SOUTH HAVEN, KS (November 16, 2001) – Qualified motor carriers may now comply electronically with Kansas safety, credential and weight requirements while bypassing the South Haven weigh station at highway speed using PrePass. Other Kansas locations, including weigh stations in Olathe, Kanorado and Wabaunsee County will soon be automated with PrePass technology.

The PrePass system at South Haven is the first for Kansas. The site will be dedicated in a grand opening ceremony at 11 a.m., Friday, November 16. The presentation will take place at the northbound weigh station at South Haven, at Mile Marker 2 along the Kansas Turnpike.

According to KMCA Executive Director Tom Whitaker, "PrePass will bring Kansas trucking companies and shippers improved efficiency, while simultaneously enhancing highway safety for all motorists. We’re pleased the South Haven weigh station is the first Kansas facility online."

Thanks to the work of many people in the transportation industry, PrePass is now available to qualifying motor carriers. Groups including the Kansas Turnpike Authority, Kansas Dept. of Transportation, Kansas Highway Patrol, Kansas Dept. of Revenue, Kansas Corporation Commission and Kansas Motor Carriers Association worked closely with the PrePass staff to develop a program that would benefit everyone involved.

PrePass is a sophisticated technology that enables qualified motor carriers to electronically comply with Kansas safety and credential requirements at highway speed. Only motor carriers with proven safety records qualify to participate in PrePass, and participation is voluntary.

As qualified trucks approach a PrePass-equipped inspection facility, an in-cab transponder identifies the vehicle to a computer, which verifies compliance with state requirements. Vehicles in compliance receive a green light on the in-cab transponder instructing them to bypass the inspection facility at highway speed.

PrePass has been deployed at no cost to the State of Kansas or the Kansas Turnpike Authority (KTA). Participating motor carriers pay a nominal fee each time they bypass.

Launched in California 1995, PrePass is now operational at 151 locations, with an additional 49 sites committed to be deployed. Participating states include Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Montana, Mississippi, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, Ohio, Oklahoma, West Virginia, Tennessee, Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming. More than 186,000 trucks across the United States are enrolled in PrePass.

The Kansas Motor Carriers Association was founded in 1936 to represent and promote the trucking industry in Kansas. Today, the association boasts a membership of more than 1,400 members representing a variety of trucking operations. KMCA is the nation’s third largest state trucking association.