Fleet Management News & Business Info | Commercial Carrier Journal
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/510235
36 COMMERCIAL CARRIER JOURNAL | MAY 2015 B arOle Trucking delivers inter- national container freight from the Twin Cities to customers in Minnesota, Wisconsin and the Dakotas. Two miles before its trucks hit the scales at state borders, an app running on cab- mounted Android tablets gives a "green light" to drivers to bypass the scales at highway speeds, regardless of trailer chas- sis being empty or loaded. BarOle heard about the app from the Minnesota State Patrol. In subscribing to Drivewyze's mobile bypass service, both parties became more efficient, says Karol Smith, safety manager for the Centerville, Minn.-based carrier. BarOle's trucks bypass at least two weigh stations per day on routes, saving drivers about 15 minutes during their workday, Smith says. According to a study by the U.S. Department of Transportation, a single bypass event saves $8.68. BarOle pays $15 a month per truck for the bypass service; the subscription cost is covered in one day, she says. To qualify for bypass, the company has to maintain a good safety record, which is reflected in its Inspection Selection System score. Safe carriers such as BarOle have been bypassing scales for more than 20 years. The first bypass program began in 1993 through Help Inc., a nonprofit public-pri- vate partnership. States that participate in its PrePass program set their own bypass criteria. Carriers enrolled in PrePass gen- erally have an ISS score below 90, though some states require ISS scores as low as 75 on a scale of 100; BarOle's score is 46. Legally bypassing weigh stations is com- monplace today, but with new technology and choices in the market, carriers and law enforcement are more equipped to maxi- mize the benefits. The most recent changes have evolved around two types of methods for identifying vehicles: at fixed and mobile inspection points. Fixed sites PrePass uses overhead readers to capture the identity of vehicles in advance of weigh stations. The readers pick up a signal from windshield-mounted transponders that iden- tifies the carrier, and immediate verification takes place. PrePass uses a pre- clearance process. States work with Help Inc. to establish the program's bypass criteria based on ISS scores and other safety credentials. Carriers that meet the checklist can subscribe to the program, which costs up to $17 per truck per month. While moving at highway speeds, a PrePass transponder flashes a green light for drivers to bypass the station or a red light to pull in for an inspection. States that use PrePass set a minimum 5 percent random pull-in rate, and some also set ad- ditional criteria for pull-ins, such as carriers that transport hazmat loads, says Karen Rasmussen, president and chief executive officer of Help Inc. Today, more than a half-million trucks from nearly 41,000 fleets are enrolled in PrePass and qualified to bypass weigh stations and ports of entry in 31 states. Going forward, Help Inc. plans to build additional weigh-in-motion sites on major freight corridors and in loca- PrePass currently has operational sites in 31 states as well as a number of committed sites, shown in yellow. in focus: WEIGH STATION BYPASS Weigh station bypass systems save time, money BY AARON HUFF Nonstop choices, coverage expanding Drivewyze is opera- tional in 35 states at 567 service sites, including those with weigh-in- motion scales.