PrePass, the weigh station bypass, electronic toll payments and safety services platform, wants to help drivers stay alert as they cross the Rockies.
The company recently added new truck driver safety alerts for mountainous areas along Interstate 70 in Colorado. And PrePass hopes to expand the alerts to other mountainous states.
PrePass Alerts are a feature of the Motion weigh station bypass mobile application. The alerts notify truck drivers when they are about five miles away from steep grades in the road and again alert them as they near any of the five runaway truck ramps along the route.
Drivers also get alerts for seven sites along I-70 to perform brake checks and, during winter, complete truck tire chain-ups or removals.
PrePass Safety Alliance developed the Colorado-specific alerts in collaboration with the Colorado Department of Transportation, the Colorado State Patrol and the Colorado Motor Carriers Association.
The PrePass alerts are part of a broader truck safety campaign in Colorado called “The Mountain Rules,” reminding truck drivers about the dangers of steep mountain grades and the steps they need to take to safely navigate these stretches of highway.
“These dynamic alerts will improve highway safety by notifying truck drivers well in advance of steep grades and sites where they can check their brakes,” said Terry Maple, regional director for PrePass Safety Alliance.
Maple, former superintendent of the Kansas Highway Patrol, said the additional alerts will minimize distractions because they require no interaction on the part of the driver.
PrePass Safety Alliance provides other driver safety alerts across the country, including high wind locations, steep grades, traffic work zones and no commercial vehicle access roads.
The company plans to expand the Colorado-type alerts to other states with similar terrain. The system is available as part of the Motion weigh station bypass app on Android and iOS phones, tablets and some in-cab telematics devices.
