2026 American Traffic Safety Services Association (ATSSA) Conference

Every year, the ATSSA conference sets the benchmark for where the road marking industry is heading. This year, Managing Director, Greg Clark went to Houston to find out — and he came back with two things: inspiration, and a challenge to our own industry.

The thing that hit hardest was worker safety. In 2025, 19 road workers lost their lives on USA roads. Nineteen professionals, doing their job, who didn’t come home. The recognition of those lives at the conference sharpened a question we should all be asking here in the UK: are we doing enough? At QMS, we believe road workers deserve the same protection as any other professional. Full stop. During one of the speaker sections, the topic covered the introduction of orange markings within long-term roadworks — under active discussion at ATSSA — is exactly the kind of conversation our industry needs to be having louder and sooner.

Three Key Standouts from ATSSA 2026:

Robot Line Marking

The first standout for Greg was witnessing the future of precision firsthand at a live demonstration of the RoadPrintz robotic line marking machine, facilitated by Houston Public Works right outside the convention centre. Having previously only seen the technology on video, seeing it in action confirmed its potential to redefine industry standards. The accuracy of installing perfect legends and symbols, paired with automatic glass bead application, was superb. Most importantly, it achieves this without any operative needing to be on foot in the carriageway, marking a definitive step toward more consistent, compliant, and safer markings.

LifeMark-100M

The LifeMark-100M automatic pre-marking machine from Limntech stood out as another major highlight for Greg during his visit. Having monitored this technology from a distance, he found it impressive to witness how remarkably transportable the equipment is, designed to be shipped worldwide and fitted to the back of a small pickup for immediate use. The system operates by visually recording the existing road layout at normal traffic speeds. Once the road has been resurfaced, the unit returns to the site to automatically pre-mark the layout to the exact position of the original markings. For QMS, this level of precision and efficiency represents a genuine game-changer for both local authority and strategic network resurfacing projects.

Laserlux FM

The Laserlux FM front-mounted Retro-Reflectometer from RoadVista proved to be another standout for Greg, especially as it was showcased mounted on a fully electric Hummer with a 300-mile range. This is a mean-looking piece of kit that brings serious muscle to surface monitoring. It incorporates the same unique self-levelling facility found in the established G7 side-mounted machine, ensuring the sensors remain at the perfect height from the surface at all times, a feat simply not possible with fully fixed front-mounted systems. The technology is capable of scanning road markings on both sides of the vehicle simultaneously, while also capturing legends and symbols in the centre of the lane. Using high-speed laser technology to scan markings 400 times per second at normal traffic speeds, it matches the rigorous standards of the G7. For anyone attending InterTraffic in March, Greg highly recommends checking out this machine on display.

Outside of the exhibition, Greg found the surrounding area flooded with restaurants of an excellent standard. He even managed to track down a small rock bar, The Dirt 222, which served a proper pint of Guinness and played a great selection of rock tunes, ensuring the evenings were just as productive for the soul as the days were for the industry.

It was a fantastic conference and Expo that never fails to deliver, providing Greg with fresh insights and a firsthand look at the next generation of infrastructure technology. There is always something new to see and learn, but the real value lies in bringing that knowledge back to the UK. For QMS, exploring how these global innovations can impact the local road marking industry is invaluable, ensuring the team remains at the forefront of safety and precision.

Next year – Long Beach, California, 5th to 9th February…