These include automatic vehicle identification systems, bar coding, electronic data interchange, and in-vehicle navigation systems. The public sector plays an important role in developing and applying many of these technological advances, both as direct users and as regulators or investors in systems designed for private-sector use. ITS marries telecommunications and information technology with transportation infrastructure to move people and goods more safely and efficiently. TransGuide uses technology to monitor traffic conditions, control traffic signals, and respond quickly to accidents and emergencies. The Houston area has a similar partnership in the TranStar system.
Similar efforts are underway in other areas of Texas.
Since the U.S. Department of Transportation has made the application of ITS a nationwide goal, even more Texas cities could see ITS in the years to come. Trucking regulation involves a host of issues such as state and federal taxes, safety regulations, interstate and international laws, credentials and certification requirements, and a variety of permits. Many states use permanent weigh stations or ports of entry to regulate trucking. Truckers know that when they reach those stations, they will be required to pull off the road and can plan accordingly. Troopers periodically staff Texas' weigh stations with permanent scales, use semi-portable scales at stations that do not have their own scales, or patrol highways with portable scales that can be used on the roadside.