IT AND HEAVY VEHICLES: INTERNATIONAL TRENDS
Peter Sweatman
IFRTT
ABSTRACT
There has been a rapid proliferation of information technology and intelligent transport systems and products
available for the road freight transportation industry. Many of these systems may be broadly described as
telematics.
The technologies available have implications in three key aspects of freight transport operations:
• Monitoring of vehicle system status, such as engine, brakes etc.
• Monitoring of the operation or use of the vehicle and compliance with rules and regulations, especially in
relation to safety (eg speed, hours of service, route compliance, etc.)
• Supporting electronic business transactions, key performance indicators, etc.
• This presentation will review current IT applications and consider future opportunities
This will include:
• Route compliance for vehicles permitted under Performance Based Standards (PBS)
• Intelligent vehicle access
• Incident reports
• Fleet management and logistics
The use of IT in freight vehicle applications is in its formative stages. While the mainstream applications are
yet to emerge, there is much potential for improving the flexibility, efficiency and safety of road freight
operations.
Proceedings 8th International Symposium on Heavy Vehicle Weights and Dimensions
‘Loads, Roads and the Information Highway’
Proceedings Produced by: Document Transformation Technologies
14th - 18th March, Johannesburg, South Africa
ISBN Number: 1-920-01730-5
Conference Organised by: Conference Planners