Winter can bring vast amounts of snowfall to much of the US and Canada. Having efficient snowplow operations in place is vital to keeping roads, driveways, and parking lots safe and operational during this treacherous time of year. This does, however, create considerable challenges for municipalities from a logistical and financial perspective.
Here’s how snowplow tracking can make your fleet more efficient and specific tools used by both public and private fleets.
What is Snowplow GPS Tracking?
Simply put, it’s a technology that uses GPS to track and efficiently manage winter maintenance fleets. Snowplow GPS tracking solutions allow you to watch equipment in real time, offering live updates on plowing status. You can use it to monitor the movement of equipment to see the current location, what routes have been taken, and specific plowing events that have taken place. You can also break down fleet activity by area and time to quickly see the status of a particular location.
Innovative snowplow tracking solutions like Titan GPS also come with cutting-edge features that can take fleet efficiency to a new level. Materials usage reporting, for example, lets you know the volume of materials like sand, salt, and anti-ice that have been used and where. Driver management lets you keep an eye on the drivers in your fleet and manage their contact details, certifications, and behaviour. And advanced analytics provide you with detailed reporting for in-depth insights, patterns, and trends. That way, you can continually refine your snowplow operations for maximum efficiency.
Beyond that, GPS Snowplow Tracking by Titan GPS includes a public link that allows the public to track plowing progress, further improving route clearing and minimizing frustration for people wondering when their area will be serviced.
Why is Snowplow GPS Tracking Important?
As we mentioned earlier, snowfall is common throughout much of the US and Canada. “Over 70% of US roads are located in snowy regions, which receive more than five inches (or 13 cm) average snowfall annually,” explains The US Department of Transportation (DOT). And “nearly 70% of the US population lives in these snowy regions.”
As for Canada, it’s one of the most extreme subarctic countries on the planet, with 65% of its landmass being snow-covered more than six months out of the year.
Effectively clearing snow and ice is essential for two main reasons — safety and budget. 24% of weather-related accidents happen on snowy, icy, or slushy pavement, and 15% occur during snowfall or sleet. Fleets must be able to swiftly react whenever winter weather hits and manage equipment in real time. Snowplow GPS tracking allows them to promptly remove snow and ice to ensure safe conditions.
When it comes to budget, winter road maintenance can eat up a lot of it. Roughly 20% of state DOT maintenance costs in the US go toward this, and $2.3 billion USD is spent on snow and ice control operations each year. Without a means of keeping operations efficient, fleets can quickly end up paying more than they should. However, snowplow fleet tracking can help increase safety and lower control costs.
Take, for instance, Labrador City in eastern Canada. They receive heavy snowfall for seven months out of the year. To streamline the removal of snow and ice in their city, Labrador City public works suggested that their local contractor — the one responsible for having equipment ready when snow accumulation hits 2 cm — use GPS Snow Tracking. They aimed to accurately pinpoint where the contractor’s equipment was at while clearing snow and identify which exact streets had been cleared and when.
After installing the hardware on their equipment, public works effectively monitored snow-clearing events in real time and maintained an accurate snow-clearing history over critical periods. This led them to use the system extensively and has been a game-changer in improving their winter road maintenance and reducing expenses.
Now that we know what snowplow GPS tracking is and why it’s important let’s look at some of the key benefits of this technology.
Optimize Snowplow Routes
Efficiency is vital when clearing snow and ice. Haphazardly clearing roads with no clear game plan will reduce the impact and prolong how long it takes to get a situation under control. However, with snowplow fleet tracking, you can organize your crew and direct them to follow the optimal routes. In turn, they can navigate their routes more efficiently and get more work done in less time.
Implementing Preventative Vehicle Maintenance
Snowplow equipment takes a lot of abuse, and wear and tear can add up quickly. So without proper maintenance, it’s easy to wind up in a situation where key equipment is out of commission and requires major repairs. Not only is unscheduled downtime inconvenient and detrimental to productivity, but it’s also costly — both of which hurt your bottom line.
But with snowplow tracking, you can continuously monitor the condition of your equipment and effortlessly schedule servicing and maintenance. This ensures you’re always on top of maintenance, which helps keep your fleet healthy and saves money.
Monitor Driver Behaviour
Just like with managing any other type of fleet vehicle, you want to keep a close eye on snowplow drivers to see what their status is, how much progress they’ve made, and that they’re operating equipment safely. And with snowplow tracking, you can do all three. You’re always in the know, from visually replaying movement on the routes drivers have taken to seeing current coordinates to being alerted on safety issues. So, if, for example, a driver is speeding, you could quickly identify it and provide an educational opportunity. That way, you can make adjustments when necessary and relay information to help your fleet operate at its best.
This brings us to our final benefit.
Ensure Transparency and Communication
At the end of the day, snowplow tracking gives you a bird’s-eye view over your fleet and a level of communication that simply wasn’t possible in the past. By knowing where each driver is in real-time and the route they’ve taken, you always have a clear vantage point of your progress and what steps should be taken to get your fleet where it needs to be.
As for communication, this technology allows you to coordinate your drivers to take the optimal routes to expedite snow removal and allow for safe passage. And when customers make inquiries like how long it will be until a snowplow arrives at their location, you can respond confidently with your ETA and provide accurate information. Also, note that tools like Titan GPS also feature a public link where the public can conveniently see plowing progress, which informs them while reducing your need for customer service.
How We Help Vehicle Fleets Improve Their Productivity and Efficiency
At Titan GPS, we’re highly experienced at helping snowplow and public works vehicle fleets. Our advanced solutions are trusted by some of the largest winter snow fleet operators in both the US and Canada. From location verification and roads serviced to material usage monitoring and driver management, our snowplow tracking systems can significantly improve your fleet’s productivity and efficiency.
Want to know more? Talk to an expert and discover the best-fit fleet management solution for your snowplow operations.
