Wizard CB Alert System

The Wizard Work Zone Alert and Information Radio was designed and patented by Highway Technologies Inc. and built and marketed by TRAFCON Industries Inc. It is designed to give drivers of heavy trucks enough advance warning of upcoming delays at construction sites or incidents to enable them to stop safely before encountering lines of halted vehicles. This system was developed at the request of the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation.
As a part of the Midwest States Smart Work Zone Deployment Initiative (MwSWZDI), in July 1999, the Wizard CB Alert System was used in conjunction with a work project performed by an Iowa Department of Transportation (DOT) striping crew on Interstate 35. The purpose of this field test was to examine whether the Wizard CB provides advance warning of a lane closure to approaching truck drivers.
The results of this study are very positive. The Wizard CB Alert System was quite effective at warning truck drivers about upcoming road conditions. Sixty-three percent of the truck drivers that had their CB tuned to channel 19 as they passed the paint crew heard the Wizard CB Alert message and 41 percent stated that the CB message was their first indication that they were approaching the paint crew. The system reached a large portion of the target audience and passed on information that was important to its listeners. Many drivers voiced their approval of the system, showed their support for its continued use in the future, and even suggested additional situations where the system’s use would be helpful.