California Department Of Transportation

What California Department Of Transportation does

The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) is the California state government agency responsible for planning, constructing, and maintaining the state's highway transportation network, including 50,000+ miles of state highways and federal-aid highways. Headquartered in Sacramento and employing 1,001-5,000 staff, Caltrans operates under the California State Transportation Agency (CalSTA) and exercises exclusive statutory jurisdiction over state-level transportation infrastructure within California. The agency's core activities span highway construction and maintenance, traffic management, commercial vehicle enforcement, transportation safety programs, and administration of federal and state funding for clean transportation and rail projects.

Caltrans' operational technology portfolio includes weigh-in-motion (WIM) systems deployed across freight corridors, automated commercial vehicle e-screening at weigh stations, intelligent transportation systems for traffic signal and monitoring control, and emerging use of robotics (Boston Dynamics' Spot) for confined-space infrastructure inspection. The agency also deploys AI-adjacent capabilities through vendor partnerships, including roadway intelligence platforms (Rekor Systems) and is evaluating AI smoke-detection cameras for wildfire monitoring along highways. Advanced materials such as stainless-steel-bonded reinforcing bar (Allium Engineering) are being piloted on bridge decks to extend service life.

Caltrans is funded primarily through state budgets and federal infrastructure grants, most notably $23.4 billion captured through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and the Inflation Reduction Act between 2022-2024, making it the largest recipient of such funding in California. The agency does not sell products or services commercially; instead, infrastructure projects are delivered through competitive public procurement involving engineering firms (e.g., Skanska joint ventures on the $534 million Vincent Thomas Bridge Deck Replacement), technology vendors (Quarterhill, Actelis Networks, Rekor, Allium), and workforce development partners. Its customer base includes the traveling public, local government transportation departments, federal law enforcement partners utilizing highway monitoring systems, and the broader California economy dependent on freight and commuter mobility. Note: the source data includes material from the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration (CDTFA, cdtfa.ca.gov), which is a separate state agency that administers tax programs; Caltrans-specific product/website data was not provided in this dataset.

Name

California Department Of Transportation

Legal name

California Department of Transportation

Website

https://cdtfa.ca.gov

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) is a California state government agency headquartered in Sacramento that plans, constructs, and maintains 50,000+ miles of state highways, administers federal infrastructure grants, and deploys intelligent transportation systems, weigh-in-motion technology, and emerging robotics and AI tools across California's freight and commuter corridors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

State Transportation Infrastructure

NAICS

Regulation and Administration of Transportation Programs (926120), Highway, Street, and Bridge Construction (23731), Highway, Street, and Bridge Construction (2373)

SIC

Transportation Services (4700)

akta.pro primary industry

State/Provincial Transportation, Roads & Public Works Administration (BPAIABAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Highway & Roadway Construction (Highways, Arterials, Streets) (IMAFAEAA), Roadside Vegetation & Right-of-Way (ROW) Management (TLAJAAAG), Work Zone Compliance, Inspection & Auditing (TTC Inspections, Standards Compliance, Documentation) (TLAJALAN)

Keywords

• State highway management
• Transportation infrastructure
• Road construction services
• Traffic operations
• Transportation planning

Headquarters

HQ city

Sacramento

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Infrastructure, Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Federal Infrastructure Funding: Caltrans receives substantial federal funding through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) and Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). Between 2022-2024, Caltrans captured $23.4 billion in federal infrastructure grants, primarily for roads and bridges.
2. State Tax Programs Administration: CDTFA-administered programs accounted for more than $97.8 billion last fiscal year, funding essential local services including transportation, public safety, health, libraries, schools, social services, and natural resource management through tax revenue distribution.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) plans, designs, builds, operates, and maintains the California state highway system, including interstate highways, state routes, bridges, and tunnels. The agency also oversees commercial vehicle enforcement, transportation safety programs, and clean transportation investments across the state.

Product overview

Note: The website data provided (cdtfa.ca.gov) is from the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration (CDTFA), which is a different agency from the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans). No Caltrans-specific product or service data from an official Caltrans website (dot.ca.gov) was provided in the source data. The news sources reference Caltrans infrastructure projects including highway systems, but no formal product portfolio from the department's own website is available in this dataset.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• State Highway System Management Planning, construction, operation, and maintenance of California's state highway system, including interstates, US routes, and state routes for use by the public, businesses, and local governments.
• Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Enforcement of commercial vehicle weight, size, and safety regulations through weigh stations, mobile inspections, and the Transportation Enforcement Branch for the protection of state highway infrastructure.
• Bridge and Structural Maintenance Inspection, seismic retrofitting, repair, and replacement of state-owned bridges, tunnels, and overhead structures to maintain structural safety and extend service life.
• Transportation Planning and Programming Long-range transportation planning, corridor studies, environmental documentation, and capital project programming for state and interregional mobility.
• Active Transportation and Clean Mobility Programs Grant funding, technical assistance, and program administration for bicycle, pedestrian, transit, and zero-emission transportation initiatives administered by the agency.

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Quarterhill Inc.coreTechnology or IntegrationQuarterhill announced three new project awards totaling approximately $2.4 million from Caltrans for commercial vehicle screening and weigh-in-motion data collection programs across key freight corridors. Projects include commercial vehicle e-screening at Desert Hills facility in Riverside County, WIM data collection on I-10 in San Bernardino County, and WIM expansion on Route 805 in San Diego County.
• Actelis NetworkscoreTechnology or IntegrationActelis Networks received an order to supply its hybrid fiber-copper networking solution for Caltrans infrastructure modernization in San Mateo County. The order is part of an approximately $120 million modernization initiative supporting traffic signal and monitoring systems along the San Francisco Peninsula.
• SkanskacoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerSkanska, in joint venture with California Engineering Contractors, signed a contract with Caltrans for the Vincent Thomas Bridge Deck Replacement Project in Los Angeles. Total contract worth $534 million with Skanska's share at $320 million, to be recorded in Q1 2026 order bookings.
• California Engineering ContractorscoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerJoint venture partner with Skanska on the Vincent Thomas Bridge Deck Replacement Project in Los Angeles. Total contract worth $534 million.
• Arizona Public ServiceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWhile not a direct Caltrans partner, Arizona Public Service operates AI smoke-detection cameras that represent technology Caltrans and other Western state agencies are exploring for wildfire detection along transportation corridors.
• California Workforce Development Board (CWDB)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe California Workforce Development Board partnered with Caltrans to announce $8 million in grant funding for Round One of the High Road to Construction Careers 2026 (HRCC 2026) program, with approximately $19 million planned for Round Two. The program trains workers for public infrastructure projects.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Texas Department of Transportation: Texas DOT is the most direct comparable state transportation agency, operating a similarly massive highway network (80,000+ miles) with comparable functions in highway planning, construction, maintenance, and commercial vehicle enforcement. TxDOT serves as the closest functional and scale analog to Caltrans.
• New York State Department of Transportation: NYSDOT is a large Northeastern state DOT with comparable scope over state highway planning, bridge programs, and federal funding administration. Both agencies manage aging infrastructure, complex urban-rural mixes, and significant federal aid allocations.
• Florida Department of Transportation: FDOT operates one of the largest state highway systems in the U.S. and is directly comparable to Caltrans in managing a high-traffic freight and passenger network. FDOT similarly pursues advanced traffic management technologies and large-scale bridge modernization.
• Pennsylvania Department of Transportation: PennDOT is a state DOT of comparable scale, with a particularly large bridge inventory requiring sustained capital investment. Both agencies navigate aging infrastructure challenges and federal funding cycles.
• Illinois Department of Transportation: IDOT oversees a comparable state highway network including significant freight corridors and urban infrastructure. IDOT and Caltrans share similar challenges in bridge maintenance backlogs and federal funding utilization.
• Washington State Department of Transportation: WSDOT operates a similarly complex state highway network with significant ferry, rail, and bridge components, and pursues comparable advanced technology deployments for traffic management and tolling.

Broad incumbents

• Federal Highway Administration: FHWA is the federal-level counterpart that administers the federal-aid highway program and oversees state DOTs including Caltrans. While it operates at a different scale, it directly shapes Caltrans's funding, standards, and project eligibility.
• California State Transportation Agency: CalSTA is the umbrella state-level agency that oversees Caltrans and other California transportation entities. It sets the broader policy and funding framework within which Caltrans operates, making it a strategic rather than operational peer.

Regional players

• Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority: LA Metro is a regional transportation agency operating primarily in Los Angeles County, with significant overlap with Caltrans on transit, highway, and clean transportation initiatives within its service area, but with a more localized geographic mandate.
• Metropolitan Transportation Authority (New York): MTA is a large urban-focused transportation agency operating primarily in the New York metropolitan region. While more transit-oriented than Caltrans, MTA shares comparable capital intensity, federal funding dependency, and large-scale bridge/tunnel infrastructure exposure.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/cdtfa
• Facebookfacebook.com/CDTFA

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments2 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about California Department Of Transportation