Chances are, you already know the benefits of weigh station bypass if you’re reading this article on things to consider when choosing a bypass solution.

If not, learn everything you need to about bypass programs here.

Nowadays, fleets are looking to implement innovative bypass technologies to save time and fuel, improve the driver experience, all while reducing delivery times for customers.

A good example of this in action is Mesilla Valley Transportation, who reported that the transponder-free bypass program integrated with Switchboard saved the company 1,579 hours and over $164,000 in operating costs within one month.

Today, bypass services are becoming more popular in the market.

The issue is, how do you decide which one to pick?

It’s important to research the various solutions and choose a provider that you can not only trust, but will bring you the best return on investment.

So, here are the 3 most important criteria you should consider before choosing a bypass solution.

Table of Contents

1. Weigh Station Coverage
2. Ease of Us – Efficiency, Safety & Retention
3. Technology Integrations
4. Comparison chart – Mobile vs. Transponder

Criteria 1: Network Coverage - How many weigh stations does it provide bypasses for?

The larger network of weigh stations covered by a bypass program, the more likely your drivers will be able to bypass weigh stations along their route. This is especially important for carriers that operate in multiple jurisdictions.

It is important to ensure that the bypass service is available across both fixed and mobile inspection sites.

On top of that, it should be able to function both at scales that are Weigh in Motion (WIM) enabled and scales that are not.

Switchboard Bypass enables bypasses at over 840 vehicle inspection sites in 45 states and 2 Canadian provinces. Not only that, our technology provides the only solution for bypass services in 14 regions across in North America, including New York, Connecticut, Alberta, and Ontario. You can learn more about it and get a free trial here.

Criteria 2: Ease of Use - Efficiency, Safety & Retention

The last thing your drivers want is another clunky device or software that they have to deal with while being on the road.

That’s why ease of use is a crucial component in picking a solution that will work for your fleet. We recommend picking a hands-free solution, which will allow your drivers to compliantly bypass weigh stations without taking their eyes off the road or their hands off the wheel.

Safety: Heads Up Notifications

Reduce dangerous last minute lane switches, prevent accidental scale avoidance, and be on alert when operating within high-risk areas.

Along with being hands free, the solution you pick should give you and/or your drivers ample time to switch lanes if necessary.

Last minute lane changes due to the lack of a good notification system can lead to dangerous driving behavior and ultimately, accidents.

As an example, Switchboard Bypass provides drivers audio and visual alerts both 2km and 1km away from the next weigh station.

Beyond the driver safety benefits of these notifications, smart notifications will also prevent accidental scale avoidance, which can negatively affect your carrier’s safety scores.

Depending on the provider, your drivers may also get safety notifications that will warn them of high-risk areas on the road. This should lower the risk of crashes, and as a result over time your carrier’s ISS score should improve which will enable more bypasses. If you’re not familiar with ISS scores, read up on them here.

Driver Retention
Save time from re-hiring and training and keep your drivers safe & satisfied.

Driver retention is an ongoing issue in the trucking industry, which sees an annual turnover of 90%, with 64.9% of drivers staying with a company for an average of just 90 days. By reducing your drivers’ main frustration, such as delays from weigh stations, you can improve your driver retention which leads to better efficiency in your operations.

Transponder-free solutions that allow drivers to stay on the mainline, due to their use of geofencing technology instead of a physical transponder-reader, alleviate the stress of reacting to these frustrations in real-time.

By the numbers – 65% of respondents to a Drivewyze Driver survey stated that they would be more likely to stay at a company with a weigh station bypass solution.

Criteria 3: Prepare for the future with technology and insights integrations

One system + multiple solutions leads to improved operations

Modern cloud based platforms are the future of trucking. Hardware is expensive to install, difficult to maintain, and even more costly to upgrade. It is important that your fleet picks a solution, beyond just Bypass, that can implement multiple software solutions with a single device.

The benefit of cloud based bypass technology is that carriers only invest in the base software once. If the fleet desires additional features and integrations, no extra hardware would be required. This comes in handy when fleet managers want to gain additional insight into their operations, such as driver efficiency and behavior. A good example is the Switchboard Cloud suite, which provides a breadth of time and money saving solutions, all from a single ELD system with no additional hardware installation required.

Compare leading services to discover the difference

We’ve covered a lot – the key takeaway is to focus on features that will improve fleet efficiency, safety, and driver satisfaction. This means that the best bypass technology offers:

1. Extended inspection site coverage
2. Ease of usefor driver with transponder-free integrations
3. Softwareinfrastructure that enables future connectivity.

It’s helpful to compare the leading technologies on the market in relation to a fleet’s specific needs.

The comparison chart above shows the differences between Switchboard Bypass and the well-known transponder based bypass solution, Prepass.

Staying informed on the industry’s most advanced technology is the first step to dramatically improving operations for everyone involved in your operations —from the fleet manager to the end customer.

Want to try Switchboard Bypass for free today? You can.

Switchboard has one goal, and it’s to make trucking easier with technology—for drivers, fleet managers, and law enforcement.

Switchboard has one goal, and it’s to make trucking easier with technology—for drivers, fleet managers, and law enforcement.

Carriers that use Switchboard Bypass have improved their cost and operational efficiencies, their safety scores, and their driver retention rates. Now it’s your turn.