ESBD_506961_1776261453818_02. Specification 550-14-64163.pdf

SPECIFICATION NO.

TxDOT 550-14-64163

DATED: March 2026

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TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

SIGN, 2-LINE PROGRAMMABLE MESSAGE, VEHICLE MOUNTED

PUBLICATION

This specification is a product of the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT). This specification may not be sold for profit or monetary gain. If this document is altered in any way, the header and any and all references to TxDOT must be removed. TxDOT does not assume nor accept any liability when this specification is used in the procurement process by any other entity.

1. SCOPE: This Specification is to provide a two-line or full-matrix programmable message sign with amber or yellow Light Emitting Diode (LED) display panel suitable for mounting on a vehicle. A sign consists of a sign panel, mounting bracket, wiring to connect to vehicle 12 Volt Direct Current (DC) battery, handheld controller with suitable in-cab mounting, and any other necessary components to ensure a complete and operational unit is delivered. A sign will be used by TxDOT to alert motorists of current traffic information and highway conditions. A sign furnished with this specification shall meet or exceed the following requirements.

EXAMPLE:

LiteSys® Inc.

1020F-4/UV/AC/BR -- LiteReader® VCMS Model 1020F-4 with Full Bed/Rail Mount with MTS:PS10 -- LiteReader® VCMS Powered Swivel Mount Accessory.

NOTICE TO RESPONDENT: Any example shown is listed to show type and class of equipment desired. Respondent is cautioned to read the specification carefully, as there may be special requirements not commonly offered by the manufacturer. DO NOT ASSUME STANDARD

EQUIPMENT MEETS ALL OF THE DETAILED SPECIFICATION REQUIREMENTS MERELY

BECAUSE IT IS LISTED AS AN EXAMPLE. Respondents are cautioned that any unit delivered to the FOB point which does not meet specification in every aspect will not be accepted.

2. LOCATION(S): Are specified on the solicitation.

3. DEFINITIONS OF TERMS AND ACRONYMS

3.1. ANSI – American National Standards Institute.

3.2. Contract – Any Purchase Order (PO) or Blanket Purchase Order (BPO) resulting from this solicitation as listed in the Order of Precedence in the resulting PO or

BPO.

3.3. MPH – Miles Per Hour

3.4. TMUTCD -- Texas Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices

DATED: March 2026

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3.5. PM – Project manager.

3.6. POC – Point-of-contact.

3.7. TxDOT – Texas Department of Transportation.

4. APPLICABLE LAWS AND STANDARDS: The vendor shall provide the specified service requirements in accordance with all federal, state, and local applicable laws, standards, and regulations necessary to perform the services, including, but not limited to:

Texas MANUAL ON UNIFORM TRAFFIC CONTROL DEVICES (TMUTCD): Sign Shall meet requirements of Sections 6F.60 (Portable Changeable Message Signs) and 6F.61 (Arrow Panels) and any other applicable Texas Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices, Latest Revision.

https://www.txdot.gov/inside-txdot/division/traffic/signs/tmutcd.html

5. SIGN PANEL: Both cabinet type and modular type sign panels are acceptable. Sign shall be weather resistant. Sign panel shall have an actuator control box to raise and lower the sign. Sign face shall be painted with a flat black finish and covered by a see through, non-fading or clouding, scratch resistant polycarbonate lens that can be opened or removed for maintenance. A supplemental lens is not required on boards that are weather resistant by design. Any plastics used shall be Ultraviolet (UV) inhibited.

5.1. DISPLAY:

5.1.1 A portable changeable message sign shall be limited to two lines of eight characters per line or should consist of a full matrix display using the latest LED Technology. LEDs shall be amber or yellow in color. Sign shall display two lines of information with a minimum of eight characters per line, each a minimum of 10 inches in height. Sign shall have a total of 768 LED pixels per matrix (16 rows and 48 columns). Sign shall display a flashing arrow, a sequential arrow and a sequential chevron.

5.1.2 Shall be programmable by the operator to link up to three messages in sequence, one screen at a time.

5.1.3 Portable changeable message signs should be visible from 450 feet under both day and night conditions. Minimum viewing angle shall be 15 degrees on the horizontal.

5.1.4 Flash rate shall be adjustable by the operator. The sign shall be equipped with an auto-dim light sensor that automatically adjusts the display for day and night operation.

5.2. DIMENSIONS:

5.2.1. Cabinet Size: 75” x 31” x 5”

5.2.2. Display Size: 72” x 24”

5.3. WEIGHT: The weight of the message sign panel shall not exceed 100 pounds.

https://www.txdot.gov/inside-txdot/division/traffic/signs/tmutcd.html

DATED: March 2026

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5.4. POWER REQUIREMENTS: The sign shall be powered by the 12VDC battery of the vehicle. The maximum average current draw per message shall not exceed five amps.

5.5. TEMPERATURE OPERATING RANGE: Sign shall operate in ambient temperatures ranging between -40° to 185° Fahrenheit (-40° to 85° Celsius).

5.6. CABLES: Communication Cable 30’-50’ and Power Cable 30’-50’

5.7. CONTROLLER: Shall be weather resistant with a back lit Liquid Crystal Display (LCD). Controller shall be touch-screen and have a keypad, menu driven, and show the message on the controller, as it will be displayed on the sign. The controller shall allow a minimum of 48 user programmable messages and a minimum of 24 pre-programmed messages.

6. SIGN PANEL MOUNTING: The mounting device shall be designed to mount the sign to the bed of pickups, deploy facing rearward, and stow horizontally over the cab.

Mounting hardware shall be provided. Any special tools required for installation shall be furnished by the vendor.

6.1. The panel shall be lockable in an upright rearward-facing position for operation and in a horizontal facedown position when stored. The sign shall withstand road speeds up to 75 mph in the stored position and 40 mph in the deployed position.

6.2. A powered raising and lowering controller shall be provided by the manufacturer for mounting inside the cab. Controls shall allow the operator to raise and lower the sign without leaving the vehicle.

6.3. The sign panel shall be equipped with a power tilt feature to allow the operator to adjust the position of the sign from inside the cab for maximum visibility.

6.4. All electrical wiring shall be insulated and enclosed in a fibrous loom, plastic loom or flexible conduit for protection from external damage and short circuits. Wiring shall be securely fastened at sufficient intervals to prevent sagging and ensure clearance of mechanical parts. A sealed, splice-free modular wiring harness is acceptable. Rubber grommets shall be used wherever wires or the wiring harness passes through metal.

6.5. Sign Mount shall not occupy more than 20% of the pickup bed.

7. RADIO FREQUENCY INTERFERENCE (RFI) SUPPRESSION: The vehicle and all equipment and components mounted to the chassis shall incorporate RFI suppression so as to provide RFI immunity to and from land mobile radio transceivers operating in the following bands: High Frequency (2 to 30 MHZ), Low band (30 to 50 MHZ), high band (140 to 174 MHZ), UHF band (440 to 512 MHZ) and the 700/800/900 MHZ band (700 to 975 MHZ) and comply with the following requirements:

7.1. Typical land mobile radio transceivers will utilize a 3dB gain antenna with up to a 125-watt RF power output. Antennas will be mounted on the roof, front fender, and/or rear fender of the unit.

7.2. VEHICLE COMPONENT RF SUPRESSION: All equipment electronic circuits shall be designed to suppress, bypass or otherwise prevent interference from affecting

DATED: March 2026

4 - 6 the radio transceiver. The Radio Frequency (RF) immunity requirement shall apply to all vendor supplied equipment and components thereof including, but not limited to, ignition, AM/FM radio receivers, computers, emission controls, fuel pumps, wiper motors, alternative fuel electronic components, air bag systems, and Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) controllers, etc.

7.3. VEHICLE COMPONENT RF IMMUNITY: The vehicle electronic equipment including, but not limited to, ignition, AM/FM radio receivers, computers, emission controls, fuel pumps, wiper motors, alternative fuel electronic components, air bag systems, and ABS controller, shall not be adversely affected in operation, safety, or control by RF energy generated and radiated by the transmitter portion of installed transceivers (up to 125 watt output).

7.4. When available from the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM), Dealer shall provide OEM's RFI ordering code designation with their bid response.

7.5. Vendors will be assessed any and all charges associated with the testing and remediation of vehicles which fail to meet RFI requirements at any time during the warranty period.

8. PAINTING: The unit shall be painted with an approved manufacturer's standard lead-free paint, except for sign face, glass, rubber and those metallic accessories or fixtures constructed of rust- resistant or plated material not normally painted.

9. MANUAL(S): Equipment shall be delivered with current original manual(s) containing illustrated parts list, operating, calibration, and service instructions in English. The manual(s) shall be as detailed as possible outlining all necessary service and operating instructions for the equipment delivered. Manual(s) shall include necessary warnings and safety precautions. It is requested, but not required, that the manual be printed on recycled paper. In addition to the original manual, vendor may provide an electronic media version of the current original manual.

9.1. Additionally, one set of complete wiring schematics shall be delivered with each unit. All schematics shall be clear, legible and indicate the location of each component.

9.2. The manuals and schematics supplied shall provide complete and comprehensive information on all equipment, equipment components and accessories, as supplied to comply with this specification.

9.3. Original manual(s) containing illustrated parts list(s) and operating and service instructions for the unit must be delivered with each unit. Copies of manual(s) are not acceptable.

9.3.1. Electronic copies of manuals from the manufacturer are acceptable.

DATED: March 2026

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9.3.2. Parts list(s) must cover all components of the unit. Each part must be identified by part number, description, and component location.

9.4. The following additional information must be provided by the vendor at time of delivery if not included in the manual referenced above:

9.4.1 Manufacturer’s recommended service and preventive maintenance intervals.

9.4.2 Recommended fluids, lubricants and their SAE/API equivalents.

10. MINIMUM LUMINANCE REQUIREMENTS:

10.1. The message sign shall meet the following luminance requirements measured at the character level in candela as is published in Report TX-02/4940-2, “Photometric Requirements for Portable Changeable Message Signs”, conducted by the Texas Transportation Institute (TTI). The report can be downloaded at:

https://static.tti.tamu.edu/tti.tamu.edu/documents/4940-2.pdf

10.2. Minimum daytime character luminance shall be 1000 cd/m2.

10.3. Minimum nighttime character luminance shall be 600 cd/m2.

10.4. Unit may be tested at the character level using the testing procedure as is published in Report TX-02/4940-2, “Photometric Requirements for Portable Changeable Message Signs”, conducted by TTI. The unit will be rejected without further cause, if the unit fails to pass. Pre-delivery testing requirements will be noted on the solicitation.

10.5. Testing may be performed on any unit delivered at the discretion of TxDOT

11. SAFETY PLAQUES OR DECALS: Product safety plaques or decals shall be furnished and affixed at the operator's station and at any hazardous area. The safety plaques or decals shall describe the nature of the hazard, level of hazard seriousness, how to avoid the hazard, and the consequence of human interaction with the hazard. Permanent plaques are preferred to decals. Type, size and location of product safety plaques or decals shall be in accordance with current ANSI Z535.4 standard.

12. WARRANTY: The unit shall be warranted against defects in material and workmanship for a period of not less than 12 months and shall cover 100% parts and labor for the unit. If the manufacturer's standard warranty period exceeds 12 months, then the standard warranty period shall be in effect. The vendor shall furnish the manufacturer's warranty to the receiving district at time of delivery. The vendor shall be ultimately responsible for the warranty. The warranty begins on the date the unit is determined to meet specifications and accepted into TxDOT’s fleet.

13. PARTS AND SERVICE: The manufacturer of the equipment furnished shall have an authorized dealer within the state of Texas or factory-trained personnel available for warranty repairs and the performance of service within 72 hours after notification by https://static.tti.tamu.edu/tti.tamu.edu/documents/4940-2.pdf

DATED: March 2026

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TxDOT. The authorized dealer shall have factory-trained personnel available for warranty repairs and the performance of service. The dealer shall also maintain an inventory of high-usage parts and a quick source for low-usage parts

14. DATA SHEET: Attachment A – Data Sheet should be completed and submitted in duplicate for informational purposes only.

15. OPTIONAL EQUIPMENT: The following optional equipment is not required unless identified on the Invitation for Bid.

15.1. Option No. 1: Wireless Handheld Terminal – Vehicle Mounted Message Sign shall be equipped with a Wireless Handheld Terminal to allow for untethered operation of the sign.

15.2. Option No. 2: Vehicle Radar, K-Band Type – Vehicle Mounted Message Sign shall be equipped with a Vehicle Radar, approach only, to provide the sign with added traffic calming capabilities. The sign shall be equipped with a threshold speed. The threshold speed is the minimum speed at which the operator chooses to display the motorist’s speed. Radar shall detect and the sign shall display speeds from a minimum of 10 mph to a maximum of 98 mph in one MPH increments. The sign shall be designed so that an operator-selected message can be displayed when threshold speeds are not attained.

15.3. Option No. 3: 360° Powered Swivel Mount and Controller - The bed rail to be equipped with a multi-position swivel mount that allows the operator to lock the sign into position within a 360° rotation and adjust the position from inside the cab.