Oklahoma DOT Automates Vehicle Routing Processes

The Oklahoma Department of Transportation (DOT) and Department of Public Safety will automate their oversize/overweight vehicle routing and permitting functions with an integrated transportation solution from Intergraph and Cambridge Systematics. The automated system is designed to streamline the permit submission, review and issuance processes for the state and motor carriers, improve the safety of oversize/overweight vehicle movements and help preserve the state’s transportation infrastructure.

“The safe and efficient permitting and routing of oversize/overweight vehicles are key components of successful DOT operations,” says Jay Adams, chairman of the selection committee for oversize/overweight routing and permitting at Oklahoma DOT. The DOT has been working with Intergraph for several years to manage its geographic information system (GIS) and linear referencing system (LRS), as well as to geospatially power its intranet and Web portal, Adams explains. Intergraph will now partner with Cambridge Systematics to develop a combined, turnkey solution for oversize/overweight routing and permitting for the DOT.

Intergraph’s automated routing solution enables DOTs to create safe oversize/overweight routing for vehicles moving through their jurisdiction, meeting the expectations of the commercial trucking industry while balancing the safety needs of the motoring public and protecting infrastructure. By combining its solution with Cambridge Systematics’ permitting technology, Intergraph will offer Oklahoma a solution for conducting online permitting for oversize/overweight vehicles, automatically generating safe travel routes, sharing temporary changes in road conditions in real-time and logging routes for simple tracking and improved infrastructure management through a Web-based application.

Specific functions enabled by this combined application include:

• Online Permitting—Carriers operating oversize/overweight vehicles can access an online permitting application to create an account, request, pay for and receive a permit to operate. A dashboard view provides quick access to pending permit requests.

• Online Automated Routing—Carriers can use an online routing application complete with mapping operations to request a route for travel. The application uses roadway and bridge data for comparison against the vehicle to ensure safe passage. Once a route is identified, the routing application provides a map and detailed driving directions for the permit document.

• Restriction Management—The application provides authorized staff with the ability to enter in real-time route notifications and temporary restrictions such as accidents and lane closures that reduce a road’s capacity for handling oversize/overweight vehicles.

• Route Logging—The system logs the approved route for each permit, enabling staff to quickly recall all permits affected by a temporary restriction or route closure and notify the carriers. The route logging also enables DOT staff to track the volume and types of loads being moved across the state for infrastructure management purposes.