ESTA is calling on authorities around Europe to adopt standardised electronic permitting, route and driver support systems as a way to both improve safety and efficiency in the heavy transport industry.
The call follows Germany’s country-wide acceptance of ERNA, the Efficient Road Navigation Assistant developed by ESTA member Sommer, the German heavy transport support company.
ESTA Director Ton Klijn said: “We are delighted at the decision taken by the German authorities and we hope that this is the first step towards the development of an agreed common system right across Europe.”
Current paper-based systems mean trucks have to carry huge numbers of documents which is both inefficient, less safe and increases the chance of loss, unintentional errors and delays.
There is common acceptance that electronic systems are preferable, but ESTA wants to ensure that common systems and standards are agreed across Europe.
Klijn added: “It would be tragic if the transport authorities allow a fragmented approach with different incompatible systems being developed in different countries.”
ERNA – which is available in 13 languages – is a certified digital driver assistance for the heavy and high-capacity transport industry.
It assists the truck driver and the driver of the accompanying vehicle in complying with the route of the permit/permit and the associated conditions, and can also advise on driving restrictions and rest areas.
Like navigation systems, it provides a visual display and an audible announcement of the authorized route along with driving conditions and instructions.
The “e-Beifahrer” – or electronic co-pilot – was until recently only approved in some federal states as part of pilot projects, and in some areas was explicitly excluded.
But now it is possible to use it on freeways throughout Germany.
Johannes Sommer, the head of business strategy and sales for Sommer GmbH, said: “The digital co-driver ERNA is now approved nationwide in all federal states in Germany and on all motorways. This means that you can now use the digital co-driver without restrictions from Suben to Bremen and beyond. No matter where you are in Germany, ERNA is available to you on every motorway and supports you on your journey.
He continued: “The DIGITAL co-driver ERNA is a navigation system specially developed exclusively for the RGST (the German permitting system). This system includes the digitalized, audio-visual, multilingual playback of the route, including all requirements and conditions as a replacement measure for the human co-driver.”
The Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport said: “Test drives have shown that voice assistants lead to fewer driving errors in stressful situations. The e-Beifahrer can also reduce the costs of heavy goods transportation by reducing the number of personnel required“.
For further information, go to www.sommer-europe.com, or www.e-beifahrer.de.