Quick Transport Solutions Inc.

What Is The Interstate Of Things?

You’ve likely heard of the Internet of Things (IoT), but have you heard of the Interstate of Things? The Interstate of Things represents more than just smart highways and communication between intelligent vehicles and the road. It represents wireless connectivity in trucking – taken to a whole new level.

Now that mobile fleet management platforms and complex software solutions are able to communicate with a wider array of mobile devices, sensors and apps have expanded the possibilities in the realm of truck driver safety and fleet efficiency. It looks like the Interstate of Things could be a game changer.

Total Integration

The fact is, motor carriers have been utilizing the power of wireless connectivity long before the Internet or Interstate of Things ever became, well, things. Still, some are describing the rapid growth of advanced trucking ecosystems in epic terms.

Software developers can now create apps designed to connect trucks and truck drivers to real-time services. These services allow them to bypass inspection stations, pay tolls, or reserve parking spots. Almost any function can now be automated without the truck driver having to invest in expensive hardware or software.

The new ways modern vehicles can communicate with their environment is through either vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) or vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication. Applications can make use of cell networks or even the Commercial Mobile Radio Service (CMRS) systems to enable communication.

Transponder-based systems are also still popular for weigh station bypass and toll road payments. Although they require a higher degree of speed and accuracy, they are generally pretty good at verifying large trucks moving at highway speeds.

V2V systems in particular have the potential to both decrease safety issues and increase efficiency by instantly sharing information through the use of high-speed radio or Dedicated Short Range Communication (DSRC). With a radio speed of 5.9 GHz, latency is significantly reduced.

How to Bypass with CMRS

New players in the digital market have developed tools that allow truck drivers to use the powerful device already in their pockets: Their smartphone.  The telematics devices in the truck is able to utilize the necessary GPS, cellular connections and raw computing power all within the palm of a hand.

New apps offer mobile weigh station bypass services without the operator having to invest in expensive hardware or infrastructure.  CMRS apps are part of cloud-based bypass programs that 35 states use at different mobile and fixed sites. States using these programs can pre-set their inspection criteria using either the FMCSA’s Inspection Selection system or other data inputs and sources.

Qualified carriers can get a bypass notification that pops up in their in-cab displays as their vehicle approaches an inspection site traveling at normal highway speeds. When the app crosses a virtual boundary, the notification is triggered – usually a couple of miles in advance of the inspection point. Law enforcement officers can be connected to the system in order to identify vehicles cleared for bypass.

These advanced new programs and systems help truck drivers get back on the road more quickly following a roadside inspection. From data entry to the receipt of electronic log data, services are automated so that enforcement officials can get the inspection completed faster.

Utilizing Radio-frequency Identification

For quite some time now, toll booths and weigh-in-motion (WIM) systems have been accurately identifying vehicles as they pass through readers affixed into dedicated traffic lanes. They instantly make their reading using 915 MHz frequencies. Could we soon see the day when these ubiquitous RFID systems are used in CMRS applications?

One area of concern lies in the latency of cellular networks and cloud-based apps. WIM systems need near constant uptime. Even so, many believe that CMRS applications will eventually get there. But until then, RFID offers a level of speed and accuracy that simply can’t be beat.

As technology continues to evolve, we will see these wireless systems continue to change the way trucking operated. It’s a long and high tech road on this Interstate of Things.

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