This winter season, more than 700 plow trucks will be covering interstates and expressways statewide, but it’s the specific technology they’ll be equipped with that is expected to save loads of state money.
According the Office of Governor Tom Wolf, 200 plow trucks will be outfitted with technology to improve location and operations, all thanks to a PennDOT pilot program.
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“This system will allow PennDOT to see operations and conditions on the ground in real-time, helping them to better analyze how they do their jobs and get the best investment out of every dollar,” Wolf said. “A government that works is also a transparent one and this pilot is a perfect example of maximizing efficiency and modernizing operations.”
This Automated Vehicle Location (AVL) system, according to officials, will aide in improving the department’s real time tracking on vehicle movement, plow-route coverage, and usage of salt and anti-skid materials.
“We expect that this technology will not only help us review truck movement and material usage after a storm, but it should also help us while storms are occurring,” PennDOT Secretary Leslie Richards said. “Interstates and expressways are our top priority during winter weather, and this system will help us identify and respond to real-time conditions even better than we do today.”
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The AVL system is part of the governor’s GO-TIME initiative, which leverages inter-agency coordination and collaboration to help maximize efficiency and modernization across multiple state government operations. This system is one of seven identified by PennDOT to save the state $1.4 million over the next four to six years.
In total, 516 PennDOT plow trucks and 212 contracted rental trucks servicing interstates and expressways across the state will have AVL installed. Statewide, PennDOT has 2,200 total department-force trucks and also rents approximately 270 trucks and their operators to maintain the more than 40,000 miles of roadway for which PennDOT is responsible.
PennDOT plans to make the system’s real-time location data available to the public later this year through its traveler information website.
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For more information on winter operations and how the public can prepare for the season, visit here.
