Winter Operations Trends Report, What You Need to Know


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Winter Operations Trends Report, What You Need to Know

 

We’re always looking for innovative service offerings to help drive safety and efficiency in exciting new ways. In an effort to stay ahead of the emerging needs of our partners throughout the country, Plow Ops recently concluded research on winter operations trends for 2018. We interviewed various personnel in fleet operations and roadway/utility maintenance at the city, county and state levels. Keep reading for insight into the future of winter operations.

Many communication challenges exist during inclement weather.

Communication during inclement weather can be chaos. Sometimes it can be attributed to poorly mapped communication flow at local, state and federal levels. Sometimes it’s due to equipment damage and malfunction. Regardless of the cause, disaster-resistant communication for both government efficiency and traveler safety is clearly needed.

Disparate systems create serious data management and logistics issues.

Disparate technology solutions are beginning to create serious data management and logistics issues. New technologies are key to staying competitive, but a decades-old system probably won’t support current software securely and efficiently. And demand is high for key staff to understand analytics without depending on IT to streamline operations and stay efficient as a team.

Capturing video from plows ensures HQ makes better decisions.

Video capture in the field avoids ambiguity in real-time condition monitoring, as well as help HQ make better decisions on when to dispatch and where to direct plows. Video capabilities also drive additional efficiencies like helping managers train new hires and helping existing employees improve their efficiency.

Plow Ops has benefits outside the winter season.

There has been a lot of demand for Plow Ops features and functionality outside of the winter season. After all, most trucks are multi-use across all seasons. We frequently get asked about landscaping applications from tree trimming to leaf collection, as well as road maintenance applications from manhole covers to sign maintenance. There is even the ability to use Plow Ops to report road kill (which brings back fond memories of Road Kill Grill in Montana whose slogan is “From Your Grill to Ours”).

Looking ahead, the future of Plow Ops is bright.

Join Josh Parker, vice president of product development at NeoTreks, as he presents “Utilizing Mobile Apps for Weather Responsive Traffic” as part of the FAST TRACK education sessions at the 2017 APWA Snow Conference in Des Moines, Iowa. The session takes place Tuesday, April 25, 2017, at 1PM in room 316-317.