Comparing Weigh Station Bypass Solutions: Drivewyze PreClear and PrePass

You’ve done your research and you’ve reached the same conclusion as many top fleets: you need a weigh station bypass service to save fuel, improve driver morale, and keep your business moving. Before any purchasing decision, it’s important to weigh the pros and cons of each provider. For weigh station bypass, that comes down to whether you want a transponder-based service, like that offered by PrePass, or a software-based solution that runs on existing in-cab hardware, like Drivewyze PreClear. So, what’s the difference between Drivewyze PreClear and PrePass® Weigh Station Bypass, and what matters when selecting a weigh station bypass provider?

Availability Largest partner network Limited device integration
Hardware No additional hardware Requires transponder and mobile app for full coverage
Bypass Coverage Nearly 900 total sites in 47 states and provinces with 555 fixed sites About 475 total sites 41 states with 404 fixed sites
Technology Drivers get a bypass in any lane plus notifications of all upcoming stations Drivers must ensure transponder is in range of transmission pole
Safety Fully customizable safety notification and coaching tools In-cab alerts before potential hazards
Reporting Detailed weight station bypass reporting for all weigh stations, regardless of site owner Reporting only at PrePass sites

Available in your trucks, on your devices

Drivewyze PreClear uses best-in-class technology to make sure that you’re not burdened with extra hardware, which is why our 100% software-based weigh station bypass program works on leading electronic logging devices, tablets, and mobile devices. And, with PreClear, you don’t need to install a transponder to get full coverage, saving valuable time and money on device management. It also means you can use the devices you already have in-cab to get bypass opportunities at more than 830 sites across North America.

See Compatible Devices

Unmatched coverage across North America

By every metric, Drivewyze PreClear is North America’s largest weigh station bypass provider, with coverage at more than 830 locations in 45 states and provinces. Get bypass opportunities at more fixed weigh stations than any other provider and additional coverage at hundreds of mobile inspection sites. They may not always be set up and running inspections, but your drivers will be glad to have PreClear when they get to skip those line-ups.

Drivers also receive a heads-up before all weigh stations across the United States to help combat accidental scale avoidance.

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Best-in-class technology designed for drivers

Drivewyze PreClear gives drivers time to prepare for weigh stations, with 2- and 1-mile heads-up notifications. That way, if they do have to pull-in, they have adequate time and space to do so safely. Transponder-based solutions, on the other hand, use dated technology that require drivers to be in the right-hand lane to pass beneath a transponder reader pole to be granted a bypass. By using wireless mobile technology, Drivewyze PreClear subscribers don’t need to change lanes unless a pull-in is required.

Drivewyze subscribers also get free Safety Notifications across North America, designed to give drivers time to respond to the road ahead. Drive with confidence, even on unfamiliar roads, with in-cab notifications before mountain corridors, low bridges, and high rollover areas, along with real-time alerts before congestion and locations that require a sudden slowdown.

Learn More About Safety with Drivewyze

Thousands of satisfied customers, and counting!

At Drivewyze, we’ve got a lot of happy customers. But don’t just take our word for it!

Drivewyze PreClear

It’s such a great feeling when we can bypass the weigh stations with confidence, save time and money, and avoid late deliveries or potential fines.

Karlene & Warren Reed,

Team Drivers, Walbert Trucking

Drivewyze PreClear

Besides the number of bypasses our drivers get each month, the most surprising thing about Drivewyze service is just how easy it is for our drivers to use.

Treasure Phillippi,

Safety Supervisor, Moore Transport

Drivewyze PreClear

Each month, Drivewyze saves our operations about 15 hours per month in avoided delays at weigh stations or about $170 per truck.

Harold Jones,

Traffic Manager, Maine-Based Distillery

Drivewyze PreClear

I like the fact that it saves the driver time. PrePass is more expensive compared to Drivewyze ’cause they like to roll the toll payment services in with it.

Wes Magyar,

Owner Operator, Mercer Transportation

Drivewyze PreClear

It’s such a great feeling when we can bypass the weigh stations with confidence, save time and money, and avoid late deliveries or potential fines.

Karlene & Warren Reed,

Team Drivers, Walbert Trucking

Drivewyze PreClear

Besides the number of bypasses our drivers get each month, the most surprising thing about Drivewyze service is just how easy it is for our drivers to use.

Treasure Phillippi,

Safety Supervisor, Moore Transport

Drivewyze PreClear

Each month, Drivewyze saves our operations about 15 hours per month in avoided delays at weigh stations or about $170 per truck.

Harold Jones,

Traffic Manager, Maine-Based Distillery

Drivewyze PreClear

I like the fact that it saves the driver time. PrePass is more expensive compared to Drivewyze ’cause they like to roll the toll payment services in with it.

Wes Magyar,

Owner Operator, Mercer Transportation

Legal, safe, and FMCSA approved

No matter which service you choose, rest assured that both Drivewyze and PrePass are legal, hands-free, and safe to use while driving. In 2013, the FMCSA announced that Commercial Mobile Radio Services (CMRS) network devices (such as smartphones, or telematics devices) could be used as transponders for weigh station bypass services. Click here to read the announcement.

Some states require that trucks must be weighed, using a Weigh in Motion (WIM) scale that is embedded in the highway in advance of the weigh station, in order for a truck to receive a bypass. Many sites and states, however, do not require WIM data to provide a bypass. For sites that require WIM scale weight readings, both Drivewyze and PrePass are able to read the weight from passing trucks and use that information as part of the screening criteria.

Built with your privacy in mind

Law enforcement is able to see the time and day that a driver bypasses or pulls into their stations, just as they can without a weigh station bypass solution. Both Drivewyze and PrePass screen drivers to determine whether they will receive a bypass or not. Some of these screening rules include data such as carrier ISS score, IFTA, registration, etc. Every time a truck requests a bypass, Drivewyze looks this data up in real time. But Drivewyze does not provide law enforcement with any other information regarding your location or time in between stations. And, it doesn’t have access to or share information regarding a driver’s CDL, medical status, or Hours of Service (HOS).

What if I Get Pulled Over?

If a driver using traditional PrePass® receives a bypass, the transponder’s green light will flash for 15 minutes after passing the weigh station. If the driver gets pulled over within the 15-minute window, they can show law enforcement their transponder light for validation.

If a driver using Drivewyze receives a bypass, the bypass screen appears until the driver has passed the scale. If a driver gets pulled over, they can use the Recall Feature to re-display the most recent driving instruction they’ve received, along with related location information. Drivers can show the recall screen to law enforcement.

Drivewyze uses the best, most secure mobile technology. Here is the promise we make to our customers to protect them from prying eyes:

  • We don’t collect and share driver data.
  • We don’t support mandatory driver data sharing.
  • We don’t provide location tracking info to law enforcement.

See our privacy policy

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Which provider has more locations?

By any metric, Drivewyze has more site coverage than PrePass, all of which are covered through our proprietary software-based bypass service. Whether you’re looking at fixed weigh stations in 45 states and provinces or mobile weigh stations that are set up on an as-needed basis, we offer bypass opportunities at more than 840 sites compared to only about 475 for PrePass.

Site type comparison by provider

i. Fixed weigh stations: 555 Drivewyze sites vs 404 PrePass sites
ii. 45 Drivewyze states and provinces vs. 41 PrePass states

 

2. Doesn’t Prepass have a mobile app? What’s the difference?

While PrePass does offer a mobile app called “MOTION”, it does not provide high accuracy service at most weigh station bypass-eligible sites, and it must be run in tandem with a transponder. With Drivewyze, you don’t need a transponder to receive bypasses at all Drivewyze-eligible sites in our network, the single largest bypass network available.

MOTION is also limited in its integrations and cannot run on most existing in-cab devices, while Drivewyze is integrated on most major ELDs, as well as iOS and Android mobile devices. When running MOTION, drivers will need an ELD, a transponder, AND a mobile device to run PrePass and MOTION at the same time, adding clutter to the cab. It also requires a driver to load the MOTION app on that mobile device, introducing human error and multiple points of failure to the in-cab ecosystem.

Through our ELD partner network, drivewyze software is installed or compatible with over 3.8 M trucks. In most cases, Drivewyze software is already pre-installed on the ELD your trucks are already using.

 

3. Is software-based weigh station bypass technology less accurate than transponder-based technology?

Simply put, no, software-based weigh station bypass technology is not less accurate than transponder-based solutions. We have patented technology, over a decade of experience, and we invented GPS-based bypass and have perfected it.

Our reliability is evidenced by the breadth of our network, the agreements we have with almost 60 state and provincial law enforcement agencies to provide bypass service, and that we deliver millions of bypasses every month to largest fleets in north America.

In fact, fleets that switch to Drivewyze from PrePass stay with Drivewyze significantly longer, as they’ve experienced both technologies and see better results with Drivewyze.

 

4. Doesn’t PrePass have safety alerts? What is the difference between Drivewyze and PrePass alerts?

Drivewyze safety alerts provide more robust functionality than PrePass alerts and deeper libraries of alerts, including sudden slowdown alerts, severe weather alerts, and cargo theft alerts. And, like their MOTION app, their alerts only appear on an additional mobile device, with limited integration on ELD devices. Drivewyze alerts are always on, and can be pushed to an existing in-cab device across a wide variety of providers.

 

5. Where is Drivewyze based?

With sales offices headquartered in Dallas and strong partnerships with 57 state and provincial agencies built over two decades, Drivewyze has a strong presence in the regions where we provide service.

 

6. Can I use Drivewyze and PrePass?

If you are using multiple bypass programs, you may receive conflicting messages when approaching a weigh station that supports both programs. In this case, if either Drivewyze PreClear or the PrePass indicates you should pull in into the site, you must pull in if the station is open. You can only legally bypass if both programs indicate you should bypass.

 

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