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https://www.nationalacademies.org/trb/events

Enhancing Commercial Motor Vehicle Safety and Compliance: Evaluating The Aries Pilot and Illegal Bypass Behavior in Oregon

Illegal bypass of weigh stations and roadside inspection facilities poses a measurable safety and compliance risk within Oregon’s commercial motor vehicle (CMV) system. When vehicles evade inspection, potential violations such as overweight operations, equipment deficiencies, and hours-of-service noncompliance may go undetected, increasing crash exposure and infrastructure damage risk. Oregon Department of Transportation's (ODOT’s) Commerce and Compliance Division (CCD) currently lacks a standardized, integrated methodology to quantify illegal bypass behavior or link bypass events to inspection outcomes, crash involvement, and carrier safety history. OBJECTIVES: This research will deliver to ODOT: (1) A standardized and replicable data integration framework linking ARIES pilot data with CCD inspection, violation, crash, and carrier safety records. (2) Measurable and trackable performance indicators to support ongoing internal monitoring of illegal bypass activity and automated enforcement effectiveness. (3) Quantitative analysis of the magnitude, characteristics, and safety implications of illegal bypass behavior in Oregon. (4) Evaluation of ARIES pilot impacts on compliance rates, inspection targeting efficiency, enforcement productivity, and CMV safety outcomes. (5) Implementation guidance and best-practice recommendations to inform strategic investment decisions, future site deployments, and FMCSA Innovative Technology Deployment (ITD) funding applications. This research will strengthen ODOT’s ability to detect and deter illegal bypass behavior, directly advancing Oregon’s transportation safety goals. By integrating ARIES data with inspection and crash records, CCD will be able to target high-risk vehicles more effectively, reduce unnecessary inspections of compliant carriers, and improve enforcement productivity. The project supports ODOT priorities related to Safety, Innovative Technologies, Process Improvement, and Stewardship of Public Resources by providing measurable evidence to guide enforcement modernization.