Italian motorways will soon use advanced technology to track truck drivers' working conditions in real-time, with authorities able to instantly detect and report any irregularities in driving hours, rest periods, and vehicle maintenance.
The “Navigard” platform, developed by Movyon, the innovation hub of Autostrade per l’Italia (ASPI), was unveiled by ASPI CEO Roberto Tomasi and the Italian State Police’s Central Director of Specialties, Prefect Renato Cortese.
Navigard incorporates a suite of advanced monitoring technologies to address critical safety and regulatory concerns on Italian motorways. These include:
- Dynamic Vehicle Weight Verification: Optical sensors and cameras assess whether trucks are in compliance with weight restrictions and immediately flag violations for law enforcement.
- Hazardous materials monitoring: Vehicles carrying hazardous materials are tracked, with restrictions enforced on prohibited routes.
- Enhanced tunnel safety: Artificial intelligence algorithms and advanced sensors will detect vehicles driving against traffic and other hazards in tunnels longer than 500 metres.
- Speed and lane use monitoring: Radar, cameras and a central processing system will ensure compliance with speed limits, lane discipline and proper lane use for trucks.
- Tachograph data analysis: The system will systematically collect tachograph data from HGVs and identify irregularities in driving times and rest periods to protect compliant drivers.
- Toll evasion detection: Tools to identify and deal with repeated cases of toll evasion. The Navigard platform is part of ASPI’s Mercury Program for Smart Sustainable Mobility, aligning with global decarbonization, digitalization, and transport innovation trends. By 2026, tunnel safety technologies will be fully operational, and the entire motorway network is expected to be covered by 2027.
In addition to monitoring, the platform will help enforce regulations, dissuade unsafe driving behaviours, and enable faster, more targeted interventions. This comprehensive approach aims to reduce road incidents caused by non-compliance and negligence significantly.
The Navigard platform will integrate seamlessly with existing systems such as SICVE, which monitors 1,600 km of motorways. ASPI’s initiatives have already included over 3,500 HGV inspections between 2021 and 2022 and achieving a 96.4% patrol coverage rate in 2023.
ASPI and the State Police have also launched numerous road safety campaigns to raise awareness among both young and adult drivers, emphasizing the importance of transforming road safety from an obligation into a conscious choice.
“The safety of workers and travelers is integral to our Group’s strategy,” said Roberto Tomasi, CEO of ASPI. “In this daily challenge, technology is a valuable ally, and Navigard represents a unique innovation in road safety. We are proud to offer these tools to the State Police, reinforcing a decades-long collaboration that translates into concrete actions for travelers.”
