The Colorado State Patrol has implemented a system that sends automatic safety alerts to drivers’ Electronic Logging Devices (ELDs) in hazardous mountain areas. According to 9 News, CSP’s Motor Carrier Safety Section is the first in the U.S. to establish virtual geofences along Colorado roads. These geofences automatically send warnings directly to truckers’ ELDs, but only for those who opt-in. The alerts include messages like “slow down,” “shift gears,” or “sharp curves ahead.” The system is already active at the Eisenhower Tunnel, with over 16,000 alerts sent so far.
“We’re able to geofence,” Captain John Hahn with CSP said. “We’re able to pick the locations where we’d like that messaging to ping the truck. We can choose any location along our highway system so that when that truck drives through that geofence, through that electronic gate, that message will pop up in front of them.”
“We’ve seen about a 4.3 mph reduction in speed for those trucks that are going westbound that hit that geofence [at the Eisenhower Tunnel] and get that message.”
While the Colorado State Patrol believes the alerts are already effective, they are concerned about smaller trucking companies that have not opted in to receive the messages.
“We’re trying to reach those drivers that don’t get an opportunity to drive in Colorado’s mountains,” Hahn said. “It really is a matter of us trying to find everything that we can do to try and keep people safe.”
