Huntington, West Virginia-based software firm Blue Ink Tech, maker of the BIT ELD, recently added a new truck weight app to its BIT Full-Service Platform.
BIT Air Scale gives drivers access to real-time weight information on their phone or tablet using the BIT app, the company said. Utilizing two small, wireless sensors, BIT Air Scale self-installs in less than 15 minutes. “With time tighter than ever, BIT Air Scale frees drivers from the necessity of visiting an off-site scale to find out their weight,” said Mike Riegel, head of product development. “Anyone who hauls bulk, is paid by weight, or loads in locations without easy access to scales should be paying attention to this system.”
The system integrates into Blue Ink Tech’s web portal, allowing carriers to see how much weight each of their trucks is carrying at any given moment. Riegel said Blue Ink Tech’s goal is to solve one of the biggest friction points in trucking. “If a driver gets overloaded and doesn’t find out until they hit a scale 30 or 40 miles away, it really puts them in a tight spot,” he said. “They can either drive back to the shipper and correct the load, which could waste a whole day, or they can drive illegally.
“Either option ends up with the driver bearing the brunt of the problem—and the carrier potentially losing money.”
Blue Ink Tech’s solution is to allow drivers to obtain “accurate, real-time weight” at the point of loading, Riegel said. “We wanted to make something as simple as possible on the customer’s side,” he explained. “All the complexity, all the math, happens in the app. For the customer, it’s as simple as install the sensors, calibrate, done.”
Because the app delivers real-time updates on weight, a driver can monitor weight as the truck is loaded.
Sensors come mounted on DOT approved tee-fittings, making installation and calibration easy, the company said. They install directly into the suspension airline, with no need for additional wiring. Once the sensors are in place, a driver weighs their truck twice, once empty and once full, and enters the weights into the app. After that, the system takes over.
“With Blue Ink Tech’s app doing the heavy lifting, the system even calculates your steer axle,” Riegel said. “Air Scale provides a 99% accurate axle weight and gross combined weight.
“The system integrates into Blue Ink Tech’s web portal, allowing carriers to see how much weight each of their trucks is carrying at any given moment. Those using Blue Ink Tech’s other systems, will see weight, location, tire pressure, and the driver’s available hours of service, all in one place.”