The Rise of Tolling
Tolling systems exist so that user fees can raise revenue for public transportation authorities. The funds are then used to build, improve, manage, and maintain public transportation facilities like roads, bridges, and tunnels based on overall public policy and need.
The Technology
North American traffic continues to grow each year – creating congestion and wear on the transportation infrastructure. Taxes, such as the gas tax, have proven to be an inadequate source of funding exemplified in the noticeable shortfalls in both state and Federal budgets, which are unable to fund the current North American transportation infrastructure in terms of maintaining existing infrastructure and building new transportation facilities.
I would describe Q-Free’s tolling solutions as accurate, reliable, and cost-effective. Q-Free’s Intrada is the most efficient and precise image processing solution for a tolling operation. It provides tolling authorities reduced expenses and maximized revenues with the ability to scale to any size toll traffic operation. Intrada has unique technical (patent pending) capabilities such as automated license plate recognition (ALPR), Vehicle Signature Recognition (VSR or Fingerprinting), Grouping of video transactions, and a machine learning-based system that acts to reduce errors and costs across a tolling enterprise.
A key growth trend in the US market is the conversion to All Electronic Tolling (AET) using RFID and Video Tolling, as AET relies on accurate license plate reading. Toll agencies across North America are literally bulldozing their manual toll collection booths and installing overhead gantries. Almost all the new toll roads and bridges feature AET. This trend means that the use of automated license plate reading is both growing and becoming essential. Q-Free’s Intrada ALPR, ISS, and MIR are key product innovations in a significant growth market. Intrada produces quantifiable financial and operational benefits for the demonstrable need to accurately read license plates in high-volume, high-speed AET situations.
Q-Free is an exciting place to be right now. There is a strong sense of mission and support to develop our transportation business in North America. And it is connected to our worldwide efforts, so I see a building of market momentum and am grateful to be a part of contributing to our success.
The Techspert
I have worked in the tolling industry for over 25 years and came to know several people at Q-Free. I even sold a project that included the Q-Free Intrada software and came to know Q-Free and its solutions. I have a background developing business specifically for toll image processing, and I was asked to interview for a leadership position at Q-Free developing business. This helped me apply all my industry and business expertise to the development of Q-Free’s Intrada ALPR/OCR application software. Now, I have been with Q-Free since October 2018.
As an Executive Vice President within Tolling at Q-Free, I am responsible for our Intrada image processing solution business in the North American tolling market. This includes responsibility for profit & loss for the business, business development, and management of all our personnel and tolling project deliveries.
Aside from work, I am a proud father of a fabulously intelligent and capable daughter – Samantha. She just started law school with a specialty in helping with legal educational issues in the United States. As my “one and only” child, I indulge her way too much (ha ha).
Apart from that, I am very active with sports including tennis, swimming, boating, walking, biking, skiing, and baseball. I also love to travel and recently took my daughter to Europe as a college graduation present where we visited Germany, Switzerland, and Italy. I am an amateur astronomer with a Schmidt Cassegrain telescope and view mostly planetary objects. I am also a voracious reader of mostly science fictions and, as of late, political and societal issues.
One thing my colleagues do not know about me is that I am a house remodeler and have a lot of tools I actually know how to use. I recently bought a new “fixer upper” home…. quite a headache to fix, but I am excited about the challenge.
Explore our Tolling Solutions here.
Want to know more about our tolling solutions, please contact us at marketing@q-free.com
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