Owner-operator bypasses weigh stations and pays tolls with one device.
Straight trucks expeditors
INDUSTRY
2-person
team
team
COMPANY SIZE
St. Louis, Missouri
LOCATION
Since 2024
CUSTOMER
Sometimes, you can have a problem without even realizing it. Such was the case for owner-operators Bob and Linda Caffee, a straight-truck team working with one of the nation’s largest trucking companies, covering an average of 120,000 miles per year.
For the Caffees, weigh station bypass and toll services are essential for meeting tight deadlines. However, managing five separate transponders and invoices each month became cumbersome.
Between loads, though, an encounter by Linda with a PrePass representative at a trucking trade show led to a conversation. That’s where Linda learned about PrePass Plus, which combines weigh station bypassing and electronic toll payment services into a single transponder.
After doing a little more research, she and Bob were sold on PrePass Plus. Now instead of having five transponders on their windshield, they just have one.
“It’s been great…instead of having to slow down at toll booths and weigh stations, which is something I really don’t like, and having to pick up speed again,” Linda says. “It keeps us on track a lot easier, while also saving on fuel costs.”
“It keeps us on track a lot easier, while also saving on fuel costs.”
Bob agreed, saying having PrePass Plus allows them to keep right on going at road speeds or at a reduced speed at toll booths (never having to stop at toll facilities), saving them time and money. Plus, they are now able to use electronic toll payments in more places compared to using multiple service providers, such as E-ZPass and others.
But the couple is getting benefits beyond simply having one transponder. Now, they have access to information that improves their efficiency.
Because the Caffees’ three-axle truck has a lift axle, the PrePass analytics allow them to track if they were properly charged for tolls, especially when the lift axle is not in use.
“I like all of the reports and analytics that I’ve never had access
to before. They tell me how many times we get a red light [to
stop off at a weigh station] and how many times we’ve gotten
a green light [giving them a bypass],” Linda says.
According to Bob, having this information gives him and Linda “power.” For instance, when they receive a red light on their transponder telling them to pull into a weigh station, they can later look back at the analytics to tell them why they were pulled in. In their case, it’s usually random, both say, because their carrier has a good Inspection Selection Score (ISS), which is used to determine which trucks can bypass weigh stations.
The analytics also provide the couple with information so they
can track their spending on tolls, including where they receive
discounts for being a PrePass customer. And because the
Caffees’ three-axle truck has a lift axle, the PrePass analytics
allow them to track if they were properly charged for tolls,
especially when the lift axle is not in use.
Having ElitePass also means the Caffees receive just one invoice for their toll charges each month, rather than from multiple toll agencies. And if they ever do have a dispute, having ElitePass means they have to make only one call to PrePass to get it resolved. That’s much better than having to figure out which agency they need to talk to – which can become even more complex with the many different states involved in the E-ZPass network.
The bottom line, according to Bob and Linda, is that having PrePass is a “win-win.” And, because PrePass offers weigh station bypassing and electronic toll payments — allowing them to breeze through weigh stations and toll facilities – plus one-of-a-kind analytics, trucking life for them has fewer problems.
PREPASS SERVICES
- Weigh Station Bypass
- Mobile App
BUSINESS NEED
Having weigh station bypass and electronic toll payment transponders from five different providers was cumbersome, while not providing the needed geographic coverage.
BUSINESS SOLUTION
PrePass Plus combines
weigh station bypassing
with electronic toll payment
services using just one
transponder, covering
more
of the country than with
multiple transponders.
BUSINESS RESULTS
Bob and Linda spend less
time at weigh stations
and
toll booths. They have
more time to drive, while
benefiting from toll discounts
they never
had before.
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