Strategy #46
Commercial Vehicle Communications

Improve communication between and among government emergency response and transportation communication centers, commercial vehicle dispatch centers, and private transportation information services providers to encourage the exchange and mutual benefit of transportation information.

Background

With the explosion of communications options, many commercial vehicles have sophisticated long-distance communication systems along with satellite-based systems for location determination. Many drivers and companies are also willing to participate in focused public/private partnerships.

Actions

• Form partnerships with commercial vehicle firms to improve the reporting of highway collisions and other incidents with specific location information. 
• Automate the dissemination process and establish contacts at major commercial dispatch centers to receive information about highway conditions. 
• Ensure that private service providers have updated law enforcement contact information to ensure that alerts about cargo thefts, hijackings, and stolen vehicles are directed to the appropriate agency.

Benefits

• Reduce incident notification time. 
• Reduce incident response time. 
• Improve the security of commercial vehicle operations.

Other Considerations

• Cost of the technology. 
• Increased skills, expertise and training for personnel to support and operate. 
• Accuracy and reliability of technology. 
• Potential increase in support staff requirements, which may cause a reduction in existing personnel levels. 
• Inter-connectivity with other systems and privacy issues of shared systems.

• Continue to Strategy #47

• Return to Technology Strategies