American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators represents the state & provincial officials in the United States and Canada who administer and enforce motor vehicle laws. AAMVA encourages uniformity & reciprocity among the states and provinces and develops model programs in motor vehicle administration, law enforcement and highway safety.

American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) is an interest group based in Washington, DC, involved in research, advocacy and technical assistance. Primary focus is highways. AASHTO is also a standard setting organization.

Associação Brasileira de Concessionárias de Rodovias is the Association of Brazilian Road Concessionaires (ABCR)

Adaptive Cruise Control. Also known as Autonomous Intelligent Cruise Control (AICC) and Intelligent Cruise Control (ICC). Dynamic speed and distance control in relation to the vehicle in front using on-board equipment.

Each OBU is assigned to a User’s Account. The Account serves as the final destination for system transactions. For a pre-paid account the User periodically credits funds (from a Fiduciary) to the Account to offset the transaction cost.

An Account Processor is a third party organization that processes Accounts and transactions for an Issuer. For example, retailers who issue credit cards often contract account processing to third party companies like Payment Tech. In tolling, third-party Account Processors often operate Customer Service Center (CSC) entities.

The “Automated Clearinghouse” is a financial transaction network operated by the Federal Reserve. The ACH processes a number of different types of financial transactions including inter-bank transactions, credit card transactions, E-checks (a form of electronic payment), etc.

Automated Coin Machine - Unattended machines used for toll payment by coinage

A toll lane with an Automatic Coin Machine (ACM) in place of a toll attendant. Generally signed for vehicles to come to a stop but in practice often allow slow roll-through. May include ETC and license plate cameras.

Allgemeiner Deutscher Automobil Club e.V

Average Daily Traffic

Asociación Española de Normalización: is the Spanish Association for Standards

"All-Electronic Tolling" describes toll collection operations exclusively with electronic toll collection and license-plate based collection and/or enforcement, without a cash payment option at the tolling point.  AET is most often provided in an AET (or “ORT”) Toll Zone open highway environment but may also exist in a traditional toll plaza if cash collection has been discontinued.

An arrangement of toll zones without toll plazas, at every facility entrance and exit, to measure trip length as recorded in the electronic toll system.

An arrangement of toll zones without toll plazas between interchanges.

A conventional toll plaza with ETC and license plate tolls only, with all cash toll equipment removed.  Often a temporary condition until toll plaza replacement with a Toll Zone.

Also described as an “ORT Toll Zone” or “Multi-Lane Free Flow (MLFF)” toll location.  A toll collection point on a facility with no toll plaza and no place for a driver to stop and pay a toll.  Tolls are only collected by ETC, license plate image capture or other evolving technologies at full travel speeds.

All-Electronic Tolling Conversion - Process of changing a toll collection method from manual cash payments to fully automated electronic payments.

Association of Electronic Toll and Interoperable Services - Association representing European Electronic Toll Services (EETS) providers as a stakeholder group with regard  to the European Union (EU).  http://www.aetis-europe.eu/

Transaction processing costs in electronic toll collection can be a significant component of an Issuer’s operating costs. To minimize this cost, Issuers often aggregate groups of transactions from Service Providers into a single transaction that is sent to the Fiduciary. This lowers the transaction cost by splitting the credit card transaction fee across a number of transactions. For example, a Customer Service Center (CSC) may collect all transactions for a period of time, and Aggregate those transactions into a single credit card charge to the User’s card account. As a result the Authority pays only a single transaction fee.

Autonomous Intelligent Cruise Control. Also known as Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) and Intelligent Cruise Control (ICC). Dynamic speed and distance control in relation to the vehicle in front using on-board equipment.

Associazione Italiana Società Concessionarie Autostrade e Trafori: is the Italian Association of Turnpikes, Tunnels, Bridges and Other Toll Road Concessionaire Companies.

A Siemens navigation system having an in-vehicle interface that provides turn-by-turn visual and voice guidance.

Automatic Number Plate Recognition

American National Standards Institute

This is the software that runs on the On-Board Unit and RSU Application Platform. The Application contains the “brains” (i.e. logic) that conducts the transaction using the Public and Private Keys (see below).

This is the computer that is collocated with the On-Board Unit and Roadside Unit. It runs the Application, or software that conducts the transaction.

American Public Transportation Association -  The American Public Transportation Association (APTA) advocates the advancement of public transportation.  APTA members are public organizations that are engaged in the areas of bus, paratransit, light rail, commuter rail, subways, waterborne passenger services, and high-speed rail.

Automatic Speed Adaptation. Various concepts aimed at limiting the vehicle speed in relation to different defined speeds (static, variable or dynamic) for certain road sections via various user interfaces (informative, supportive or compulsory). Also known as Intelligent Speed Adaptation (ISA).

Association Européenne des Concessionnaires d'Autoroutes et d'Ouvrages à Péage (European Association of Operators of Toll Road Infrastructures). ASECAP is the only European professional association of toll motorway companies. It brings together 17 Full members (France, Italy, Ireland, Spain, Portugal, Austria, Greece, Croatia, Hungary, Slovenia, Serbia, Belgium, The Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Norway, Denmark, Poland) and 4 Associate members (Morocco, Germany, Slovak Republic,  Czech Republic) that manage a total network of over 28,000 km (tolling) and over 12,000 km (charging).   

Association des Sociétés Françaises d’Autoroutes et d’Ouvrages à Péage: is the Federation of French Motorway and Toll Facility Companies. ASFA is a professional organization which promotes the concessionary system for its members.

American Trucking Associations - American Trucking Associations is the national trade association for the trucking industry.  http://www.truckline.com/

Alliance for Toll Interoperability - Organization established to promote and implement toll collection interoperability among states and agencies. ATI's goals include establishing interstate customer video tolling and interoperability, establishing protocols & systems allowing for secure sharing of vehicle information and the investigation of RFID toll technology interoperability. ATI's membership consists exclusively of toll facility operators. http://www.tollinterop.org/

Advanced Traveler Information System

Automatic Teller Machine - An electronic telecommunications device that enables the customers of a financial institution to perform financial transactions without the need for a human cashier or clerk