Save Time And Money With The Prepass System

There are weigh in stations called ports at many locations where trucks have to pull in by law. The amount of time it takes to complete the process depends on how many trucks are in front of you and what they plan to do. Trucks can randomly be pulled aside to be inspected, and this can quickly eat away at the amount of time you have left to get your delivery to its destination.

An innovative way to get around this hassle is to enroll in the Prepass program. This will allow you to save time, fuel, and money. With the Prepass program you have a monitor in your cab that is read by the port. The information for their truck is recorded electronically so the driver is not required to pull into the station.

The electronic signal in the cab is activated approximately one mile before the semi truck approaches the exit for the port. The information about the truck and the weight of the truck and the load are sent to the terminal. Once this has all been processed the driver will get a green light in their cab and they can proceed.

If for some reason the information can’t be read or there is a problem with the information the driver will get a red light, and they have to stop. There are also some types of loads that have to stop regardless of the Prepass process being in place. These specifications vary by state so make sure you are aware of them if you driver over the road. For example some states require all oversized loads to stop at the port and others require all trucks hauling hazardous materials to stop.

Not everyone is eligible to get a Prepass authorization though. Each individual has to be carefully reviewed based on their length of time with a CDL, their driving record, and even the overall record of the carrier that the individual is employed for even if they are an owner operator. Prepass has the right to revoke authorization at any time when they are conducting reviews. This means if any of your credentials that earned you approval have changed you may no longer be eligible to use the service.

A Prepass transmitter and program only costs $15.49 per month, and it can be paid monthly or annually by mail or online. It is very convenient to purchase and most truck drivers will tell you that the amount of time and fuel they save each month is much more than what they pay for the Prepass.

Most employers who have fleets of trucks will even cover the cost as it adds up to big savings for them as well. Owner operators will have to pay the charge on their own, but it is an eligible deduction for income tax purposes.

There are currently more than 415,000 semi trucks in the United States using the Prepass option. There is no cost for the transponder that goes into the cab of the truck. It is very easy to place the transponder on the windshield of the truck without damaging it in any way. There is also no lengthy contract that has to be signed. The customer can cancel their Prepass agreement at any time and simply return the equipment and pay their outstanding bill in full.

If you are interested in signing up for the Prepass program you can contact them for an application to be mailed to you. They also have one online that you can submit electronically. As soon as they can verify all of the information on the application and get your account approved you will be sent the transponder and instructions for installing it. If your application is denied you will be notified of the reason why by mail as soon as the decision has been made.