New technology to improve efficiency of plow trucks
Snow and cold weather have largely skirted around Southwestern Pennsylvania so far this winter, but when they hit, the state Department of Transportation will be ready.
New technology – the Automated Vehicle Location system – has been added to more than 700 plow trucks, which will allow PennDOT to better track its trucks and plan their routes.
“The unit in each truck sends a cellular signal showing where the truck is located and the amount of material the truck is spreading,” said PennDOT spokesman Rich Kirkpatrick.
He said AVL will give PennDOT managers the ability to monitor the trucks’ movements and their coverage. With this information, they will be able to redeploy vehicles “to areas that need extra attention during storms.”
The installation of the AVL system is a part of Gov. Tom Wolf’s GO-TIME initiative. GO-TIME is meant to leverage “inter-agency coordination and collaboration to maximize efficiency, modernize state government operations and provide the highest quality services,” according to a news release sent in October concerning the AVL system.
“This represents a step forward in taking advantage of the latest technology to improve service delivery and transparency in government operations,” Kirkpatrick said of how AVL technology fits within the frame of GO-TIME’s goals.
Transportation officials believe that outfitting the trucks with the new technology will save the state $1.4 million over the course of four to six years.
“This is an estimate based on an expected better utilization of materials based on the real-time monitoring the AVL system provides,” Kirkpatrick said.
As it stands, PennDOT plans on incorporating the AVL system only into its plow trucks, which include 516 owned by PennDOT and 212 rentals.
Kirkpatrick said PennDOT is not making plans about implementing AVL in vehicles beyond the plow trucks.
“Because this is a pilot program, we will review the effectiveness of the expansion of the system this year before making decisions about moving forward,” Kirkpatrick said.