TMA Crash Truck Facts

TMA Truck Facts.

The Basics

Scorpion attenuators made by TrafFix Devices, requires that the truck and the attenuator is attached to weigh at least 20,000 lbs. to achieve acceptable attenuator function when struck.

S.P.A. designed a custom body to accept concrete for ballast in order to meet specifications
S.P.A. ensures that when our attenuators are deployed they are approximately 12 inches off the ground in order to be at the proper height for impact from an oncoming vehicle.
S.P.A. installs all of our attenuators in order to guarantee proper deployment and function.
All of our used trucks go through an extensive 53 point inspection and any parts not up to factory standard are repaired or replaced.

New Jersey highway safety standards are some of the strictest in the country. All of our SPA trucks are built to NJ standards.

Some NJDOT standards:

TMA trucks must be a minimum of 21,000 lbs. The weight must be attached to the truck in a manner that does not allow it to turn into a projectile if the truck is hit
All of the controls for the attenuator and arrow board must be in the cab so the driver does not have to step into traffic to operate them.
The bottom of the arrow board should be approximately 7’ off the ground when it is deployed.
Amber lights must be visible from 360 degrees.

D.O.T. Downloads

National Cooperative Highway Research Program – NCHRP Report 350 – Recommended Procedures for the Safety Performance Evaluation of Highway Features

MASH Guidelines for TMA Truck Attenuators – MASH guidelines for crash testing permanent and temporary highway safety features and recommends evaluation criteria to assess test results. Not only does it further expand on the testing requirements listed in the NCHRP Report 350, but it also offers guidelines for when MASH tested and approved attenuators must be used on your TMA trucks.

Attenuator Trucks Safety Features

S.P.A. TMA Attenuator Trucks are among the best designed, fabricated, and serviced in the USA today and meet NJ DOT Certification. NJ DOT has very stringent standards for highway safety for road work at SPA has met the requirements for those standards. One such standard is to keep the driver in the cab during the operation of the TMA truck. All controls are mounted in the cab so that the TMA and arrow board can be deployed without the driver ever having to leave his or her seat.