Bentley Advanced Routing and Permitting System FAQ

Index:

1. What is Bentley Routing and Permitting System (ARPS)?
2. Who can use ARPS?
3. How does ARPS support permitting and routing?
4. What productivity improvements does the software bring?
5. How does ARPS perform routing?
6. What value does ARPS bring to the organization?
7. What business advantages does ARPS bring to the agency?
8. Who will benefit from information created with ARPS?
9. How can you ensure that our ARPS solution will meet our present and future needs and working methodologies?
10. What advantages does ARPS offer the enterprise?
11. What are the primary reasons for choosing ARPS?
12. What kinds of documents, databases and reports can ARPS produce?
13. How does ARPS ease the job of the oversize/overweight office manager?
14. Which states use ARPS?
15. Why do these states put their trust in Bentley?
16. Where can I find more information about Bentley ARPS?

Question 1: What is Bentley Routing and Permitting System (ARPS)?

Answer: Bentley ARPS is a complete solution for oversize/overweight (OS/OW) vehicle permit application, routing, issuance, and payment processing - all via the Internet. ARPS offers permit applicants intelligent, graphical access to routes. The software automatically determines routes and processes permits based on vehicle specifications, structure ratings and restrictions, and current infrastructure conditions. An accounting system streamlines the purchase and payment process, and integrates with the transportation agency's financial and accounting systems.

Question 2: Who can use ARPS?

Answer:

• Permitting and bridge offices within the motor vehicle and motor carrier services divisions of DOTs, DORs, DPSs, DMVs, cities, and counties
• Commercial vehicle operators with loads that exceed legal size and weight limits
• Groups responsible for motor carrier compliance at weigh stations and on the road
• Other organizations needing controlled access to routing and permitting data: tax and revenue departments, emergency response agencies, law enforcement, planning bureaus, GIS units, and more.

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Question 3: How does ARPS support permitting and routing?

Answer: ARPS is a comprehensive system that handles the entire permitting process for motor carrier permits of all types. Carriers apply for and pay for permits over the Internet, receiving permits, maps, and routes via E-mail, fax, or Internet delivery. The solution ensures submission of complete and consistent applications and determines safe routes to ensure the issuance of fully compliant permits. Routes are provided to applicants as maps and written directions.

Question 4: What productivity improvements does the software bring?

Answer: One of the system's primary strengths is its ability to capture the business rules and statutes of each jurisdiction's permit process. For example, each jurisdiction has its own way of calculating permit fees. ARPS ensures that these rules are observed for all issued permits, overcoming problems of new and untrained staff and eliminating process errors.

The software proactively leads users through processes, enabling applicants to smoothly complete information. Applicants can receive permits in a matter of seconds instead of days. ARPS makes intelligent routing decisions based on infrastructure capacities and temporary construction conditions. This saves considerable time and expense in the process.

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Question 5: How does ARPS perform routing?

Answer: ARPS can evaluate routes proposed by the carrier and generate safe routes along on user-specified route origins and destinations. Route analysis is based on the jurisdiction's databases of roadway and bridge characteristics. ARPS works with each jurisdiction's road, bridge, and map data to rapidly provide safe, consistent routes of travel appropriate for the specific vehicle dimensions and load. ARPS takes into account any temporary restrictions that may be imposed because of construction, maintenance, weather, or related conditions. The solution can make full use of existing location referencing systems and topographic networks, to provide a highly accurate basis for route information management.

Question 6: What value does ARPS bring to the organization?

Answer: ARPS enables oversize/overweight offices to establish a uniform solution that automates the entire permitting workflow and ensures performance compliant with standards. It is a made-to-fit solution that follows best practices for the service of permitting, to streamline the permit application and issuing process, and shorten response times. ARPS enables the OS/OW office to better serve the needs of state and regional governments at a time when staff levels are decreasing and productivity improvements are needed. Ultimately, it greatly improves the quality of services offered to customers.

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Question 7: What business advantages does ARPS bring to the agency?

Answer: Permitting is an important revenue generator for U.S. state DOTs and other transportation agencies. The record shows that ARPS implementations can increase permit revenue, trim costs, and reduce unauthorized vehicle movement. The resulting safety improvements for motorists and the infrastructure are considerable.

Question 8: Who will benefit from information created with ARPS?

Answer: ARPS collects data about carriers, vehicles, loads, routes traveled, bridges crossed, fees collected, etc., as part of the permitting process. The information is indispensable to the permit office, finance, and accounting. Moreover, law enforcement, road and bridge management, planning, engineering, and construction can benefit from the information. Data might also be employed in an array of related activities, such as analysis of bridge usability or emergency response modeling.

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Question 9: How can you ensure that our ARPS solution will meet our present and future needs and working methodologies?

Answer: Each year, the number of requests for oversize/overweight permits increases, and the infrastructure becomes more congested. Bentley ARPS provides a flexible, customizable solution capable of conforming to all data types, working methods, and changing conditions. As homeland security becomes increasingly relevant for planning and decision making, ARPS offers an open, customizable environment that can support measures for ensuring safety and security.

Question 10: What advantages does ARPS offer the enterprise?

Answer: To meet a wide range of stakeholder needs, ARPS can work in concert with a multitude of existing systems:

• Road and bridge engineering systems
• Rating and management systems
• Commercial Vehicle Information Systems and Networks (CVISN)
• Other motor carrier systems
• Standard or custom financial systems
• GIS solutions

Additionally, ARPS provides a solid foundation for a permitting and routing of hazardous materials and waste.

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Question 11: What are the primary reasons for choosing ARPS?

Answer:

• Streamline and ensure compliance with the permitting process, business rules, and statutes
• Maintain your jurisdiction's high level of services to the motor carrier industry, even with increasing permit volumes and limited resources
• Provide safe routes that protect the transportation infrastructure and other motorists
• Smooth the flow of revenue from OS/OW permitting

Question 12: What kinds of documents, databases and reports can ARPS produce?

Answer: The system contains a complete database of permit activities, including audit trails of all transactions, and profiles on permit applicants. The software is delivered with a set of standard reports that are fully customizable.

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Question 13: How does ARPS ease the job of the oversize/overweight office manager?

Answer: ARPS stops the painful paper flow of the manual process and enables the organization to provide quick responses and answers to queries. Temporary conditions and restrictions are easily incorporated into the automatic routing and permitting scenario. The system ensures compliance with statues and regulations, but also allows individual overrides of standard procedures, as applicable. Changes to the system can be made quickly, with virtually no downtime.

Question 14: Which states use ARPS?

Answer: Colorado, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, North Carolina, and South Carolina use the Bentley ARPS. California and Georgia are currently implementing the solution.

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Question 15: Why do these states put their trust in Bentley?

Answer: Bentley is a proven technology leader in the area of transportation design and data management. In fact, the majority of the maps and engineering data are created with Bentley tools. Bentley has experience handling the full range of complex data types. Through more than 20 years of experience, we have earned the trust of state DOTs and transportation agencies worldwide. Today, Bentley's transportation engineering solutions are used by 48 U.S. state DOTs; Bentley transportation operations and management solutions (which include Bentley ARPS) are used by 19 U.S. state DOTs.

Question 16: Where can I find more information about Bentley ARPS?

Answer: Visit the civil product pages on www.bentley.com for information about Bentley ARPS, as well as a complete line of software solutions for transportation, civil engineering, and engineering content management.

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