JOPLIN, Mo. — Drivewyze bypass stations in Joplin are fully activated and operational, marking the second company to have weigh-in-motion scales (WIMS) installed on Missouri’s highways.
Most states own their own WIM sensors, however, Missouri’s situation is unique in that the scales are actually independently owned. The WIM scales — until the ones recently installed by Drivewyze — have been owned and managed by HELP, Inc., a nonprofit based in Arizona.
In mid-April 2017, MoDOT awarded proposals to both HELP and Drivewyze to manage Missouri’s WIM scales. Since all the scales at that point were owned by HELP, after being unable to come to an agreement, Drivewyze installed their own WIM technology.
To follow the RFP requirements, it looks as if Drivewyze will be installing their own sensors at all 19 weigh stations around the state, though they wanted to only install at eight stations to meet their customer’s needs.
Public employees leave HELP, Inc. Board, Drivewyze ready to install
In a mark of bad luck, and potentially being in the wrong place at the wrong time, the rental car of a Drivewyze employee observing semi-trucks traveling the interstate in Joplin was shot at.
On April 18, Brian Taylor was coordinating to make sure WIM scales and the weigh stations were reading the same weight for a semi-truck. While approximately 100 feet away from his vehicle, he heard five gunshots and saw a car driving away quickly. Walking back to his vehicle, Taylor found a broken driver’s side window and five holes in the driver’s side of the vehicle. Taylor was not injured, according to the police report.
Police have no suspects in the shooting. The reason for the shooting is unclear.
Alisha Shurr was a reporter for The Missouri Times and The Missouri Times Magazine. She joined The Missouri Times in January 2018 after working as a copy editor for her hometown newspaper in Southern Oregon. Alisha is a graduate of Kansas State University.
