As another winter looms in North America and brings with it cold, snow and ice, carriers everywhere are preparing for one of the most challenging periods of their year. But our new hyperlocal weather solution is poised to help reduce the stress and strain of the extreme weather conditions by providing real-time alerts for both back office staff and drivers of potential weather risks along their routes.
How Weather Conditions Impact Road Conditions and Safety
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) reports that in 2023 (the most recent year with complete data), nearly 13% of all fatal crashes involving a large commercial vehicle were a result of inclement weather conditions. And the U.S. Department of Transportation estimates that, “each year trucking companies or commercial vehicle operators (CVOs) lose an estimated 32.6 billion vehicle hours due to weather-related congestion.” They go on to say that, “nearly 12% of total estimated truck delay is due to weather in the 20 cities with the greatest volume of truck traffic.”
In the last couple of years, North America has seen several major weather-related traffic incidents that have resulted in massive pile-ups and charges against drivers. A Louisiana “super fog” in October, for instance, resulted in a 158-car pileup that left seven people dead, 25 injured, and dozens of cars wrecked. In each instance, the costs to carriers go beyond time wasted. Weather-related incidents on the road are not only expensive; they put both commercial drivers and passenger vehicles at great risk.
Stay Ahead of the Storm with Weather Alerts for Fleet Routing and Driver Safety
That’s why we’ve created our Weather Intelligence solution with predictive hyperlocal weather alerts in partnership with WeatherOptics Inc.: a new integrated service available within Trimble back office solutions and CoPilot, our commercial driver navigation application. This service is designed to help drivers and fleet managers plan ahead and avoid potential delays and hazardous road conditions, looking ahead along a route and then alerting the back office or driver to any weather issues they might encounter.
“We believe weather Intelligence with predictive hyperlocal weather alerts will revolutionize how drivers and fleets deal with weather risks on the road. By providing more precise warnings, we can greatly improve safety and prevent accidents,” said Rishi Mehra, sector vice president of Trimble’s commercial mapping and routing technology. “And this service doesn’t just give you a speed reduction alert. It provides proactive engagement that goes beyond current weather apps by offering a level of advisory that redefines the standard.”
Master Real-Time Route Management with Hyperlocal Weather Alerts
Hyperlocal weather alerts are generated in real time as the driver progresses along their route and weather impacts road conditions, with new alerts generated in accordance with when a driver is expected to reach certain points in their route. The service will display these weather alerts as icons along the road map and play an accompanying voice alert with more details.
Back office staff can also view these alerts and communicate route-planning changes to the driver before risks become problems, and keep customers better informed of potential changes to their deliveries’ ETAs. Plus, fleet managers can customize the alerts sent to their drivers, so they are notified of only the most important risks along their route.
Back office staff can review alerts in real time to notify drivers and customers of adverse conditions.
