How Technology Helps Fleets Mitigate Extreme Weather

According to the National Weather Service, the Spring season contains the most extreme weather variations for the U.S. During the month of March, for example, many states experience significant temperature variations in a single day – sometimes up to a 50-degree swing. For commercial trucking fleets, extreme temperature variations and weather incidents can create serious problems in operations, and more than 1.23 million vehicle crashes in the U.S. are weather-related.

What kinds of accidents are caused by inclement weather?

Whenever visibility is impacted or road conditions change, the risk for accidents significantly increases. Not only do commercial truck drivers have to worry about how the weather will affect their own rig, they have to be more aware of other drivers and their responses to the inclement weather. Some common results of extreme weather include:

• Slick roads from snow and ice, causing lack of control
• Heavy rain and floods leading to hydroplaning and stranded vehicles
• Fog and reduced visibility increasing rear-end collisions
• Extreme heat causing tire blowouts and engine overheating
• High winds increasing the chances for rollovers and debris
• Hail that can damage windshields and vehicles

How does inclement weather increase costs for fleets?

Inclement weather can impact a fleet’s ability to meet delivery expectations, and can place drivers and cargo in harm’s way. In the unfortunate case that a driver is involved in a crash, there are many costly impacts on fleet operations. The worst case scenario is injury or even loss of life for drivers or secondary drivers. Additionally, not only must damaged vehicles be repaired, they are taken off the road for an extended period of time, affecting your productivity. If a rig is fully loaded when involved in an accident, the incident impacts suppliers and customers. Finally, numerous accidents can drive up a fleet’s insurance premiums and ultimately damage brand reputation and future business.

Keeping drivers and trucks safer during extreme weather

While weather variations can occur unexpectedly, especially during the spring and winter months, technology is helping fleets keep drivers safer by improving situational awareness and planning. Smart trucks can now remain seamlessly connected with data streaming directly to the cab, delivering important weather alerts, rerouting announcements, and more while simultaneously keeping management informed.

Additionally, onboard smart sensors can deliver truck health information to the driver and back office without requiring the driver to even get out of the cab in dangerous weather conditions. These alerts and notifications highlight issues that might otherwise go unnoticed until they cause an accident, sideline a truck, or respond poorly to inclement weather. 

Telematics technology is also helpful in better preparing fleets to respond to challenging weather through training and policies. Performance data and reviews of accidents can inform fleets on how to better prepare and handle extreme weather, including routing best practices and preventative maintenance standards. Communication strategies for customers and suppliers can help preserve working relationships and expectations during inclement weather. These discussions help fleets mitigate the more than $3.5 billion annually lost to weather-related delays.

Apps designed for extreme weather

As a leader in providing the best driver experience for fleets, Platform Science has developed a robust ecosystem of add-on apps that are pre-vetted and approved to integrate seamlessly into our operating platform. This includes partner apps specifically focused on using technology to create safer routes during extreme weather events.

RightRoute by WeatherOptics

The RightRoute app by WeatherOptics processes 80 million points of data through sophisticated weather modeling and vehicle impact data to understand when and where weather-related disruptions will occur. WeatherOptics has developed its own proprietary AI nowcasting weather model that will power real-time and predictive forecasts, improving accuracy by 30-40% when compared to standard NOAA weather models.

The result for trucking companies has been a recorded 60% increase in ETA accuracy during severe weather conditions and a 30% reduction in weather-related accidents. WeatherOptics works with some of the largest trucking and logistics companies in North America like Werner, NFI, PGT, and Overhaul.

The app provides:

• Weather-adjusted ETA predictions that simulate weather impact along a route, forecasting  how delayed a shipment will likely be.
• A Road Risk Index derived from more than 30 weather variables and trained on historical vehicle impact data to accurately capture driver safety risks out to 7 days in advance.
• A Tipping Index for trucks traveling in high winds, based on vehicle weight, height, and direction.
• Route optimization tools that compare delay times, driver risk, and mileage to optimize routing ahead of departure.

CabWeather

The CabWeather app by Transpoworks provides drivers with real-time National Weather Service data on their in-cab device, including graphs and stats to make informed route decisions. For example, the app displays:

• Weather maps with easy-to-read graphs, maps, images, icons, and descriptions.
• Current and precise location-based weather information and hourly and seven-day forecasts.
• Quick-read displays for humidity, temperatures, and visibility data for the surrounding vicinity.

With a user-friendly interface, CabWeather makes it easy for drivers to access critical weather information without distraction. The app automatically detects the user's location to easily collect and present pertinent weather data, helping drivers better respond to extreme weather with increased situational awareness.

Tomorrow.io

The Tomorrow.io app employs AI and space-powered weather intelligence that helps fleets make the right decisions at the right time. Real-time geolocation-based weather monitoring delivers hyperlocal driver, truck, and load information combined with constantly updating weather status. This information helps fleets plan safer routes, respond more efficiently to severe weather, and reduce delivery delays. 

The Tomorrow.io app also identifies high-priority trucks currently facing inclement weather and delivers alerts with recommended responses to help prevent accidents. Along with updating list- and map-views of all assets and weather conditions, the back office is automatically notified when a truck is approaching an area meeting predefined weather thresholds, so that a reroute can be generated and appropriate safety team response can be conducted.

Additional features include:

• Real-time and color-coded hyperlocal weather insights to instantly identify the number of trucks currently impacted by weather
• Detailed information for the driver and truck including driver name, truck id, if the truck is loaded or empty, the next stop on the schedule, and more 
• Robust weather monitoring including Automated alerts for weather incidents, storm surge watches and warnings, and more
• Daily or weekly summary of road closures due to severe weather as well as lane monitoring and shutdown recommendations based on expected weather

By leveraging the latest tools that integrate weather data proactively and during a weather event, fleets can keep drivers safer while also better adjusting and communicating ETA expectations with customers. Even in the most extreme weather variations, technology can help drivers and managers make the best decisions possible in any setting.

Learn more about the Platform Science suite of tools for fleets now, or explore our ecosystem of specialized partner add-on apps.