SIC 4785 Fixed Facilities and Inspection and Weighing Services for Motor Vehicle Transportation

SIC 4785

This category covers establishments primarily engaged in the inspection and weighing of goods in connection with transportation or in the operation of fixed facilities for motor vehicle transportation, such as toll roads, highway bridges, and other fixed facilities, except terminals. Included in this industry category are companies that check boat cargo before it is transported on trucks; operate highway bridges, tunnels, and toll bridges; operate truck weighing stations; and conduct various inspections. It encompasses firms that serve private facilities as well as companies that contract to perform services for state and federal regulatory agencies.

NAICS CODE(S)

488390

Other Support Activities for Water Transportation

488490

Other Support Activities for Road Transportation

Because it is dominated by private, localized firms, statistical data for this industry is sparse. Served by the International Bridge, Tunnel, and Turnpike Association (IBTTA), the industry is largely driven by the need to monitor, for both trade and regulatory purposes, the multi-billion dollar U.S. trucking industry. The U.S. Industry and Trade Oulook reported that there were 450,000 motor carriers operating from state to state, in addition to the thousands of in-state only carriers. Large trucks travel 124 billion miles each year. Truckers pay more than one-third of highway tolls. With 3.9 million miles of roads, including 45,000 miles of interstate highways in the 1990s, numerous enterprises emerged to operate infrastructure, such as toll bridges, and to help enforce a glut of government restrictions. As of 1999, there were 4,715 miles of rural/urban toll roads and 4,533 miles of the national highway system under toll.

At the federal level, the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) and the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) are the primary sources of industry regulations, and often employ contractors to enforce their codes. Among other duties, the DOT is responsible for maintaining the highway system and developing and enforcing safety measures. The DOT's Motor Carrier Safety Assistance Program (MC-SAP) of 1982, for example, conducts annual safety inspections of many of the nation's 250,000 large trucks. The ICC regulates carrier rates and services and enforces weight and size restrictions on trucks that use interstate highways. During the latter part of the 1990s, several states were implementing the...