PrePass

PrePass is a North American intelligent transportation system (ITS) used by commercial vehicles for weigh station bypass, electronic toll payment, and regulatory compliance management. The system identifies enrolled vehicles as they approach participating facilities, verifies their safety and credential status, and signals whether they may bypass or must stop for inspection. PrePass is operated by PrePass Safety Alliance, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit public-private partnership formerly known as HELP Inc. As of 2024, PrePass operates at 550 sites in 44 states.

PrePass is a North American intelligent transportation system (ITS) used by commercial vehicles for weigh station bypass, electronic toll payment, and regulatory compliance management. The system identifies enrolled vehicles as they approach participating facilities, verifies their safety and credential status, and signals whether they may bypass or must stop for inspection. PrePass is operated by PrePass Safety Alliance, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit public-private partnership formerly known as HELP Inc. As of 2024, PrePass operates at 550 sites in 44 states. ==History== Crescent Project In the late 1980s, trucking industry representatives and government officials began exploring ways to reduce delays at weigh stations and ports of entry. In 1991, the Crescent Project was launched as a multi-state research initiative to test technologies capable of weighing trucks at highway speeds and allowing compliant vehicles to bypass inspection facilities. The project involved six U.S. states (Arizona, California, New Mexico, Oregon, Texas, and Washington) along with British Columbia, covering a crescent-shaped corridor from British Columbia south along Interstate 5 through California, then east along Interstate 10 to Texas, with a branch onto Interstate 20. After evaluating several technologies, organizers selected Radio Frequency Identification Detection (RFID). Early transponders were mounted on front bumpers, where they suffered damage from road debris. They were subsequently relocated to the truck cab interior. The first mainline bypass site opened in May 1993 at the Santa Nella Weigh Station on Interstate 5 in California. By fall 1993, approximately 4,300 vehicles had enrolled. Formation of HELP Inc In 1993, several state transportation directors and trucking company executives formed Heavy-Vehicle Electronic License Plate, Inc. (HELP), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. The name referred to the original bumper-mounted transponders. Lockheed Martin was contracted to develop the system. PrePass was first installed in California in 1995. By 1998, the system was operating at 35 weigh stations across ten states (Arkansas, Arizona, California, Colorado, Mississippi, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Texas, and Wyoming) with 850 enrolled companies and transponders in 55,000 trucks. Later developments The technology supporting PrePass was operated for nearly 30 years by a succession of contractors, including Lockheed Martin, Xerox, and Conduent. In 2018, the technology operation was spun off as a standalone entity called CVO Holding Company. In May 2019, HELP Inc. changed its name to PrePass Safety Alliance. In July 2022, PrePass Safety Alliance acquired CVO Holding Company, consolidating operations and technology under a single organization. ==Enrollment== To enroll, a carrier submits an application and copies of standard operating credentials such as vehicle registration cards and International Fuel Tax Agreement (IFTA) licenses. The service operates on a monthly subscription model with no charges for transponders, application or enrollment fees, or long-term contracts. A 2007 Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration study estimated that each weigh station bypass saves approximately $8.68 in time and fuel costs. ==References==

Text derived from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1352871564 under CC BY-SA 4.0; modifications have been made.