Iowa
Inside State
Nov. 10, 1995
Where The Computer Meets The Road
by Michelle Johnson
Tom Maze is sitting in the driver's seat of one of the
largest university-based transportation centers in the
country. That's a big responsibility considering the Iowa
Transportation Center has grown from a small ISU Extension
center in 1983 to a powerhouse in the transportation research
arena, with more than 50 national research contracts and
grants.
"Work done at the center covers a broad range of
transportation issues," Maze said. "Many of our projects are
centered around the trucking industry, investigating means of
using technology to make truck transportation more efficient
and safe."
It is an industry that generates well over $300 billion in
economic activity annually, according to Maze.
"In our larger technology transfer projects, we act like the
grease between the big cogs," he said. "Our work often
involves working with large defense contractors and
manufacturers, government and members of the trucking
industry to develop and evaluate new applications for
existing technology."
One of the problems currently under study at the center is
the handwritten trip log truck drivers must keep. Highway use
taxes paid by trucking companies, such as fuel taxes and
registration fees, are apportioned among states based on the
number of miles a truck travels in each state.
Maze and center staff are testing a technology (Automated
Mileage and State Line Crossing Operational Test) that
combines global positioning systems with onboard computers to
automatically compute and report the mileage trucks travel in
each The state. system uses satellite signals to determine a
truck's location, usually to within 30 feet. An onboard
computer calculates where the truck is with respect to state
borders and stores the mileage information.
The end result of the project is a computerized report of
mileage traveled and taxes paid in each state.
"The trucker's trip log is inefficient and often inaccurate,"
Maze said. "This technology will enable motor carriers and
states to divide taxes and fees more accurately and avoid the
paperwork nightmare that normally accompanies handwritten
logs."
Staff at the transportation center are testing the
technology. Rockwell International Corp. will market it once
tests are complete.
In another project, the center is partnering with the Iowa
Department of Transportation on a pavement management system
that will affect not only the trucking industry, but all Iowa
drivers. The system will store information about most paved
roads in Iowa and serve as a...