PHOENIX. PeopleNet announced here at the annual ATA meeting a new wireless roadside-inspection (WRI) solution in conjunction with the FMCSA Commercial Motor Vehicle (CMV) Safety Technology Showcase held last week in Tennessee. Four leading PeopleNet customer fleets are participating in an operational test of the technology.
PeopleNet said the solution is the result of a joint effort with FMCSA and the Oak Ridge National Laboratory to improve motor carrier safety through increasing the frequency of roadside inspections using wireless technologies.
“Roadside identification of CMV violations is becoming a bigger challenge as the number of trucks and truck mileage grow each year while roadside safety inspection resources do not,” said PeopleNet COO Brian McLaughlin. “A wireless solution offers a way to not only dramatically increase the number of inspections, but also make them less time-intensive than traditional roadside inspections. The result is increased transportation productivity and mobility. FMCSA estimates that inspections can increase from 3.4 million to 85 million, making it possible for carriers to receive credit for positive inspections and safe operations without utilizing enforcement staff to conduct inspections.”
PeopleNet said FMCSA is “spearheading” WRIs to increase efficiency in using resources by identifying violations before manual inspections as the carrier enters an inspection station. This will allow enforcement staff to focus only on unsafe drivers/vehicles and reduce the demand for physical inspections, which will in turn reduce delays, fuel use, and emissions.
In addition, in the absence of a nearby inspection station, WRI can provide alerts to carriers and enforcement staff for drivers or vehicles operating with high-risk violations.
WRI also supports CSA 2010 by enabling more frequent driver and vehicle safety assessments to ensure compliance and improve CMV safety, said PeopleNet. Assessment information can be automatically transmitted to the BASICs database immediately for updating scores in real time.
Increased assessments will reduce accidents and costs associated with fatalities, injuries, and property damage. Other benefits include reduced congestion and delay, emissions, energy consumption, delays at border crossings and other inspection points, and the potential to reduce insurance costs by better identification of risks, the company noted.
According to PeopleNet, .FMCSA is testing the WRI program before it is assessed for potential industry rollout. No introduction date has been discussed, the company noted.
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