When moving dangerous goods, extra precautions must be taken by transport carriers to lower the risk of accidents that could result in injury, death and property damage. This type of transportation is subject to special regulations that ensure safety and minimize risks to the public and the environment. The Transportation of Dangerous Goods (TDG) Act, 1992, for example, provides for a system of fines for anyone transporting dangerous goods.
Challenges of ensuring TDG compliance
There are many challenges to ensuring the compliance of the transport of dangerous goods. For trucking companies, challenges to TDG compliance include driver shortages, impatient customers and backyard logistics. When you consider that a truck may have to display as many as 12 TDG placards depending on the goods being transported, you can imagine how quickly an error can occur.
In 2018, more than 5,500 transport shipments containing hazardous materials were intercepted and checked by roadside inspectors. Following these checks, 921 citations were issued for a violation related to the transportation of hazardous materials according to Transport Routier, Quebec’s trucking association.
The most common violations are related to securement, driver training and certification, shipping documents and hazard placards.
Since a violation can result in serious consequences for the transportation company and the driver, good processes should be in place to ensure TDG compliance.
Automatic compliance validation before the truck leaves
One way to do this is through the use of technology to validate the various compliance elements before the truck leaves.
How?
First, the dispatcher must be able to identify the request for transport of dangerous goods and the driver who will be assigned to it, within the system.
Once the truck is ready to go, simply use the existing or newly installed cameras and computer vision to detect the placards. Then, have the system verify those plates with the information entered into the system by the dispatcher.
Nuvoola has developed an artificial intelligence algorithm that can recognize a truck and capture relevant information, whether it is stopped or moving.
Information such as TDG placards, license plates and identification numbers of trucks, trailers and containers can be captured in real-time and centralized in a LUKE AI management system. It’s then easy for Nuvoola to validate that the right plates are in the right place before the truck leaves the yard. In case of a problem, notifications can be sent to alert the relevant employees before the truck leaves.
What’s more, Nuvoola’s self-service kiosks can be used by the driver to validate their training certificate and any TDG-related documentation through automated document processing. The information is captured by the kiosk and verified according to what’s been entered into the system by the dispatcher. If everything is in order, the truck can leave. If there is a problem, the company and the driver will have a chance to address the issue before the truck leaves.
By doing a final validation point at the gate, truckers can better ensure compliance and have peace of mind knowing that the risk of fines and penalties is greatly reduced.
In addition, using technology like Nuvoola’s provides many other benefits:
· Having a detailed record of entries and exits through information captured by cameras at the gate
· Automating site access and interaction with drivers
· Reducing time spent identifying drivers and goods
· Improving security
· Reducing security guard costs
· Automating tasks and inventory management.
For more information, read this article on https://nuvoola.com/2022/06/13/technologies-to-reduce-pressure-on-the-workforce/
To learn more, contact us at 1 800-820-0112 or by email at info@nuvoola.com
