Weighing In: Exploring The Safety Benefits Of Digital Load Monitoring And Automated Scales

By Emily Newton, Revolutionized

Fleet management teams should take advantage of digital load monitoring and automated scales. Operations would be safer, compliance would be sharp, and employers would be more productive and content. Having the power to automate load accuracy is a burden cargo vehicles should not have to carry in the 21st century, so start experiencing the safety benefits of forward-thinking technologies.

Overload Prevention And Weight Distribution Optimization

Digital and automated scales provide real-time load monitoring. There are no delays and immediate notifications of cargo overloads. Digital load monitoring and remote weight kiosks integrate with apps and programs. Fleet managers remotely monitor the status of a shipment, ensuring constant oversight and overload prevention.

In 2022, over 80% of truck accidents in China happened because of overloaded trucks. The more overweight the cargo, the more likely incidents will harm other drivers.

Imagine a reliable way to keep your employees and innocent drivers safe while increasing the viability and quality of your operations. Logistics immediately becomes more streamlined and dependable. Because wireless vehicle recording systems and dynamic data exchanges allow collaborative oversight, every citizen along the route becomes countless times safer.

Additionally, you leave less room for human error. Everyone makes mistakes, but it should not cause a runaway truck or pileup on the interstate. Increase vehicle stability by having more appropriate weight distribution from the start. Getting this balance immediately ensures prompt deliverables because environmental stressors impact the load less.

Consider how high winds may cause a scare if you are uncertain if the weight and stacking are safe and accurate. Drivers have better brake control and handling no matter the condition, which makes everyone more secure physically and mentally. This happens by removing manual weight processing.

Prevention Of Rollovers And Incidents

Fleet managers want to do everything possible to prevent one of their vehicles from toppling. Rollovers harm others, affect business resilience, and destroy reputations. The beauty of smart truck scales is they help the truck stay safe and sound before and after it hits the road.

Smart digital load monitoring and automated scales leverage predictive maintenance and risk mitigation tools. This means drivers have more intimate knowledge of the inner workings and well-being of their fleet.

Another unexpected benefit is the structure of remote-operated scales is less likely to damage fleets than older models. It eliminates the need for on-site operators, removing another instance of potential human error.

Trucks also are better able to maneuver with scale lines because they are more accessible. For example, load cells notify drivers if scales are misaligned. Routine weigh-ins reduce the likelihood of a rollover from an unintentionally fractured part or an incident from a broken piece flying off the truck’s body.

Improved Driver Awareness And Training

Fleet managers have several tools on their side to improve safety, but what about drivers? Tons of built-in features in these operational programs enhance driver awareness and quality, even though it appears to be a simple scale. The related tools can provide metrics through inspection reports, like:

• Average speeds
• Fast accelerations
• Number of stops or breaks
• Braking habits
• GPS data
• Number of hard turns

The wide breadth of safety analytics, images, and video collected from these resources allows companies to develop comprehensive and unbiased training programs. You can display a diverse array of driving styles and best practices with authentic examples. Seeing training through this genuine perspective makes it more likely for workers to approach feedback more positively and improve their performance. Around 86% of fleet operators who incorporate these smart systems and scales see an ROI within one year in improved operations and safety.

Additionally, fleet managers now have proof of how to support their drivers’ growth potential. Before, training provided blanket critiques for all truckers, but everyone had strengths and weaknesses. They will learn how to better interact with their cargo and have more confidence at their weigh-ins. You have a better chance to heighten safety if you target training for each individual, wasting less time on what you think might be the concern and spending energy on the source.

Compliance With Safety Standards And Regulations

Fleet managers are in a constant frenzy over compliance and safety regulations. Digital load monitoring and automated scales boost standard adherence, preventing workers’ compensation claims and work meetings regarding colleague injuries.

They do this by allowing a constant, reliable flow of data. Collecting information about drivers is ideal for auditing. Stakeholders and third parties need accurate reporting to provide accreditation. Digital load monitoring with this feature embedded into its system enables you to curate, review, and hand over the numbers from your electronic logging device.

Reporting is one of the most time-consuming aspects of compliance, and showing regulators how digital transformation improves safety allows them to provide more valuable suggestions for greater preventive measures.

Having details is equally crucial for litigation. You are better equipped to defend yourself if subject to a court case on safety protocol because of objective in-cab and vehicle spec evidence. If there is an unfortunate incident, you have the tools to arrive at the scene of an incident faster, reducing injury severity.

The benefits of automated scales increase safety compliance in more ways than for workers. The added fuel efficiency of properly distributed cargo and expedited weighing processes improves the economy. It bolsters environmental safety by reducing the amount of damage fleets cause while using diesel. Environmental compliances like the EU Directive are becoming more commonplace, and fleet management must consider this to keep the planet safe along trailer routes.

Getting The Most Out Of Digital Load Monitoring

Cargo carriers have demanding, arduous schedules and a heavy load on their shoulders. It is time to alleviate some of the demand on them and the concern fleet managers have by incorporating digital load monitoring and automated scales.

Modern tech can lead to fewer accidents, fewer distribution concerns, higher compliance, and better driver awareness throughout the organization. Companies utilizing these resources have improved visibility and heightened safety, ensuring everyone involved goes home safely, no matter how much weight they pulled that day.

About The Author

Emily Newton is the Editor-in-Chief of Revolutionized. She regularly explores the impact technology has on the industrial sector.