some new high-tech safety enforcement tools being tested at the agency's Roadside Technology Corridor along Interstate 81 in Greene County, Tennessee.


At the Commercial Motor Vehicle Technology Showcase, Ferro will see new-to-market and prototype inspection technologies designed to improve the on-road performance of commercial trucks and buses.

In a real-world setting, the showcase will demonstrate new safety enforcement monitoring tools such as the Wireless Roadside Inspection (WRI) Program, which uses a fixed site or mobile vehicle to increase the number of truck and bus inspections; and a prototype of the Smart Infrared Inspection System that detects commercial vehicle brake, wheel and tire problems.

FMCSA's WRI program involves the capability of assessing truck and bus drivers and vehicles 50
times more often than is possible using today's approaches. A WRI is a process where public sector entities (people and systems) examine the condition of the vehicle and driver by assessing data collected by on-board systems. The data used in the assessment is termed the "Safety Data Message Set" (SDMS). The SDMS is delivered using wireless communications in real-time from the CMV to a network of fixed and mobile roadside readers. The WRI can be used in conjunction with a mobile enforcement vehicle and assists an officer in determining which vehicle should be pulled over for closer inspection.

The Smart Infrared Inspection System (SIRIS) is a prototype system that can scan both sides of every vehicle that passes the infrared cameras located on both sides of the in-station travel lane. The SIRIS's analysis is based on actual temperature detected, rather than an artificially scaled image. The SIRIS has the potential to identify brake problems, as suggested by either cold or overly hot brakes relative to others on same vehicle; wheel bearing issues where the loss of lubrication causes friction, generating excessive heat that indicates imminent failure; and tire issues since under-inflated tires are hotter than properly inflated ones.

FMCSA, in partnership with the Tennessee Department of Transportation, Tennessee Department of Safety and the University of Tennessee's Oak Ridge Laboratory, organized the technology showcase.