The traveling demonstration project will be featured in the AMSE parking lot, 300 S. Tulane Ave. These tours, which can last from 15 to 30 minutes, will be conducted from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday and from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Thursday. An audio-visual presentation, information and other resource materials on ORNL transportation-related technologies also will be available.
This exhibit should be of special interest to motor carriers, motor vehicle operators, and law and safety enforcement personnel, as well as to medical and fire-protection personnel, according to ORNL researchers. The truck is accessible to people in wheelchairs.
The Technology Truck is an Intelligent Transportation Systems for Commercial Vehicle Operations (ITS/CVO) program project, funded by the U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). An over-the-road tractor pulling a 48-foot trailer with expandable sides, the vehicle houses portable ITS technology, classroom-type facilities, interactive kiosks and a driver-simulation area. It was designed to demonstrate and educate state regulatory agency staff, key decision-makers, legislators and the motor carrier communities regarding the technologies and benefits of the ITS/CVO Program.
The development, maintenance and technology updates of the Technology Truck are managed by the Transportation Technology Development and Demonstration Team at ORNL. The high-tech hardware and software were provided by a number of private industry partners. The truck recently won an achievement award from The Intelligent Transportation Society of America (ITSA) for "Outstanding Achievement in ITS Awareness Campaign by a Public Agency."
"This exhibit is an excellent example of a public-private partnership," said Gary Capps of ORNL's Engineering Technology Division, who serves as the laboratory's Technology Truck project manager. "More than 80 partners have loaned products, technology, information and other forms of support for this one-of-a-kind demonstration vehicle."
Officials who will be available to discuss the truck and its features include FHWA project manager Zeborah English; project facilitator Connie Dagley of ORNL's Energy Division; driver/facilitator John Catron, who is with Commercial Carrier Consultants of Pueblo, Colo.; and Capps. Kathy Johnson of ORNL's Engineering Technology Division is the laboratory's exhibit/logistics coordinator.
The truck's features are intended to improve driver performance and truck efficiency and safety. The technologies include collision-avoidance and obstacle-detection systems, on-board computers, Global Positioning System receivers, satellite-based communications devices, electronic engine monitoring systems, on-board scales, fleet management software, logistics support software, and intelligent mirror technology. The Technology Truck is touring the country, appearing at a variety of professional conferences, state meetings, truck shows, ITS events and other CVO forums.
ORNL is a DOE multiprogram national research and development facility managed by Lockheed Martin Energy Research Corporation.