Dubbed Route Control, it has been designed to reduce any need for route deviations and hence minimise the impact of LLCS and major public events on routing and scheduling, says Paragon support director Phil Ingham, who adds that it also reduces the risk of penalty fines.
Compliance with the LLCS can add many miles to journeys, with the FTA (Freight Transport Association) estimating its annual cost to the transport industry at £30 million.
“When a driver deviates from the prescribed route, fleet monitoring systems flag that journey as an exception, and the transport office has to manually check if it should be recorded as a breach or not,” explains Ingham.
“Now, with Paragon Route Control, our customers can create rules that apply approved route deviations at specific times of the day, week or month by truck type – reducing the number of manual interventions required by the transport planner.”
And he explains that the system also prioritises safest routes over quickest route – for instance avoiding roads around schools during child drop-off and pick up times.
Events can also trigger exceptions, such as sports fixtures or concerts, the Notting Hill Carnival or Wimbledon Tennis Championships, and one-offs like the Rugby World Cup or a Royal wedding.