November 18 - In England, the Highways Agency has unveiled a new website which promises to make the transportation of outsize freight much simpler.
Currently such loads require for the carriers to pre-notify police, highway and bridge authorities which involves vast amounts of cross-communication and, according to the Highways Agency, millions of faxes a year.
However the Agency's new web-based system ESDAL (Electronic Service Delivery for Abnormal Loads) promises to greatly facilitate such shipments.
Using ESDAL's mapping system, hauliers can plot the route they need to take, get full details of all the organisations they will need to notify before making the movement and also deliver fully compliant notifications. Hauliers can also perform an appraisal of the route for an indication of the suitability of their vehicle.
Police, Road and Bridge authorities can manage incoming notifications using ESDAL; routes can be appraised for an indication of suitability. Additional functionality provides self-management of structures by owners and a facility for both police and highway authorities to add constraints such as road works.
The beauty of the ESDAL system is that it does not require any specialist software; it only requires a PC with internet access.
If you are a haulier, a structure owner or a police officer, then ESDAL will make your task easier. To find out more about ESDAL and how to use the system visit www.esdal.com
