Truck Firms Slow to Accept Electonic Clearance Systems

Three organizations provide electronic systems that enable trucks equipped with transponders to zip past ports of entry and weigh stations in 30 states without stopping, yet the service has been embraced by only a small portion of the nation’s interstate truckers.

The advantage of being precleared — the state is satisfied that the truck’s owner is a safe operator whose credentials and tax and fee payments are up to date — is that the driver gets the green light to roll right by the lines backing up at the scales.

Yet after two decades of development and nearly a decade of systems operation, no more than 5% of interstate trucks are signed up for preclearance. The networks themselves — PrePass, Norpass and Green Light – are hardly compatible, let alone universal. Each has its own dedicated transponder, which transmits the truck’s data to the weigh station’s computer, and sets of rules.

For the full story, see the May 13 print edition of Transport Topics. Subscribe today.