The purpose of this award to the executive office of the commonwealth of kentucky is for the kentucky automated truck screening system (kats) hazmat placard identification pilot test; research and…

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration awarded the Executive Office of the Commonwealth of Kentucky $910,000 on December 1, 2025, under the Motor Carrier Safety Assistance High Priority Activities Grants and Cooperative Agreements program (CFDA 20.237) to conduct three integrated projects advancing commercial motor vehicle safety screening and enforcement capabilities.

Project 1 pilots hazmat placard identification within the Kentucky Automated Truck Screening System to enhance screening data available to enforcement, identify hazmat loads requiring inspection, detect motor carriers transporting hazardous materials in restricted areas, and document the benefits of expanded hazmat movement visibility. Project 2 identifies bypass routes near weigh stations and state points of entry used by commercial motor vehicles to avoid screening, procures and deploys a mobile KATS system equipped with USDOT and license plate recognition cameras, solar panels, batteries, and related hardware to those bypass locations, collects and analyzes comparative data on vehicle characteristics at bypass routes versus fixed weigh stations, and evaluates the mobile system's effectiveness at detecting non-compliant carriers. Project 3 enhances the Motor Carrier Portal through application updates that improve operational efficiencies for the Division of Motor Carrier and motor carriers, strengthen customer experience, and improve data quality for internal systems and services reporting to FMCSA and other jurisdictions.

Performance extends through September 30, 2030, with work performed in Kentucky. The assistance type is a Project Grant.

The purpose of this award to the executive office of the commonwealth of kentucky is for the kentucky automated truck screening system (kats) hazmat placard identification pilot test; research and implementation of a mobile kats system; and the motor carrier portal (MCP) maintenance and enhancements projects. Project 1 objective: this project will allow for the pilot testing of hazmat placard identification in the commercial vehicle screening process. The performance objectives are to improve available screening data; that is provided to enforcement by adding hazmat placard identification into the kats system, identify hazmat loads for inspection when needed, identify motor carriers who may be transporting hazardous materials in restricted areas and identify the benefits and value of having access to this additional information on the movement of hazardous materials. Project 2 objective: this project will identify commonly used bypass routes near established weigh stations and other points of entry into the state that cmvs use to avoid screening and inspections; purchase and assemble a mobile trailer, cameras (usdot and LPR), solar panels, batteries and other necessary equipment for a deployable mobile kats system; install a mobile kats system at the identified bypass routes and adjust for optimal settings; collect data on cmvs that operate on the identified bypass routes; analyze the data to compare the characteristics of cmvs screened at bypass routes to the cmvs at a nearby fixed weigh station; and evaluate a mobile kats system to determine its effectiveness in detecting non-compliant motor carriers. Project 3 objective: this project will improve efficiencies for the division of motor carrier and the motor carriers with updates to MCP applications; improve the overall customer experience with updates to MCP applications; and improve data quality for internal systems and services that send data to fmcsa and other jurisdictions.