Integrating Weather and Orography Information in Trip Planning Systems for Heavy Goods Vehicles

Abstract

This paper proposes a solution to integrate weather and orography information with existing trip planning systems, to provide more accurate travel time estimates and reduce delays caused by adverse conditions. The prototype segments the route into equidistant points and calculates the criticality derived from weather and orography conditions at each point to calculate the delay caused by their impact. In the presence of adverse conditions, the affected locations are identified and their impact on trip duration is recalculated, proposing an alternative route if it is faster. The proposed solution was validated with historical trip data, and it was found to be effective in mitigating weather and orography-induced delays. The motivation behind this study lies in the fact that managing a fleet of heavy goods vehicles is not limited to the logistics of truck maintenance, but also to planning trips to minimize their duration, costs, and delays. The proposed solution addresses the need for low-cost, open-source solutions for the management of heavy goods vehicle trips.