Truckload carrier Schneider National Inc. is equipping its entire company fleet with PrePassPlus pre-clearance transponders for use at weigh stations and toll plazas. Schneider began installing the transponders in mid-May, with fleetwide implementation scheduled to be complete by fall of 2005.
“Schneider National is 100% committed to driver satisfaction and eliminating down time,” said Wayne Lubner, vice president of driver and contractor relations at Schneider National. “The use of PrePassPlus will benefit company drivers and independent contractors and is one component of a series of improvements Schneider National has implemented to improve the quality of life for drivers.”
The PrePass service makes it possible for participating motor carriers to comply electronically with state weight, safety and credential requirements at weigh stations and ports of entry while traveling at highway speeds. The “Plus” in PrePassPlus blends all of the benefits of weigh station bypassing with the electronic payment of tolls within the E-ZPass network. PrePassPlus enables uninterrupted travel and operational efficiencies for trucks at several hundred weigh stations and toll plazas throughout the United States, using one transponder and one consolidated account.
The PrePassPlus services are operational at weigh stations and/or toll plazas in 31 states, including: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming.
Fourteen-year Schneider veteran Jack Russell has been using PrePass since May and estimates he is saving five to 10 hours a week on his Dedicated runs throughout the Midwest. “PrePass allows me to get to my clients a little earlier and has resulted in less frustration from waiting in line at a toll booth or scale,” Russell said. “A little thing like this goes a long way in improving driver attitude.”
More than 325,000 vehicles have enrolled in PrePass, bypassing 252 weigh stations, ports of entry and agricultural interdiction facilities in 24 states as well as hundreds of toll facilities throughout the E-ZPass network.
