Technology is critical to improving our surface transportation system, especially when it comes to safety, mobility and efficiency. And the role OmniAir Certification can play in advancing the technology and assuring its functionality is clear. But what about the specific technology the OmniAir Certification program addresses - Dedicated Short-Range Communications? What are the material benefits of this next generation mobile communications platform to end-users like the driving public and commercial vehicle operators? What is its value to those who build and operate our nation's roads, bridges and tunnels?

Radio Frequency Identification, or RFID, is a business and productivity solution that has been applied across several markets and applications and, over the past three or four years, has enjoyed ever greater recognition.

Most consumers in fact, know about RFID because chances are, they use it every day. Since the late 1980s, RFID-type systems have formed the guts of electronic toll collection systems (ETC), automated parking systems, access control, and animal and container tracking systems, where a 'tag' is identified by a 'reader,' which in turn permits you to do something, such as cross a tolled bridge, enter a gated facility, pay for parking, or even purchase lunch.

After more than a decade of promises, a true national standard for dedicated short-range communication (DSRC) services is on the visible horizon and the trucking industry can actually benefit from it. It is 5.9GHz DSRC technology based on the 802.11 communication protocol, several versions of which are known as Wi-Fi®. The 802.11(p) designation is a federally funded version designed for telematics, modified by the American Society of Testing and Materials (ASTM) and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) for high-speed, high data-rate, secure mobile applications, including safety, electronic payment services (EPS) and of course, commercial vehicle applications.

As opposed to current DSRC, used primarily for Electronic Toll Collection (ETC) and Commercial Vehicle Information Systems and Networks (CVISN) applications, and operating on a shared frequency that impacts reliability, the 5.9GHz platform may resolve some business issues the trucking industry faces in its never-ending pursuit of operational efficiency. The new DSRC platform offers higher data rates, stronger security appropriate for sensitive financial and business data, longer ranges, and better reliability than legacy systems because it operates in an exclusive band and is highly designed.

Since the late 1980's the leading DSRC application has been electronic toll collection (ETC). Originally deployed to improve throughput performance at toll plazas, since then, several other popular variations of the application have been developed, i.e., open road tolling, parking garage payment and fast-food/e-commerce. While the current platforms used for ETC around the country are robust and reliable, the systems are discrete and the technology is proprietary, and thus they are limited.

With the advent of the 5.9GHz DSRC platform, a true national standard for dedicated short-range communication services is on the visible horizon and the toll industry has the opportunity not only to adapt to it but also to do so on their terms.