Case Study-Oregons Green Light

Twenty Oregon weight stations have been equipped with a system allowing trucks carrying transponders to be weighed and pre-cleared past stations at highway speed.

The Green Light system includes weight-in-motion (WIM) scales, and pole-mounted automatic vehicle identification (AVI) readers interfacing with computers capable of checking a truck's size, weight, and height, as well as the carrier's records related to vehicle registration, tax payments, and safety, in less than one second, a mile before the weight station.

  • From April through June 1999, 64,881 truckers saw green light signals on their transponders as they pre-cleared ten weight stations equipped with the Green Light system. On the conservative assumption that only five minutes are saved by by-passing the weight station, these 64,881 green lights represent a savings of 5,407 hours of travel time.

  • From January through April 2000, 134,352 trucks were allowed to bypass 16 Oregon weigh stations. A total of 11,196 hours were saved.

Oregon's Green Light Project wins one of seven "Best of ITS" 1999 awards presented by the members of the Intelligent Transportation Society of America (ITS America). The award winners were announced at ITS America's Tenth Annual Meeting and Exposition, held May 1-4, 2000 in Boston.

The state of Oregon has reportedly recouped its original investment of $25 million, and estimates it will save about that amount every year thanks to the program. Examples of savings obtained are outlined:

  • Savings in travel time, which translates into lower truck operating costs and, ultimately, lower costs to the consumer

  • Costs savings due to the decreased need for expanding weigh station facilities to handle growing truck traffic

  • Preservation of highway facilities: overweight trucks are identified and stopped before they go on to cause highway pavement damage

An 18-wheeler traveling towards the Oregon Farewell Bend Port of Entry passes over a weight-in-motion scale, past roadside over-height detectors, and under an automatic vehicle detection reader

A photo of an 18-wheeler traveling towards the Oregon Farewell Bend Port of Entry passes over a weight-in-motion scale, past roadside over-height detectors, and under an automatic vehicle detection reader

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