Saskatchewan trucking company to provide road condition updates
SASKATOON, Sask. — A Saskatchewan trucking company has partnered with the province to deliver timely road condition updates for truckers and other motorists.
Saskatchewan’s Highway Hotline will begin providing road condition updates for truckers that come straight from truckers themselves.
As part of a pilot project, Saskatoon-based Ridsdale Transport will provide the Ministry of Highways and Infrastructure with road condition information on 12 routes between 8 p.m. and 8 a.m. Conditions will be reported on Hwy. 1 between Swift Current and the Manitoba border, Hwy. 6 between Regina and Melfort, Hwy. 10 between Regina and Yorkton, Hwy. 11 between Regina and Saskatoon, Hwy. 16 between Saskatoon and Lloydminster, and Hwy. 41 between Saskatoon and Melfort.
“We’re excited to have this new pilot project up and running with a Saskatchewan trucking firm that is dedicated to providing valuable information to Highway Hotline users,” Highways and Infrastructure Minister Jim Reiter said. “It’s a new way to enhance service and provide better information for all motorists.”
Ridsdale drivers will call in road conditions to their dispatcher when they’re at a terminal, switch point or other stop along their route. The dispatcher will then send out a report to the Highway Hotline office, which is manned 24/7 in the winter. The report will then be displayed at http://hotline.gov.sk.ca/textreport.html.
“Our drivers and our company are on board with this project because it’s simple, it makes sense, and provides an important public service to our fellow motorists,” Ridsdale Transport director of operations Wayne Kowalyshyn said.
“The Saskatchewan Trucking Association (STA) is very supportive of any initiative to make our highways safer,” STA Executive Director Al Rosseker added. “We are pleased Ridsdale Transport and the Ministry of Highways and Infrastructure were able to come together to make it happen.”
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Or do like we do for BC and AB, have twitter accounts and post there. What Ridsdale is doing is ok, but very limited, which means it has a very limited use. There are a bunch of us professional drivers, constantly posting to twitter on any routes we are on. Follow @DriveBC and @AMARoadReports for BC and AB. I would like to see SK abd MB start doing as BC and AB already do.
What a novel idea. Road reports from people who are actually on the road? What’s next? Book reports from readers? Seriously, why did it take so long to figure this out?