Enhanced technology increases highway safety on US 23 corridor
Official ribbon cutting, pictured L. to R.: KSP Capt. Jamie Collins, KYTC State Hwy. Engineer Jason Siwula, KYTC D12 Asst. Chief Dist. Engineer Mary Westfall-Holbrook, KYTC Div. of Maintenance Asst. Director David Cornett, KSP Commissioner Phillip Burnett, Jr., KSP Major Nathaniel Day
EAST POINT, KY (September 21, 2021) — Today, Gov. Andy Beshear congratulated the Kentucky State Police (KSP) Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Division on the opening of the Floyd County Scale Facility, as leaders cut the ribbon to the "weigh station".
The facility, located on US Highway 23 North at mile marker 21, opened in 2020 but the official grand opening was postponed due to safety concerns with the coronavirus pandemic.
"Kentucky is making infrastructure and technology upgrades every day to better serve all Kentuckians, keep our state safe and provide critical resources to a skilled workforce to move our communities forward as we continue our economic momentum," said Gov. Beshear. "This new facility features enhanced technology to ensure large trucks are in compliance and drivers are operating them safely on the US 23 corridor and beyond. Thank you to the Kentucky State Police, Kentucky Transportation Cabinet and Kentucky Trucking Association for your commitment to advancing the commonwealth through this new facility."
During the ribbon-cutting with the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) and Kentucky Trucking Association, KSP Captain Jamie Collins said the scale house facility project was made possible with funding provided by KYTC and will serve as a tool for officers and inspectors to increase highway safety.
"Not only will this scale house ensure that commercial vehicles operating on US 23 are in compliance but it will also improve employee safety for our officers and inspectors working here," said Captain Collins. "State-of-the-art optical recognition tools improves efficiency and safety for our employees."
The scale house features the Kentucky Automated Truck Screening (KATS) technology, which is being utilized across the state at 17 other locations, helping to quickly identify commercial vehicles that may have safety, credential or registration violations simply by scanning the Kentucky Weight Distance, a tax license issued for all carriers traveling on Kentucky roadways with a combined license weight greater than 59,999 pounds, and license plate numbers. Trucks that are suspected to be non-compliant are then flagged for commercial vehicle enforcement officers to inspect. Additionally, the facility is 1,000 square feet in size, including three offices, a restroom, break area for staff, outdoor safety lighting and an unobstructed view of the highway in all directions.
"Weigh stations are in place to protect the safety of all drivers and are an important part of ensuring commercial trucks meet weight and size requirements and to protect the condition of our roads," said KYTC Secretary Jim Gray. "The KATS technology will proactively identify potential safety violations and outstanding taxes to ensure commercial vehicle drivers are paying their fair share to use the roads."
The Kentucky Trucking Association (KTA), which serves as the voice for the commercial industry while fostering partnerships that promote highway safety in the commonwealth, also spoke at the ribbon-cutting acknowledging the critical need of a weigh station in Floyd County.
"We believe the opening of this facility will further both the Kentucky Trucking Association's mission as well as that of the Kentucky State Police to promote commercial vehicle safety," says KTA President Rick Taylor. "This new facility will provide KSP the tools they need to effectively identify potential violations."
The mission of KSP's Division of Commercial Vehicle Enforcement is to encourage and promote a safe driving environment through education and safety awareness while enforcing state and federal laws and regulations, placing special emphasis on commercial vehicles.
In 2020, the Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Division inspected 55,474 trucks resulting in 8,549 out-of-service violations – the act of temporarily removing vehicles or drivers from operating on the roadway due to safety non-compliance until the violation is corrected.
KSP's Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Division is hiring inspectors at scale house locations across the commonwealth, including the Floyd County location. To learn more about career opportunities in the CVE Division visit; click here.
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