New technology could streamline Ontario's highway inspection stations

Ontario is introducingnew technology at provincial truck inspection stations in an effort to save time, money and fuel for the Ministry of Transportation (MTO) and commercial carriers.

Two announcements were made in London, Ont. Thursday that will utilize technology for drivers and inspection stations.

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A pre-clearance system that is currently in use in Alberta will be available to drivers and carriers to screen for high-risk vehicles. Drivewyze isa mobile application that communicates with MTO officers as a vehicle approaches an inspection station, allowing them to cross reference their records to determine if the vehicle requires inspection.

Trucks with a good safety record will receive an alert on their mobile device that it is okay to bypass the inspection.

"That saves fuel by the truck being able to maintain the same speed. It also keeps the timeline for a truck driver to make their on-time delivery, maintaining proper speeds and safety on the roads," said MPP Jeff Yurek, Minister of Transportation.

The app-based technology is available at no cost to the province.

The ProvincialGovernment also announced a pilot project that could increase inspection efficiency. Pre-screening technology is going to be piloted at four Ontario inspection stations this summer that will screen vehicles for tire and wheel defects, brake failures and over-weight loads.

"It uses thermal imagingthat can check on wear-and-tear oftires and breaks. It also detects the tires and gives a pretty accurate description of the weight of the truck," said Yurek. "It does a lot of the pre-work for the inspector, so they can do their work quicker."

Yurek says the scan is automatically completed as the vehicle enters the inspection station. Stations inVineland, Putnam South, Whitby/Oshawa and Lancaster will be the first to test drive the technology.

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"This technology investment is going to make roads safer by helping better focus enforcement resources on the small percentage of those in our industry who need it, and at the same time, eliminating red tape issues for the vast majority of drivers and trucking fleets who make road safety a priority each and every day," said StephenLaskowski, president of the Ontario Trucking Association in a statement.

Ontario says they've recently proposed changes to the Highway Traffic Act that would allow commercial truck drivers to use an electronic cab card, which would reduce paperwork. They say the measures are part of their Open for Business Action Plan to reduce regulatory red tabeby 25 per cent.