Assess The Feasibility of a Standardized Electronic Diagnostic Device for Maintenance and Inspection of Commercial Motor Vehicles (FHWA-MC-97-100)

The overall purpose of this research effort was to assess the feasibility of a standardized electronic device to be used during routine maintenance activities and during roadside safety and emissions inspections of large commercial vehicles. The research involved interviews with government and industry officials and a literature search to provide information on the feasibility of standardized electronic diagnostic device for use in maintenance activities and roadside inspections. Purposes of interviews and the literature search were to determine the status of ongoing standardization efforts such as those undertaken by the SAE and TMC, and to investigate the applicability of sensors currently being used in automotive and non-automotive initiatives for on-board monitoring of safety and emissions parameters. Sensors found to be useful formed the basis of conceptual designs for diagnostic systems. Interviews with motor carriers revealed substantial opposition to roadside inspectors having full scale monitoring capabilities. However, there is potential for utilizing a less powerful roadside diagnostic tool that accesses only the subset of vehicle parameters necessary to identify a problem.