Technology Briefs - March 2 - March 8
The Latest Headlines:
- PrePass Says It Has Enrolled 250,000 Trucks
- Researchers Designs Sensors to Monitor Bridge Performance
- Sirius, XM Begin Broadcasting Local Traffic Information
- Siemens Join Talks on German Truck Toll System
- Researchers Designs Sensors to Monitor Bridge Performance
PrePass Says It Has Enrolled 250,000 Trucks
PrePass, an electronic preclearance system, said Tuesday its enrollment has surpassed 250,000 trucks in the United States.The system enables motor carriers to comply electronically with state weight, safety and credential requirements while traveling at normal highway speeds, the company said in a statement.
"A truck saves at least five minutes and roughly one-half gallon of fuel with each successful bypass," said Dick Landis, president of HELP Inc., the partnership responsible for PrePass.
Researchers Designs Sensors to Monitor Bridge Performance
New Mexico State University researchers said optical sensors embedded in an Interstate 10 overpass could provide early warnings of structural damage, the Associated Press reported.Researchers have embedded 120 sensors in each of six 90-ton concrete beams used in the Las Cruces overpass, scheduled to be completed in July.
Beams of light are carried by fiber optic lines laced through the concrete beams. As the beam strains or stretches, the properties of the light change. The changes are picked up by the sensors and relayed to a data collection box near the bridge.
Inspections of bridges are usually done by sight and electronic sensors on outside surfaces, AP said. Transport Topics
Sirius, XM Begin Broadcasting Local Traffic Information
Sirius Satellite Radio Inc. said it began broadcasting local traffic information for Los Angeles and New York on Feb. 29, Reuters reported.During March, Sirius said it would expand the service to the top 20 markets. Rival XM Satellite Radio said March 1 it also launched 21 channels of traffic information for the nation's largest markets.
Sirius Chief Executive Officer Joe Clayton said the service will broadcast on 10 channels, with each channel serving two markets, Reuters said.
The article also said the move would likely to renew calls by traditional broadcasters to regulate the satellite radio industry because of competition concerns. Transport Topics
Siemens Join Talks on German Truck Toll System
Engineering firm Siemens AG said March 1 it was in talks with the consortium building a German truck toll system to determine how it could support the struggling project, the Associated Press reported.The satellite-based highway toll system would bill trucks an average 22 cents a mile when traveling on German highway, but it has been delayed by technical problems and financial disputes.
The German government previously threatened to cancel the contract with Toll Collect - a consortium involving DaimlerChrysler and Deutsche Telekom - but the two sides patched up their differences, AP said.
And Siemens said it was in negotiations on terms of cooperation once the system starts working fully in 2006, spokesman Andreas Fischer told AP. Transport Topics
