Mile Marker 2026
The National Bypass Impact Index
Annual bypass insights for today’s fleets—and tomorrow’s advantage.
At PrePass, we believe progress starts with insight and innovation—and that the data behind safer, more efficient freight movement should be as connected and dependable as the fleets it supports.
We’re proud to introduce Mile Marker 2026, the first in a new annual series measuring the national impact of key fleet operational indicators, with insights to guide the future of fleet management.
This inaugural edition focuses on weigh station bypass, drawing from over 1.6 billion bypass events across 40 states1. Using verified state data, it quantifies how bypassing reduces fuel use and emissions, enables reinvestment in critical systems, and gives fleets something they’re always chasing—time. Time that can be turned into more revenue, more growth, and a greater competitive edge.
The report was made possible through the expertise and data provided by PrePass Safety Alliance, a non-profit public-private partnership governed by a board of state transportation and enforcement agencies alongside motor carrier industry leaders. PrePass Safety Alliance helps guide our mission, advancing safety, efficiency, and the public interest in commercial vehicle operations. With that vision as our foundation, PrePass delivers the technology solutions that help fleets save time and money while supporting smarter enforcement and stronger compliance.
With more than 30 years of leadership in freight innovation, we’ve done more than witness the industry evolve. We’ve helped drive its transformation. By connecting weigh station bypass, safety screening, toll management, and actionable data, we’ve developed integrated solutions that help fleets operate more efficiently.
The future of bypass is all about progress, and mobile is leading the way. By expanding access and removing hardware barriers, mobile technology creates more opportunities for fleets to keep moving. Combined with transponder-based screening in a hybrid approach, it delivers broader coverage and more flexibility while still supporting high-value, staffed sites where safety investments have the greatest impact.
To fully understand the scale of bypass benefits, a national perspective is critical. While states typically track outcomes independently, Mile Marker 2026 brings these datasets together, revealing opportunities that only emerge when we look at the bigger picture. By unifying years of regional data, we’ve created a national benchmark to inform smarter decisions, strengthen enforcement strategies, and demonstrate the value of effective public-private partnership.
Thank you to our state transportation agency partners, fleet customers, and industry collaborators who continue to drive our shared mission forward.
Drive safe,
PrePass & PrePass Safety Alliance Senior Leadership
STATE OF THE INDUSTRY
Why this national benchmark matters.
The landscape of fleet transportation is shifting. Fleets today are navigating a prolonged freight recession and a market shaped by uncertainty, tighter margins, and growing pressure to deliver consistent performance. While reliability, predictability, and adaptability have always defined high-performing carriers, effectively maintaining customer relationships has taken on a new urgency as the industry adapts.
At the same time, enforcement agencies face the familiar challenge of maintaining highway safety with limited resources. They can’t inspect every vehicle, and regulatory conditions continue to evolve—often more in interpretation and implementation, creating added uncertainty.
Fleets today are navigating a prolonged freight recession and a market shaped by uncertainty, tighter margins, and growing pressure to deliver consistent performance.
In this environment, even small efficiencies scale quickly, especially when multiplied across hundreds of inspection sites. That’s where weigh station bypass stands out. Not just as a convenience, but as a strategy for improving flow, reclaiming time, and using limited enforcement capacity more effectively.
Mile Marker 2026 quantifies that impact. By unifying authenticated bypass performance data from state agencies, it provides a national perspective on the factors influencing safety and efficiency. This broader view helps fleets, policy makers, and enforcement officials prioritize improvement, investment, and long-term planning.
Together, these insights reinforce how coordination between data, infrastructure, and strategy can turn small improvements into large-scale progress.
BYPASS BASICS
What bypass is (and isn’t).
Bypassing weigh stations is not a guarantee–it’s a privilege earned through strong safety records and consistent compliance. Pre-qualified vehicles can legally bypass inspection sites based on updated data.
Bypass doesn’t replace inspections.
Mandatory, random, and periodic checks still apply across jurisdictions.
Bypass eligibility is earned.
Determined by FMCSA safety data, including ISS score and inspection history.
High-risk carriers are still pulled in.
Vehicles with poor safety scores or violations are prioritized for inspection.
Bypass supports enforcement.
Enables focused inspections on high-risk vehicles, boosting safety and minimizing delays.
national impact highlights
The measurable
impact of bypass.
PrePass Safety Alliance established, and continues to expand, the infrastructure behind PrePass Bypass, North America’s most trusted weigh station bypass solution.
Being able to successfully bypass helps make highways safer for everyone. By allowing compliant fleets to bypass inspection sites, enforcement can focus on higher-risk vehicles—resulting in more targeted inspections, fewer delays, and a better use of resources.
When low-risk trucks keep moving, roads become more predictable, less congested, and ultimately safer. Not just for commercial drivers, but for passenger vehicles and first responders as well.
By improving efficiency and elevating safety, PrePass Bypass is helping shape a smarter and more sustainable transportation system for all.
Prepass Bypass
impact at scale
(1997 - Oct, 2025)
Bypasses completed, reducing delays and keeping fleets moving.1
Driver hours saved, or nearly 2M workweeks, returned to the industry.2
Gallons of fuel saved, or a year’s worth of gas for 3.8M passenger vehicles.3
In operational cost savings, or funding about 100K trucks for a full year.4
Metric tons of CO2e emissions avoided, or removing 225k passenger vehicles off the road for 1 year.5
Reinvested in weigh station infrastructure.1
IMPACT IN ACTION
Unlocking operational
and environmental gains.
Operational Impact
From this national analysis, we’ve created simple benchmarks that can help fleets understand the efficiency gains from their bypass activity. These provide a useful reference point for measuring progress and optimizing daily operations.
Per bypass savings (on average)
7 minutes
of drive time6
1/2 a gallon
of fuel7
$10.65
in operational costs8
How to estimate your fleet’s annual savings:
Apply your average number of weekly bypasses per truck to the equation below to estimate your annual savings. The tiers reflect common performance levels across national averages—most fleets experience between 3 and 10 bypasses per week, while fleets with strong Inspection Selection System (ISS) scores may see 20 or more bypasses weekly.9
To estimate savings across your entire fleet, multiply your per-truck annual results by your total number of trucks.
Hours saved/year =
(Weekly Bypasses x 52 x 7) ÷ 60
Fuel saved/year =
Weekly Bypasses x 52 x 0.5
Cost saved/year =
Weekly Bypasses x 52 x $10.65
Bypasses
per vehicle
each week
Hours saved
per year
Fuel saved
per year
$ saved
per year
3 per week
18 hours
78 gallons
$1,661
5 per week
30 hours
130 gallons
$2,769
7 per week
42 hours
182 gallons
$3,877
10 per week
61 hours
260 gallons
$5,538
Environmental Impact
Every bypass directly supports sustainability outcomes. Fleets can estimate avoided emissions using a simple equation to see how operations are helping reduce carbon output and fuel waste.
Per bypass savings (on average)
0.00088 metric tons of CO2e emissions avoided per bypass10
How to estimate your emissions savings:
Like with the operational saving benchmarks, you can take your average weekly bypasses per truck and use the following equation to estimate how much CO2 your fleet avoids each year.
Multiply your per-truck estimate
by your fleet size to see your total Annual C02e avoided = Weekly bypasses x 52 x 0.00088 annual emissions reduction potential.
Hours saved/year =
(Weekly Bypasses x 52 x 7) ÷ 60
Weekly Bypasses
CO2e avoided
3 per week
0.14 metric tons
5 per week
0.23 metric tons
7 per week
0.32 metric tons
10 per week
0.46 metric tons
LOOKING AHEAD
The evolving role of PrePass Bypass.
For decades, bypass programs were primarily seen as operational tools that helped safe, compliant fleets avoid unnecessary stops. Today, that mindset is shifting. Reducing friction, interruptions, and variability has become essential to building a more reliable and resilient freight network.
This evolution is evident in the growing adoption of mobile technology. Mobile-based bypass is opening new opportunities for both states and carriers, offering faster implementation, lower infrastructure costs, and expanded access to screening across a broader range of locations. For states, it’s a smart investment in new technology. For fleets, it means more consistent bypass and fewer delays, with no additional hardware required.
Looking ahead, PrePass Bypass will play an even greater role as the industry prioritizes stability over speed. The next era of transportation performance will depend on how consistently trucks can move, how precise networks can be planned, and how effectively disruptions can be minimized for everyone on the road.
Turning everyday insights into action.
PrePass is more than a bypass solution. It’s a trusted, data-driven foundation built on trust, technology, and transparency. Together, we’re not just keeping fleets moving, we’re shaping the future of highway safety and efficiency.
Every bypass strengthens enforcement and reduces driver downtime
Every investment supports safety and technological advancement
Every verified data point turns safety performance into measurable results
Enroll in PrePass and use the PrePass Mobile App to track both mobile and transponder activity, unlocking valuable savings and measurable sustainability benefits.
Use bypass data to reduce low-risk congestion and prioritize high-risk inspections.
CONTACT US
Have questions
or ready to get started?
Whether you’re looking to enroll, explore fleet solutions, or learn more about how PrePass can help improve your fleet’s safety and efficiency goals, our support team is here to help.
Get started at:
1-800-PREPASS (1-800-773-7277)
or email at [email protected]
Sources
1 Data on 1.6 billion bypass events across 40 states was provided by the PrePass Safety Alliance. Figures are based on authenticated records collected through the PrePass system and verified by participating state agencies.
2 PrePass Safety Alliance; Calculation assumes 70-hour weekly driver limit per FMCSA regulations (135,319,941 ÷ 70 = 1,933,142).
3 PrePass Safety Alliance; vehicle equivalency based on U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimate that average passenger vehicle uses about 150 gallons of gasoline annually (579,944,286 ÷ 150 = 3,866,295).
4 PrePass Safety Alliance; truck equivalency based on American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) estimate that the average annual operational cost per truck is approximately $125,000 ($12,352,813,292 ÷ $125,000 = 98,822 trucks).
5 PrePass Safety Alliance; vehicle equivalency based on U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimate that one passenger vehicle emits about 4.6metric tons of CO2e annually (1,024,157 ÷ 4.6 = 222,642 vehicles).
6 PrePass Safety Alliance operational analysis based on average delay times at weigh stations and inspection sites.
7 PrePass Safety Alliance analysis informed by fleet fuel consumption studies and weigh station activity modeling.
8 PrePass Safety Alliance analysis based on cost-per-mile data from the American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) and industry averages.
9 PrePass internal data analysis based on transponder and mobile bypass activity across enrolled carriers.
10 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); Greenhouse Gases Equivalencies Calculator – Calculations and References. 1 gallon of gasoline burned = 0.000889 metric tons of CO2e or 0.9 kg of CO2e.