RSF 98, Tire Anomaly Classification System (TACS)

Abstract RSF 98, Tire Anomaly Classification System (TACS) PI Jerry Kissick Co-PI Jennifer Walton 4/1/2020 - 6/30/23 The objective of this project is to increase the number of tire-related violations and out-of-service (OOS) violations identified through inspections where TACS is installed. A tire anomaly classification system (TACS) screens commercial vehicles at weigh station facilities to identify those vehicles which are unsafe due to missing or underinflated tires. Mismatched, under- inflated and missing tires result in vehicle imbalance, improper load distribution, degraded braking performance and other potential safety issues. That is why it is particularly important to ensure that tires are in good condition by providing a high level of compliance monitoring. TACS uses in-road sensors, roadside electronics, and a graphical user interface to screen commercial vehicles for missing or underinflated tires. The system provides a graphical representation of each vehicle based on axle and tire configuration and alerts for the specific tire(s) that are found to have an anomaly. TACS can be integrated with existing weigh station screening systems to create a seamless system that provides additional information to enforcement and helps them to make informed decisions when choosing vehicles to stop for inspection. This project proposes to install a TACS system in order to improve safety by identifying potential out-of-service vehicles.