The Drivewyze weigh station bypass service is now being provided in North Dakota, marking the first debut of a fully operational weigh station bypass program in the state.
The Drivewyze PreClear program is offering weigh station bypass opportunities at 13 different approaches to seven fixed weigh stations, as well as eight mobile sites, for a total of 21 locations. The program is being run in collaboration with the North Dakota Department of Transportation and the North Dakota Highway Patrol.
“Drivewyze PreClear now debuts offering five times as many bypass opportunities as that of an anticipated transponder-based system when it goes live,” said Brian Heath, president and CEO of Drivewyze. “Truck fleets and drivers who operate safely and within legal weight limits and meet the state’s criteria can obtain bypasses through Drivewyze.
“The addition of North Dakota continues the expansion of North America’s largest bypass service network and closes a nearly 400-mile service gap between Moorhead, Minnesota, and Wibaux, Montana,” Heath added. “Drivers traveling from Chicago to Idaho now have bypass opportunities in all six states over a 2,000-mile stretch.”
Matt Holland, manager of information technology for Winnipeg, Manitoba-based Wildwood Transport, said his company’s drivers are thrilled to be getting weigh station bypass for the first time in North Dakota. Holland said the company’s experience with Drivewyze since Wildwood activated it on 35 trucks last year tells him that Drivewyze’s entry into the state will greatly impact his company’s business. The specialized open-deck hauler operates a fleet of 40 late-model trucks that transport a variety of agricultural products and equipment, general commodities, steel and construction equipment on various configurations of open-deck trailers.
Wildwood Transport drivers obtain weigh station bypasses through the Drivewyze PreClear app that came preloaded on the company’s electronic logging devices (ELDs).
Wildwood’s trucks carry nearly 1,100 loads through North Dakota to and from various locations primarily in Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska and Wisconsin, according to Holland. Because so many of the company’s trucks travel through North Dakota and cross the U.S.-Canadian border in that state, Holland said having the opportunity to obtain bypasses at North Dakota weigh stations will significantly reduce delays for drivers.
In fact, according to Drivewyze PreClear Analytics, a free analytics weigh station activity reporting tool, nearly a third of the 983 encounters company trucks had with weigh stations in the United States in the month of July occurred in North Dakota. While each delay lasts on average only a few minutes, they all add up over the course of a day, Holland explained.
“Plus, each time our drivers encounter a weigh station increases the chances that they will undergo an inspection that can last up to an hour,” Holland added. “With driving time being limited, once that happens, staying on schedule can be nearly impossible for our drivers.”
Heath said North Dakota officials are recognizing weigh station bypass as an effective tool for their commercial vehicle enforcement officers. “It allows their officers to concentrate their enforcement efforts on truck operators who need the additional attention.”
Captain Eldon Mehrer, of the North Dakota Highway Patrol, agrees.
“The system will allow our troopers and inspectors to function more efficiently,” Mehrer said. “They can focus on historically problematic carriers while allowing companies with favorable safety ratings to proceed with minimal interruption.”
The addition of Drivewyze automates processing of responsible carriers like Wildwood Transport and lowers the volume of trucks entering weigh stations and mobile sites, Heath said. Since Drivewyze uses commercial mobile radio service (CMRS) technology to deliver weigh station bypasses, it can read weight data transmitted from WIM sensors embedded in the pavement as the truck passes over them.
Other Canadian carriers that meet the state’s criteria and routinely travel across North Dakota may want to look at how much time Drivewyze can save their drivers, Heath added. Alberta-based carriers involved in the voluntary Partners in Compliance (PIC) program may find drivers with lanes into the United States that continue on to Minneapolis, Chicago and the Midwest now have additional bypass opportunities. According to the company, earlier this year, Drivewyze became the only weigh station bypass service to offer bypasses in Canada to members of the special voluntary compliance program established through a unique partnership between provincial regulators and the Alberta Motor Transport Association.
The Drivewyze PreClear weigh station bypass application comes pre-loaded on in-cab telematics and ELD devices like Omnitracs, PeopleNet, Rand McNally and Zonar. Fleets can turn on Drivewyze PreClear Analytics to help them determine how much Drivewyze can potentially save them before activating the subscription-based weigh station bypass service. The application is also available for Android and iOS-based tablets or smartphones.
Below is a complete listing of the new sites arranged by highway:
- U.S. Highway 2 - Williston Panger - north and south bound;
- North Dakota Route 2 - Norwich Rest Area – east and west bound;
- U.S. Route 12 – Bowman - east and west bound;
- U.S. Interstate 29 - Buxton – north and south bound; Mooretown – north and south bound;
- U.S. Highway 81 - Joliette – east and west bound;
- U.S. Highway 85 - Bowman – north bound;
- U.S. Interstate 94 - Apple Creek Rest Area – east and west bound; Beach – east bound; West Fargo – west bound;
- U.S. Highway 281 - Ellendale – north and south bound.
