The New Jersey Department of Transportation on Friday unveiled a new program that will allow truck drivers to bypass weigh stations on three of the state’s main highways.
Dubbed NJPass, the pre-clearance system would allow eastbound truckers to circumvent weigh station stops on I-78, I-80 and I-295, NJ.com reports. The goals of the system is to boost highway safety while limiting emissions and traffic.
“This system will help to improve the operation of New Jersey’s weigh stations by focusing on higher risk carriers and provide more efficient use of our limited New Jersey State Police resources,” said Paul Truban, NJDOT’s manager of the bureau of freight planning and devices.
System participants will be given a transponder that either flashes a green or red light when the truck is about to reach a weigh station. If the transponder light flashes green, the truck driver can bypass the weigh station without stopping. If the transponder light flashes red, the driver must stop at the station to be weighed.
New Jersey Highway Patrol officers will reserve the power to have the transponder flash red so that they can inspect trucks at will.
Bypass rates may be as high as 90% and carriers with solidly positive CSA scores and a reputation for complying with weight restrictions will likely receive the green light more often, the NJPass website states.
The website further claims trucking companies will save on fuel, time and reduce truck wear and tear.
The program levies an annual $30 to $60 fee, depending on the size of the trucking fleet and time enrolled in the system.