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In current times, many drivers believe that Global Positioning System technology has reached a point where it no longer presents notable challenges. If a person opens a software application, they enter a location and assume the provided path is the most efficient choice. To many, the system is quick and provides enough accuracy to create a sense of reliability.
But “accurate enough” is where the difficulties start.
Because the technology is designed for standard travel, it lacks the capability to manage all physical environments. And in specific cases, particularly within the freight transport and supply chain sectors, those boundaries are more than a minor trouble. They are capable of being costly, full of hazards, and at times unsafe.
It’s Not Built for Everything
The majority of apps for navigation operate on one set of assumptions about their users: the typical automobile passenger driver. That baseline assumption impacts everything from the calculation of routes to the types of data that are considered important enough to be included.
For someone driving a personal automobile, the calculation is simple – get from point A to point B in as short a time as possible while avoiding congestion. The standard automobile driver does not take height, weight, road restrictions, and legal routing into account.
For a driver of a large truck, the calculation will be very different, and the driver has to factor in the truck’s height and weight, and how those affect the chances of making it across a bridge, and whether a road can be accessed legally by their truck.
Thus, when an app presents a driver with what looks to be an efficient and error-free route, it may still take them directly into an area that cannot be traveled by that driver’s vehicle.
The Numbers Tell a Bigger Story
There are many cases of bridge strikes across the country. When drivers are directed to go under a bridge or another structure, they may not know there is a height restriction on that route. This makes it difficult to come up with an accurate way to set up standards and policies for the roadways that will give everyone the same understanding of their limitations.
You will not want to make a completely unsafe decision and use GPS as your guide before navigating through bridges and tunnels that may have clearance limitations, because it can cause surface damage to a vehicle, cause damage to cargo, have an impact on traffic flow, and affect a company’s financial well-being.
Even if there is no accident and no damage, just a delay in delivery can cause weeks of lost revenue to a company. Therefore, it is essential for businesses that rely on tight delivery schedules to develop a “chain reaction” of missed deliveries and/or increased costs.
The Data Behind GPS Has Its Own Limits
While navigation systems do improve over time, they always have an accuracy limitation – they exist as products of the data used to create them. The U.S. has several national databases that provide accurate measurement data related to roadways and support infrastructure. However, there are still a number of data issues.
Many of the registry entries for these databases exist in old data formats (e.g., paper) or are estimations (e.g., SNAP’s estimates), so the registry does not appropriately represent the bridge and roadway status.
Similar to roadside obstructions, not all possible roadside obstructions exist (e.g., temporary construction, private property), so it isn’t as simple as just observing and ignoring a potential obstacle with GPS.
As outlined here, the problem is not solely that GPS doesn’t provide information about all potential obstacles. In many cases, GPS doesn’t contain any information about a potential obstacle to begin with.
The “Best Route” Can Be the Wrong One
Many people have the wrong idea about GPS, thinking that the recommended route will always be the right one.
However, it is only an idea of the fastest way to get there using limited information about the route.
This difference is important. In some cases, a route that saves several minutes on paper may take you through streets that are too narrow to accommodate a large truck or are not designed for large vehicles at all, and therefore could create an inconvenience for the everyday driver, while the truck driver may find it very difficult to navigate and have no easy way out.
Efficiency in the logistics business should be about preventing problems as opposed to trying to save minutes on your journey. Ultimately, taking a route that appears to be faster but has risks associated with it can create more cost to your business than simply taking the longer route.
Even if GPS data were precise, it can’t keep up with actual traffic conditions.
Roads are constantly being maintained, modified, or improved. Temporary closures or restrictions show and go. New construction projects create diversion routes.
There is no one source that provides this type of information to all navigation companies in real-time. Therefore, there will be an endless amount of time, distance, etc. that separates what we see on our GPS and what we actually encounter while driving on that road.
This gap can be as short as a few feet or as long as 100’s of miles, so you could experience a 5-10 minute delay by taking a negligent detour due to inaccurate GPS data.
The Cost of Getting It Wrong Adds Up Quickly
When navigation fails, it’s rarely just one event that causes the problems. A single error can cause a chain reaction of problems that compound on each other, especially in the commercial truck industry.
In addition, a route you see as “correct” on the planning screen could be a series of costs added together, including (but not limited to) the following:
- Increased mileage and fuel usage
One instance of being sent back from a route should add dozens of additional miles. In trucking, that’s not insignificant, especially when you consider how poorly trucks get fuel mileage (typically between 6-8 MPG). Over time, this will add up (due to several factors) to have a significant impact on increased fuel costs, particularly if you’re losing margins as a carrier.
- Lost transit time or delivery opportunities
Usually, the factor that is more important than the distance traveled is the time it takes to get there. Delays from an incorrect route can lead to missed delivery appointments or cause rescheduling problems with pickup or delivery appointments, which creates penalties with either shippers or receivers. Typically, when one delivery is late, it affects all downstream and usually affects multiple parties.
- Driver distraction and decreased efficiency
Being on roads that aren’t intended for commercial trucks, not having any way to turn around, and/or being stopped due to unknown restrictions creates additional mental strain. With time, all of these distractions result in a driver who isn’t focused on driving, has a harder time deciding, and ultimately harms their driving ability.
- Fines & compliance violations
If you drive your truck on a restricted road (weight limits, etc.) when prohibited, you may incur penalties as well as possible non-compliance violations. A lot of drivers and fleet owners check to see if their route is legal by using sources such as Trucker Guide before making costly navigation errors.
A More Realistic Way to Use GPS
GPS provides us with enormous value while on the road. The important thing to understand about it is how it can help you and when it may not be the most helpful choice for you.
Experienced drivers don’t just use GPS as an answer to the problem. They consider it one of many ways to find their way. They remain alert to potential hazards (especially in unfamiliar places) and will verify or supplement their own navigation if there is a question about their route.
One way some drivers verify their route is to check the bridge heights map. This way, they reduce the chance of hitting a bridge that is too low for their vehicle. To be more successful with using GPS, it is important to use it in conjunction with your knowledge of its limitations.
Because in the end, the biggest risks on the road are not always the ones you can see. Sometimes, they are the ones your navigation never shows you at all.
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