AASTO Program Overview and State Benefits
State highway agency equipment fleets represent a significant capital investment and also require recurring maintenance and operational expenditures. Fleet assets are vital to the delivery of agency programs, projects, and services. Efficient management of these assets can yield significant savings as well as improved performance and reliability.
Integrating Asset Management strategies into the management of an equipment fleet can improve performance in all facets of fleet operations.
The Equipment Management Technical State Partnership (EMTSP) program complements the on-going work and priorities of the AASHTO Committee on Maintenance’s Equipment Management (EM) Technical Working Group (TWG) and is managed through the National Center for Pavement Preservation (NCPP). Specific goals and accomplishments of the EMTSP include the following:
- Advancing fleet best management practices;
- Promoting the awareness of available equipment technologies;
- Monitoring and disseminating information regarding proposed regulatory changes and new research;
- Facilitating the development of AASHTO guides from appropriate research topics such as Guidelines for Selection and Application of Warning Lights on Roadway-Operations Equipment;
- Formalized partnerships with regional networks of DOT equipment managers, industry partners, and academia, and collaboration with other national equipment and transportation maintenance committees, including TRB AKJ16, Standing Committee on Fleet and Equipment; and
- Technology transfer initiatives through an interactive websitefor fleet managers
seeking technical information.
The technology associated with both on- and off- road equipment and specialized highway maintenance equipment is constantly advancing. Emerging and advancing technologies such as: advanced driver assistance devices, autonomous operation, vehicle and equipment communications, and rapidly changing fuel type strategies are now common industry complex issues to be resolved, adapted and adopted to. This rapid technological transformation presents a significant challenge for agency equipment fleet professionals.
