How to Prepare Your Gritting Routes for the Winter Season

A successful winter service operation starts long before the first frost. During the pre-season fleet inspection and route checks, planning, equipment and practical experience come together. Gritting vehicles are inspected, routes are tested and drivers can identify where improvements are needed.

The knowledge of the people who actually drive these routes is particularly valuable. After all, a route may look perfectly logical on a map but present challenges in practice.

We joined Gebroeders Van der Lee during their pre-season preparations to see how they work with drivers to test and improve gritting routes ahead of the winter season.

Using Drivers' Expertise to Improve Gritting Routes

During pre-season route checks, drivers test the actual gritting routes. This provides an important opportunity to verify whether the planned routes still reflect conditions on the ground.

Is a particular turn difficult to navigate with a gritting vehicle? Has a road become inaccessible? Or does an experienced driver know a more efficient direction of travel?

With Jewel, this feedback can be incorporated directly into the route. Planners can make adjustments, ensuring the updated route is available for the next run.

This way, valuable operational knowledge no longer remains with individual drivers but becomes part of the digital gritting route.

From Pre-Season Checks to Reliable Execution

Pre-season preparations are about more than inspecting equipment. They provide an opportunity to improve daily operations together with the people who carry out the work.

This becomes particularly valuable when additional or replacement drivers are needed during the winter season. With clear digital routes and voice-guided navigation, drivers do not need to know every street by heart. The knowledge gathered during preparation is already incorporated into the route.

Routes can also be adjusted throughout the winter season as conditions change. Preparation does not end once the pre-season checks are complete.

Why Equipment-Independent Software Matters

Winter service organisations often operate different types and brands of gritting vehicles. Your choice of software should not determine which equipment you can use.

Jewel Winter Service is independent of gritting vehicle manufacturers. This allows organisations to maintain a consistent digital workflow across a mixed fleet while retaining the freedom to choose their equipment.

The software supports the operation, rather than forcing organisations to select equipment based on software compatibility.

Ready for the Winter Season

Effective pre-season preparations bring together the expertise of planners and drivers. By testing routes, incorporating feedback directly and making that knowledge available to the entire team, organisations can enter the winter season with better-prepared gritting routes.

With Jewel Winter Service, work preparation, route navigation, execution and reporting come together in one environment.

Discover how Jewel helps you prepare your winter service operations and maintain control throughout the winter season.