What is COVERLAB?
The COmmercial Vehicle Enforcement Resource LAB (COVERLAB) is a university-based technical assistance program for helping the commercial vehicle enforcement community improve their operational effectiveness.
WHO ARE WE
COVERLAB’s affiliation with NC State University offers access to nationally recognized researchers, state-of-the-art facilities, and collaborative learning opportunities through student involvement. This combination of resources helps us optimize service value as well as facilitate a hands-on learning environment.
OUR MISSION
The COVERLAB mission is to improve the effectiveness of commercial vehicle enforcement programs through decision support technologies, data analytics, applied CMV research, training and education.
WHAT WE DO
COVERLAB staff provide decision management services to help improve commercial vehicle enforcement effectiveness. Our focus is on data-driven approaches to enforcement planning with an emphasis on technology-based solutions.
• Performance Measurement Analytics
• Interactive Data Visualization
• Geospatial Analysis and Mapping
• ITD Assistance
• Resource Allocation Model Development
• Performance Optimization
• Grant Writing Assistance
• CMV Research
• Program Development Assistance
• Education/Training
PERFORMANCE-BASED SPONSORED GRANT PROGRAMS DRIVE OUR ACTIVITIES
Who is Motor Carrier Enforcement?
The operational mission of the Commercial Vehicle Enforcement (CVE) section of the North Carolina State Highway Patrol is to reduce commercial vehicle crashes and protect federally funded road and bridge infrastructure from damage from overweight vehicles. This is accomplished through performance-based grant programs that establish measurable goals, objectives, and activities, and are carried out by CVE uniformed troopers and fixed weigh station operators (WSOs).
CVE conducts a large volume of enforcement activities relative to its size and geographic area of responsibility. With approximately 16% of the total NCSHP force involved in motor carrier enforcement, CVE troopers are geographically spread across eight troops throughout the state.
Collectively, CVE troopers inspect approximately 70,000 commercial motor vehicle (CMV) drivers and
vehicles each year, weigh approximately 60,000 trucks on portable scales and roughly 4 million trucks at fixed scale facilities, and cite nearly 20,000 CMVs for serious commercial driver license (CDL) traffic violations.
CVE troopers also conduct a number of special operations, including periodic port inspections at North Carolina’s two port facilities, quarterly CMV safety enforcement blitzes, and truck size and weight crackdowns. Periodic enhanced enforcement efforts also focus on targeting risky and aggressive driver behavior in the vicinity of large trucks. These special enforcement operations are blended with education and outreach efforts at local and state levels to reduce alcohol involved CMV crashes and to increase seat belt compliance among CMV drivers.
