Safety Information Exchange (SIE) systems provide state administration offices, inspectors, and patrol officers with updated information on the safety performance of commercial carriers, vehicles, and drivers involved in commercial vehicle operations (CVO). State officials use this information to identify high risk carriers at roadside check stations (fixed and mobile), and administration officials to confirm credentials and issue permits.

In Kentucky and Connecticut, SIE systems were deployed as part of a CVISN pilot project. The system enabled safety administration offices to exchange safety information with roadside check stations and share information between states. The report outlined the major components of the Kentucky SIE which included wireless telecommunications, the SAFER (Safety and Fitness Electronic Record) Data Mailbox, and CVIEW (Commercial Vehicle Information Exchange Window) component.

SAFER was described as an interactive information database operating at the national level that allows safety-related information to be shared among states. SAFER distributes reports on carrier profiles that include information on compliance data, accident reports, and enforcement actions. CVIEW is similar to SAFER; however, CVIEW operates on the state level. The CVIEW component communicates directly with a roadside data collection systems operated by state officials and inspectors, and it makes this data compatible with the SAFER Data Mailbox for exchange across state lines.

This project was designed to help states determine costs for similar deployments. Using data from Kentucky and Connecticut, estimated statewide deployment of the SIE system, including wireless telecommunications, the SAFER Data Mailbox, and CVIEW, cost about $650K. Annual operations & maintenance (O&M) for this system, designed to support 50 mobile units and two central office staff dedicated to maintaining and managing a statewide CVIEW system, was about $161K per year. The table below provides the project components and associated costs for capital and O&M.

 

Component	Capital	O&M
CVIEW (per state)	$325,000
SAFER mailbox and wireless communication ($1,000 per unit)	$50,000
Aspen capability infrastructure upgrade (per state)	$31,000
Aspen capability equipment and training ($4,822 per enforcement unit)	$241,100
Central office staff (2 @ $40,000 FTE)		$80,000
Recurring cost per mobile unit (hardware, software, communication) ($1,453 per unit)		$72,650
Recurring hardware cost (per state)		$2,200
Recurring server maintenance (per state)		$6,000
Total Cost	$647,100	$160,850

Notes:
The author recommended that states attempting to adapt or extrapolate costs information from this study should first account for any significant differences between their operating procedures and the procedures and equipment used by states participating in this study.