Daily News Briefs, August 14, 2023

Kapsch TrafficCom Staff Expand AI Development Initiative That Aids Disadvantaged Workers

Kapsch TrafficCom announced that a company initiative to promote artificial intelligence (AI) technology while developing the skills of employees with special needs has advanced to a new level. Last spring, Kapsch introduced an upgrade of its automatic number plate recognition software that included deep learning elements. The company noted that it accomplished the data annotation required to train its software in conjunction with an employment program that provides “a realistic pathway into the primary labour market” for persons with various disadvantages. Now, just several months later, a group of experts from various disciplines led by Kapsch staff have formed an organization to introduce the “Responsible Annotation” employment project to other Austrian companies. Beate Fabian, a manager of annotation and systems architecture for Kapsch, stated, “Data annotation is used wherever AI is used. This concerns areas such as order and quality management, but also research fields in medicine and technology. For us, it’s about bringing companies together with the people who can do this work.”

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FMCSA Announcement Stirs Debate Over Truck Driver Break Rules And Safety

FreightWaves reports, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has announced that it will consider waiver petitions that would authorize enforcement of state meal and rest break rules for truck drivers stricter than those required under federal regulations. During the Trump administration, FMCSA ruled that federal regulation of trucking safety preempted California and Washington State rules that require drivers to be given more frequent work breaks than those mandated by federal law. Now, FMCSA says it will review requests to waive federal preemption, provided the applicant addresses several issues, including whether enforcement of stricter state rules will exacerbate the existing truck parking shortage problem. FreightWaves looks at a stakeholders’ debate over which set of break rules actually makes US trucking safer.

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Virginia DOT System That Sets Variable I-95 Speed Limits Receives Award

The Free Lance-Star reports, a $10 million variable speed limit system Virginia DOT launched along a 15-mile segment of I-95 North has received recognition in the America’s Transportation Awards competition. “The corridor has sensors that detect traffic speeds ahead of the zone. An algorithm then determines safe speeds along that stretch of highway. LED signs gradually adjust speeds in the corridor,” at rates that vary between 65 MPH and 35 MPH. The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), which sponsors the competition together with AAA and the US Chamber of Commerce, states, “Since [the system’s 2022] implementation, there has been a significant reduction in the number of drivers traveling at high speeds on Interstate 95, along with a decrease of more than 20 percent in severe crashes resulting in fatalities and injuries.” (Click here to learn about Florida DOT projects recognized in the southern states round of the awards competition.)

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Florida DOT Receives Three Accolades In Regional Phase Of AASHTO Awards Competition

Last week, AASHTO announced that some Florida toll-related projects were recognized in the southern states round of the 2023  America’s Transportation Awards competition. Florida DOT’s $2.3 billion I-4 Ultimate project — the capstone of which was the construction of miles of new tolled managed lanes — received an Operations Excellence award. The judges said the project “significantly improved access to homes, schools, businesses, and world-famous attractions,” in metro area with an exploding number of residents and visitors. Florida DOT was also recognized for “usher[ing] in a new era of innovative transportation and technology testing” when it received a Best Use of Technology and Innovation Award for its creation of the SunTrax Transportation Testing Center, which, among other things, provides infrastructure for electronic tolling system development and testing. Lastly, a Quality of Life-Community Development award was conferred on FDOT for its $64 million emergency restoration of the Sanibel Causeway after it was heavily damaged in last year’s Hurricane Ian. The judges said the project “brought a level of normalcy back to local residents after the horrific storm that upended their lives.”

AASHTO noted, “Once all the [awards program] regional meetings have concluded, the Top 12′ list of finalists will be announced – comprised of the three highest scoring projects from each region. Those top 12 contenders will then compete for the two 2023 America’s Transportation Awards national prizes.”

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These are just some of the toll industry developments TRN is following.

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