"E-ticketing, a nationwide FHWA-sponsored innovation, as most states actively participating in pilot projects or full-scale implementations. The e-Ticket serves as a digital replacement for traditional paper tickets, documenting delivered and accepted material weights for hot mix asphalt, concrete, and aggregates. Caltrans has successfully advanced through multiple phases of this initiative, including piloting e-ticketing on hot mix asphalt projects via change order and expanding to concrete and aggregate projects. In 2025, Caltrans has progressed to Phase 3, issuing a new non-standard specification and a special notice for bidders on 18 potential pilot projects. This marks a significant step in modernizing construction documentation and enhancing efficiency."
– Perry Mayer, Senior Transportation Engineer, Caltrans
As sponsored by FHWA, Caltrans is attempting to rid itself of traditional paper-based processes for highway and bridge construction projects by integrating them into electronic and digital workflows.
E-ticketing provides digital means to produce, transmit, and share materials data to track and verify materials deliveries and accepted materials amounts. This streamlines inspections by relying on a centralized Caltrans portal and a smartphone app to be used by the inspector, in order to instantaneously and automatically share and communicate material data between the Department, contractor, and supplier. It also improves contract administration processing by eliminating paper, human contact, and delays in relaying information between the parties. Use of the Caltrans portal and smart phone app enhances efficiency and productivity, simplifies the exchange of material data, reduces environmental impacts, and increases safety at the jobsite by eliminating the need for the inspector’s collection of paper tickets near traffic.
Contractors and suppliers use various E-ticketing vendors. The centralized Caltrans portal works in real-time and will connect to any asphalt, concrete, or aggregate producer and supplier, regardless of the e-ticketing vendor.
