E-Smart announced two carriers, Arnold Transportation Services and Navajo Express, reported a 100% reduction in bridge strikes using its low bridge collision prevention technology.

The E-Smart low bridge collision prevention system uses geofenced data on all bridges in North America and GPS to identify when a tractor is on a road with a bridge that is under 13 ft., 6 in.

When a vehicle is within 750 ft. of a low bridge, the system sends a voice alert to the driver through partner ELD providers, alerts the fleet manager and limits the throttle to idle, giving the driver the option to coast to a stop or divert off the road. If the driver continues to within 250 ft. of a low bridge, the throttle is disabled (brakes are not applied under any scenario).

Even if the bridge is at the bottom of a hill, E-Smart prevents drivers from using the throttle while driving close to the bridge, but the driver would need to apply the brakes to stop the truck, said Joe Thell, E-Smart’s senior vice-president, in a news release.

“The savings from eliminating bridge strikes by identifying low clearance bridges and providing real-time alerts to drivers are adding up quickly,” he added.

After experiencing bridge strikes costing about $6,000 each, Arnold Transportation reports it has had a 100% reduction in low bridge collisions since installing E-Smart across its entire fleet. 

According to the release, prior to using E-smart, Navajo Express experienced an average of six bridge strikes per year at an average cost of $18,277. In three years, the company has had a 100% reduction in low bridge collisions resulting in an overall savings of $328,986.