How important is it for fleets to update their mapping software? Consider the 117,000 new road restrictions put in place in North America just in the last year. Those changes affect weight allowances, one-way routes, hazmat lanes, bridges and, perhaps most importantly, tolls. With nearly 70,000 unique toll points on bridges and highways, factoring in toll costs is an important aspect of managing operating costs.

MILTON, Ont. — One hundred and seventeen thousand. That’s how many new road restrictions have been put in place across North America in the past year.

We’re talking, among other things, new weight allowances, changes to one-way routes and permitted hazmat lanes. And left turn lanes. And bridges.

There’s 12,500 new weight allowances alone.

And if you don’t plan for them, they’ll cost you money. That’s the message from Paul White, the Integration Partner Manager with ALK Technologies, the high-tech brains behind PC Miler.

White was addressing a TransCore Link Logistics users conference, suggesting that the fleet owners in attendance update their mapping software, when he produced those astounding figures.

His point was that fleets owe it to themselves to remain up to speed on routing changes because of the deep impact not knowing can have on your costs of operations. And it’s only going to be more important, as the popularity of toll roads and bridges takes its, well, toll.

“Governments are seeing tolls as a cash cow,” he told the audience. “Sooner or later, it’s just going to be a case of having your wallets out as you drive.”

In the U.S., he said, there are about 68,000 unique toll points on various bridges or highways. Managing tolls, he said, has become an integral part of determining your operating costs.

[source - todaystrucking.com]