Trucking, Tracking, and Safety

A lone truck driver was traveling along a cliff-side roadway, midway through completing a long haul. While navigating one of the roadway’s curves, the brakes fail. The truck, its cargo, and driver all go over the edge, with no witnesses to the incident …

Elsewhere, winter snows assault another driver as he travels into the northern reaches of the country. With temperatures well below freezing, the driver’s rig suddenly comes to a stop. Despite his efforts to start it, his truck remains dead in the snow. The drop in temperature has caused his gasoline to gel. Now, he must radio for assistance, but the zero visibility caused by the snowfall will make finding his location incredibly difficult …

Both of the above instances capture hazards long haul truck drivers face while completing deliveries. With drivers spending weeks on the road at a time, they expose themselves to risks that jeopardize their rig, their cargo, and their own person. The elements of nature and mechanical failure present a significant threat to truck drivers that their employers should take into consideration. A fully loaded rig legally carries 80,000lbs or 40tons as its cargo. The trucks and trailer carry price tags in excess of $260,000. Combined with the incalculable cost of human life, a driver and semi-truck incapacitated and exposed to the elements result in a pressing issue for their employers.

How do you find a semi-truck when communication with the driver is impossible and weather conditions limit visibility?

The answer is “GPS Tracking.”

Actsoft provides employers with the technology to track their employees and assets in near real-time. While the driver in the first example is traveling, our tracking feature will relay his position back to the company’s office at regular intervals. The web-based portal allows the driver’s location history to be viewed; when things go wrong and he stops transmitting via the radio, a “breadcrumb trail” of his positions as captured by the tracking software can be pulled up. Even after he goes over the cliff, the tracking technology will still send his location while the vehicle is unmoving. It will even “ping” at a slower interval in order to conserve energy. The driver in the second case has the benefit of still being able to communicate actively with his rescuers, but the blinding snow combined with the dropping temperature makes his situation almost as dangerous. With Actsoft software continuing to relay his position to his employers, rescuers can pinpoint the driver’s location and save him and his rig.

Truckers hauling cargo across the country face various challenges; weeks on the road being grueling enough on their own. With changes in terrain and weather presenting themselves as hazards for these drivers, it is worth employers considering installing a means for tracking their position. The ability to track these rigs would mitigate the loss of vehicles, their cargo, and their drivers.

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