Sinclair Community College Dayton, Ohio October 9, 2015

Statewide TRIP Program T HE O HIO T OWING & R ECOVERY I NCENTIVE P AYMENT P ROGRAM WILL PAY QUALIFIED HEAVY - DUTY TOWING AND RECOVERY COMPANIES INCENTIVES FOR THE QUICK CLEARANCE OF LARGE COMMERCIAL VEHICLE INCIDENTS MEETING CERTAIN REQUIREMENTS.

Statewide TRIP Program TRIP Purpose - Reduction in Response Times - Improvement in Roadway Clearance Times - Reduction in Travel Lane Blockage - Reduction in Secondary Incidents - Reduction in Incident Clearance Times - Dollar Saving from Reduced Congestion - Improved Air Quality “The likelihood of a secondary crash increases by 2.8 percent for each minute the primary incident continues to be a hazard.” Source: “ITS Impacts on Safety and Traffic Management” Karlaftis, Latoski, Richards, Sinha

Statewide TRIP Program TRIP History in Ohio Columbus – Feb, 2013Toledo – October, 2014 Cleveland – July, 2014Statewide – July, 2015 Statewide TRIP Contract The ODOT Statewide TRIP program contract is in effect for two years, from July 1, 2015 to June 30, Fifty-three heavy towing companies are under contract for the TRIP program. Additional towing companies cannot be included in the contract at this time. Companies wanting to participate will need to wait until the next contract comes out in In the 78 days from July 1, 2015 through September 16, 2015, there have been 45 TRIP events.

Statewide TRIP Program Equipment Requirements To be considered for participation in the TRIP program, the towing company must own or lease and maintain at their facility the following equipment: 1.) Two 35-ton hydraulic wreckers, each with a minimum of two 35,000 pound winches 2.) Skid loader with at least the following attachments: broom, grapple bucket, forks 3.) Fuel transfer system to remove a minimum of 300 gallons of diesel fuel 4.) A support truck or trailer with all necessary equipment to move wreckage and clear roadway (chains, binders, straps, rigging equipment, floor dry, lights, etc.) Tier Levels TRIP companies are designated as Tier 1 and Tier 2. The difference is that Tier 2 companies are allocated a longer arrival time to the scene. Tier 2 companies will only be used if no Tier 1 company is available.

Statewide TRIP Program TRIP Coverage Area The state has been divided into 36 TRIP Zones. Routes included in the TRIP program are major freeways and expressways, as shown on the map. Towing companies in the TRIP program decide which zones they will cover.

Statewide TRIP Program What Constitutes a TRIP? A TRIP event must have the potential to impact a rush hour, holiday travel period, or other high traffic volume time on a designated TRIP route. The incident must involve a DOT Class 5, 6, 7 or 8 vehicle that blocks one or more travelled lanes. Qualifying events include jack-knife, roll-over, load shift, major impact and truck fire. Any incident responder should call the Statewide Traffic Management Center (TMC) at (614) when responding to an incident that may qualify as a TRIP event. The decision to declare an incident a TRIP event lies solely with the TMC. Haz-Mat incidents, including large fuel spills, are not covered by the TRIP Program.

Statewide TRIP Program Incidents involving Class 3 & 4 vehicles are not eligible for the TRIP program. Class 5 & 6 vehicles are included.

Statewide TRIP Program Class 7 & 8 vehicles are included in the TRIP program.

Statewide TRIP Program TRIP Process for All Responders If you, in any Incident Command System capacity, respond to a major commercial vehicle incident on a designated TRIP route with the potential to impact a high volume traffic period you should call the ODOT Traffic Management Center (TMC) at (614) If the TMC declares the incident a TRIP event, the TMC will dispatch the appropriate towing company and will maintain a TRIP log.

Statewide TRIP Program TRIP Process for Towing Companies Communication is critical to the success of the TRIP program. After being dispatched by the ODOT Traffic Management Center (TMC), the towing company must call the TMC at (614) at each of the following times: This allows the TMC to maintain a TRIP log of times detailing clearance activities, which is necessary for meeting the requirements of an incentive payment.

Statewide TRIP Program Incentive Payment When the ODOT Traffic Management Center (TMC) declares an incident a TRIP event, ODOT agrees to make an incentive payment to the prequalified Tier 1 towing company when the following two requirements are met:  The Tier 1 towing company arrives on scene within 45 minutes during the peak hours of 5:30am to 7:00pm Monday-Friday or within 60 minutes during non-peak hours, and  The towing company completes clearance activities within 90 minutes from being given the go-ahead by the Incident Commander. If the above two requirements are met, ODOT will pay the towing company an incentive payment of $2, If a TRIP event is declared by ODOT and subsequently cancelled, the towing company will be paid $ Note: For Tier 2 towing companies, 30 minutes is added to the above stated arrival times. Clearance time remains at 90 minutes.

Statewide TRIP Program Cleared Lanes The towing company may remove incident related wreckage and place it onto ODOT right-of-way at the discretion of the Incident Commander and ODOT. As long as all travelled lanes are cleared for traffic to resume its normal pattern within the requirements set forth above, the event still qualifies for the incentive payment. The towing company must return to retrieve the wreckage as per the Permitted Lane Closure schedule and with the appropriate traffic control items. ODOT personnel will assist when possible.

TRIP Decision Criteria This scoring sheet has been developed to assist the ODOT Traffic Management Center (TMC) in making the decision on when to declare an incident a TRIP event. Not all heavy vehicle incidents will be designated as TRIP events. Many factors must be considered in the decision. Statewide TRIP Program

What Constitutes a TRIP? A TRIP event must have the potential to impact rush hour traffic, a holiday travel period, or other high traffic volume time on a designated TRIP route. The incident must involve a DOT Class 5, 6, 7 or 8 vehicle that blocks one or more travelled lanes. Qualifying events include jack-knife, roll-over, load shift, major impact and truck fire. Haz-Mat Incidents are not covered by TRIP.

Statewide TRIP Program Once a Potential TRIP Event is Detected: Determine the severity of the incident by: 1.) Viewing on ITS cameras, speed map backup, eye-ride camera, 2.) Discussing with the Incident Commander on the scene, and/or 3.) Discussing with the FSP driver on the scene. Do not rely solely upon a verbal assessment provided by a towing company, even if already on the scene. However, you can request that the towing company send pictures to verify the situation.

Statewide TRIP Program Does this Incident Qualify as a TRIP Event? Only the TMC can declare an incident a TRIP event. The decision will not always be clear-cut. The following tables should be used as a guide.

Statewide TRIP Program The Total Score from this table is used in the next table.

Statewide TRIP Program The Total Score from the previous table is used in the this table. As can be seen, there is a lot of “gray area” which requires the application of judgment in making the determination.

Statewide TRIP Program For a Qualifying TRIP Event: Contact the appropriate local law enforcement agency or OSP before dispatching a TRIP towing company. Effective communication is critical to the success of the TRIP program.

Statewide TRIP Program Rotation Each TRIP event is logged. Throughout the course of the two year Statewide TRIP contract, the ODOT Traffic Management Center (TMC) will strive to the greatest extent possible to spread the work equally amongst the qualified TRIP providers in each TRIP Zone. Some factors beyond the reasonable control of the TMC will effect this effort, such as: -Local law enforcement, OSP or incident commander selects towing company -Truck owner selects towing company -Towing company proximity to incident determines who gets called

Statewide TRIP Program QUESTIONS?