Less time lost at weigh stations keeps drivers happy, saves money, expediter finds
Makes good sense: an expedited trucking fleet has found that helping its trucks and drivers stay out of weigh station lines helps with recruiting and retention and saves real money, too.
Time is of the essence for all trucking companies, but that's especially the case for Load One, which runs 400 trucks and offers expedited truckload services and specialized freight transportation in the 48 contiguous states and Canada. The company's setup is particular, with 95% of its drivers independently contracted owner-operators.
Load One has used Omnitracs fleet management systems in its trucks since 2008, according to a case study of the fleet, and decided to add Omnitracs' Weigh Station Bypass to its suite of services. The add-on is an integrated version of Drivewyze's Preclear app that alerts truck drivers when they're approaching weigh stations and inspection sites and offers bypass services at nearly 700 sites in 43 states and provinces.
Thus Weigh Station Bypass was a simple add-on to Load One's existing telematics platform, and doing so has helped the fleet realize a number of benefits. Load One trucks are now bypassing 80% of weigh stations and cut down roadside inspections by more than half, from some 21 per month to just 10.
"We use this technology as a recruiting tool," said Matthew Kowalczyk, a recruiting, safety and compliance associate at Load One. He formerly worked at the trucking company as a technician and installer for the Omnitracs systems.
The Drivewyze-powered app has paid off for Load One, with the company seeing about $23,000 savings per month due to reduced fuel costs and time lost. Drivewyze includes analytics tools that calculate savings from avoiding stops at weigh stations and inspection sites.
Also, since Load One drivers already were using Omnitracs in-cab terminals for driver logs, Weigh Station Bypass runs on the same hardware rather than requiring anything additional.
Overall, driver productivity and retention has increased at Load One, which touts its "extremely low" turnover rate. Weigh Station Bypass has also helped boost the company's safety scores, and all the efficiency and time gains have added up by improving customer service.
"If a product will help us all be more efficient and allow our independent contractors to save money, we jump at the offer," Kowalczyk said.
Visit www.omnitracs.com or www.drivewyze.com for more information.
