oversize/overweight vehicles and safety considerations

COLLABORATE. INNOVATE. EDUCATE.

Oversize/Overweight Vehicles and Safety Considerations

Mike Murphy, Ph.D., P.E.



• Introduction – Over height load safety

• Truckers – measuring over height loads

• Over height vehicle detection systems

• Autonomous Vehicles and Augmented Reality

• Conclusions


IH‐5 Skagit River Bridge Washington State

No Fatalities

$17 million law suit underway

Canadian oil field equipment hauler2” over permit height limit


Wallace River Bridge – Washington State


Washington State Route Bridge Vertical Clearance Trip Planner


http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2014/07/31/where‐trucks‐crash‐storrow‐and‐memorial‐drives/A1rQpXZtcV4PIPPmSDNxKI/story.htm

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Map showing truck bridge collision locations and treatments – Boston, MA







• Conclusions

COLLABORATE. INNOVATE. EDUCATE.Vehicle Mounted Height Rod – Super load move – Hamilton, Texas


Low wires – often requires coordination with each town – they want to raise their own signals


Railroad Crossing – lateral and vertical clearance


Some truckers believe DOTs include a ‘safety factor’ in bridge height clearances……


OS/OW driver’s experience varies – every driver has a ‘first trip’………….and someInexperienced drivers will take on OS/OW load hauls…….


• Static load height measurements might not take into accountload rebound due to road dynamics

• How should road dynamics be taken into considerationregarding truck / load height variations when in motion?

• How do we help educate OS/OW haulers about load height measurement and permitting requirements?







• Conclusions


Trucker may question – ‘Is this sign meant for me???


I am a truck driver with an over height load….I’ve seen the signs and have finally stopped….now what do I do?


The sign is the over height detection system

• High day time visibility

• Night time visibility?

• Top of truck may hit the signwell past the cab and past thepoint where the driver can hear it…..

• Effectiveness?


Chains hanging from a signal cross arm alert oversize vehicles of low clearance rail bridge

COLLABORATE. INNOVATE. EDUCATE.Drop Tube System


Both flashing sign and ringing bell alert over size vehicle

COLLABORATE. INNOVATE. EDUCATE.Oklahoma – Turner Turnpike Over height Vehicle Warning system


ELTEC Over Height Load Sensor (Yoakum)

COLLABORATE. INNOVATE. EDUCATE.Protective Beam stops over height trucks from hitting railway bridge Village in NY State


The Guillotine Bridge – North Carolina

http://11foot8.com/


Over height vehicle detection system and signs ‐ $1,000,000 AustralianAnnual cost due to 11 overheight truck hits $4,000,000, 16 hours of delay

Railway Boom gates and signals now addedTraffic is delayed but OS truck

is safely rerouted

East Link – Melbourne Tunnel Entrance – Australia Boom Gates


Sydney Harbor Tunnel Sydney, Australia30 million vehicles per year

10,500 tunnel hits by oversize vehicles since opening in 1992







• Conclusions


GiraffeG4 overhead collision avoidance system – available now….but truck must be stopped under object. Used to test suspected low clearance structures,

cannot be used at highway speeds.


• Sensor mounted on outside mirror…• Read out in cab – driver sets truck height and sensor height. • Sensor sounds alarm at low clearance objects

At the present time, GiraffeG4 cannot dotriangulation and measure from a distanceat highway speeds: considered too expensive.


System sends voice message warning to driver‘Over height, please pull over’

Truck On – sensors mounted along highwayMessage receiver in truck cab

Truck On – sensors mounted along highway

Sensors detects over height load

‘Truck‐On System’ ‐ New South Wales – Australia (under development)

https://www.nicta.com.au/category/industry‐engagement/infrastructure‐transport‐and‐logistics/projects/truckon‐overhead‐collision‐prevention/


Volvo Trucks ‐ 360° situation awareness

Volvo’s current estimate of market availability 5 – 10 years

Forward Radar


The system warns the driver….

…but if the driverdoesn’t respond, thetruck will brake on itsown to avoid collisions


F‐18 Fighter pilot view – Heads Up Display (HUD)

• Pilot doesn’t need to take eyes off the target to access information

• Augmented Reality – Head Mounted Display (HMD) for future vehicles


Jaguar – Augmented Reality – Windshield Display


See‐through car technology Japan

See‐Through‐System (STS) technologyUniversity of Portugal







• Conclusions


• 20% of the over 800,000 TxDMV MCD permits are Oversize loads that are not overweight. Many overweight loads are also oversize…

• Methods for measuring static vehicle ‐ load heights vary depending on trucker experience and preferences.

• Load height measurements may not consider potential variationsdue to road dynamics and vehicle suspension rebound

• Nationally, drivers are guided by a wide variety of signs, bridge height warning signs and over height warning systems

• Future technologies primarily vehicle – vehicle collision avoidance

• Little information is currently available on the future of low clearance bridge or obstacle clearance detection at highway speeds

oversize/overweight vehicles and safety considerations

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