Weight In Motion System Market: Current Analysis and Forecast (2022-2030)

Weight in Motion (WIM) is a technology that is basically used for analyzing the weight of moving vehicles. They are installed on the road or rail tracks or on the vehicles and measure, store, and provide data from traffic flow or of the specific vehicle. The WIM system measures the dynamic axle loads of the vehicle and the weight information consists of gross vehicle weight and axle loads combined with other parameters like date and time, location, speed, and vehicle class. The weight information provides the user with loading information for heavy goods vehicles. The most common road application of WIM data is in pavement design and assessment, WIMs scales are used to facilitate weight overload enforcement and also used for the assessment of traffic loading on the bridge for prioritizing maintenance and repair of the heavily trafficked bridges.

The weight in motion system market is expected to grow at a strong CAGR of around 10% during the forecast period owing to benefits like it helps in keeping public roads safer and reducing the cost of road maintenance, also helps in reducing traffic congestion. Furthermore, since the WIM system does not require the vehicle to stop when they need to be weighed, it becomes a very crucial piece of technology that helps in the smooth operation of the trucking and logistic industry where lots of time and fuel are saved due to no unnecessary delays and stops for getting weighed hence increases the efficiency and productivity of the industry and becomes an ideal choice for use in congested sites like freight terminals where speed is vital for preventing delays. Moreover, the WIM system has also been proven very effective in putting overloaded vehicles away from the roads as overload vehicles posses lots of risks to road safety and also harm the roads, and increase maintenance costs of the roads. For instance, according to the Indian Foundation of Transport Research and Training(IFTRT), 10 percent overloading by trucks causes an additional maintenance cost of RS 25 lakhs(USD 30,000) per kilometer over and above the normal maintenance cost.

Based on installation type, the market is segmented into road WIMs, bridge WIMs, on-board WIMs, and railway WIMs. Among all, the road WIM system holds the significant market share because WIM sensors can estimate the static load from the measured dynamic load without disturbing the traffic, and with the increase of WIM stations number of overloaded vehicles have been decreased considerably from the roads and had played a very important role in protecting the road infrastructure and decreasing the number of accidents. Moreover, WIM stations today include a variety of sensors and technologies, as well as the ability to perform additional essential functions like Continuous Data Acquisition System (CDAS) synchronized with WIM sensor, Automated Vehicle Identification Systems (AVI), or automatic plate number recognition, reducing the bridges loading, and Infrared sensors are capable of detecting worn bearings, brakes, or tires, as well as deflated tires.

Based on technology type, the market is segmented into load cells, bending plates with strain gauges, and piezoelectric sensors. Out of all these, the piezoelectric WIM systems are most commonly used owing to the fact that the dimension of the excavated ditch for installation of the sensors are very small and they have excellent dynamic properties as they can measure gross vehicle weight and axle weight at higher speeds by generating a voltage that is proportional to the force applied on it, also no external energy is needed to obtain the output signal and they are easier and cheaper to install and are available at very competitive cost wrt the other WIM systems available.

Based on application, the market is segmented into pavement engineering, bridge engineering, weight enforcement, tolling by weight, traffic data collection, and vehicle profiling. Weight enforcement and tolling by weight are one of the most popular applications of the WIM systems, there are now enforcement screening systems that are designed to improve the efficiency of the weigh stations using the WIM system, hence no vehicles can go to the roads without being weighed which used to happen earlier when loaded vehicles were weighed in the static weighing system, Bridge protection systems guarantee that vehicles weighing more than a certain amount do not travel across an unstable structure, WIM equipment is frequently used in conjunction with camera devices for preventing this to happen and can function unattended, also quarry and mining systems use WIM system to monitor material movement at the entry and the exits. Moreover, The majority of toll networks base tariff structures on vehicle class. With the knowledge that heavy vehicles cause the most damage, there is an increasing demand for WIM technology to be used as a method and foundation of toll collection. For instance, on March 2016, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways announced, The Government is planning to install electronic weighing machines at all toll plazas on National Highways to prevent and detect the overloading of commercial goods transport vehicles. NHAI has mandated Indian Highway Management Company Limited (IHMCL), a company promoted by NHAI, to install Weigh-In-Motion (WIM) Bridges on publicly funded fee plazas.

For a better understanding of the market adoption of the Weight in Motion System, the market is analyzed based on its worldwide presence in the countries such as North America (U.S., Canada, and the Rest of North America), Europe (Germany, U.K., France, Spain, Italy, Rest of Europe), Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, India, Rest of Asia-Pacific), Rest of World. The weight in motion system market in the European region held the largest market share and is expected to maintain its growth throughout the forecast period. Owing to the increase in freight traffic and the free movement of goods across European borders is creating a very huge impact on the infrastructure, environment, and resources at times when the europian union is aiming to encourage more sustainable modes of transportation. Moreover, this road freight transport by overloaded trucks also is creating several serious problems in Europe's road network like unfair competition, reduced safety and mobility, and large additional costs for maintenance and repair of the roads and bridges and all of this can be tackled by the installation of WIM systems, hence in as early as the 2000s need for European WIM related project was recognized by European enforcement authorities. For instance, in 2004 the DGTREN of the European Commission favored launching the REMOVE project and has an objective to present the EC with operational, legal, and technical requirements and a strategy for the deployment of the WIM system for enforcement of overloading throughout the EU.

Some of the major players operating in the market include: Axle Weight Technology Ltd; APM PRO sp. z o. o; BETAMONT; CAMEA, spol. s r. o.; Dynaweigh GmbH; General Electrodynamics Corp.; Intercomp; ECM FRANCE; METTLER TOLEDO; Mikros Systems (Pty) Ltd