Hurricane Ian: How to stay on top of rapidly changing weather

Modified on January 31, 2023

Across the country we continue to see a concerning increase in catastrophic weather events. From fires on the west coast to tornadoes in the mid-west, severe weather events are a major danger to truckers. In fact, in 20% of all fatal accidents involving a commercial driver, weather was a factor.

For customers and colleagues in the southern United States, the threat of hurricanes and tropical storms is ever-present, and truckers feel those impacts as they strive to provide the goods necessary to keep people healthy and safe. The devastation wrought by Hurricane Ian, which followed closely on the heels of Hurricane Fiona, is just now being measured, but early estimates put that value at $60B.

Of even more concern is the cost in human lives. As search and rescue efforts proceed, we continue to see the toll on human lives. At Drivewyze, we are dedicated to improving outcomes for everyone involved in the commercial transportation industry, and providing a heads up to drivers entering areas with severe weather was our top priority over the past week.

With the help of Drivewyze Safety+, drivers across the southeastern states were warned ahead of extreme winds, flooding, tornados, fire watches, and Ian’s path so they could take precautionary measures and avoid unsafe conditions. Between when Hurricane Ian made landfall on Wednesday and passed through South Carolina on Friday, 1,012 trucks received in-cab safety alerts about the weather ahead.

“Weather can change quickly, and checking a forecast before you leave can’t always account for that,” said Kam Roshan, Senior Product Manager of Safety at Drivewyze. “Our platform allows us to take real-time, high-quality weather data and immediately pass it along to drivers.” Throughout the storm, we served 17,670 weather-related safety messages to drivers travelling in Florida and South Carolina, helping them see a little further down the road.

Drivewyze Safety+ also helps drivers avoid speeding citations, find safe parking, avoid cargo theft, and follow fleet-specific safety protocols. Read more about our library of alerts.

 

Next Steps

Drivewyze is a leader in connected truck services. We have helped thousands of fleets improve fleet efficiency and safety outcomes towards our vision of zero crashes and zero fatalities.

  1. Drivewyze PreClear - Request a demo of the largest weigh station bypass service with 900 sites in 47 states and provinces.
  2. Drivewyze Free - Sign up for Drivewyze Free, the first comprehensive and free safety solution using proactive alerts to improve fleet safety. Available for free for fleets and owner-operators.
  3. Drivewyze Safety+ - Premium safety solution for fleets that comes with custom zone alerts, severe weather alerts and a lot more. Request a demo or a free trial today!
  4. Drivewyze Mobile Apps - Owner-operators can sign up for a free 30-day trial for the Drivewyze PreClear app on iOS and Android and start receiving bypasses in 900 sites across 47 states and provinces.
  5. Careers and Partnerships - If you're interested in joining the team that is building the future of connect trucking, please see our Careers page and submit partnership inquiries here.