Rifkat Minnikhanov to bring Tatarstan to the frequency of truckers

A system for notifying drivers on a popular radio frequency is being created in the Republic of Tatarstan — including “in the mode of direct dialogue with drivers”

As it became known to Realnoe Vremya, at the suggestion of the Republican Cabinet of Ministers, the creation of a system of continuous round-the-clock notification of drivers on sections of federal highways passing through the territory of the Republic of Tatarstan has begun. It is interesting that the Tatarstan State Traffic Inspectorate plans to broadcast on the 15th channel CB, Citizen`s Band — the same frequency of truckers and professional drivers. The cost of work on the system will be almost 9,5 million rubles, curators-the Republican Traffic Police and Road Safety state institution.

“We'll probably be the first”

The notice of an electronic auction worth 9,433 million rubles for the right to perform a set of works to create a driver notification system on the 15th channel CB on federal highways passing through the territory of Tatarstan, appeared last week.

The customer of the work is Road Safety state-financed entity, but as the head of this organization Rifkat Minnikhanov explained to Realnoe Vremya, the initiative to create the system belongs to the leadership of the Republican Traffic Police, and in this regard, the commission on road safety of the Cabinet of Ministers headed by Shamil Gafarov made a corresponding decision.

“I think the idea to create such a system on channel fifteen is very relevant," Rifkat Minnikhanov told Realnoe Vremya. “Those who are warned are armed, and the purpose of the alert system is to inform drivers about the situation on the roads. It is especially important to know it in advance in winter…

Minnikhanov stressed that his organisation participates in the project only nominally:

“Money for it is allocated from the regional budget, so we announced the competition.

And when asked where in Russia such system has already been created and is working, the chief of the institution answered quite confidently:

“We'll probably be the first. I don't know for sure, but I haven't heard that it has already worked somewhere in Russia.

As stated in the requirements specification, which is part of the documentation of the electronic auction, the system should provide recording, archiving and playback of events of radio, creating and playing schedule voice messages in the automatic mode, the talks dispatchers, including a direct dialogue with drivers, union negotiations of drivers of different repeaters, a visual display on the map the location of the transponders relative to roads and major settlements, the possibility of direct contact of the operator at the location of the repeater using the standard headset.

“Let them record us — warning us would be enough”

Channel 15, known as the “truckers 'channel”, is a specific radio frequency near 27 MHz in the high frequency band. Depending on the country, the frequency of the trucker channel may vary. In Russia, the frequency of the truckers' channel is 27,135 MHz, this frequency is used by truckers in many countries of the world. To have the opportunity to negotiate, they equip their cars with walkie-talkies.

Chatting on this channel is fundamentally different from other civil radio chats: here you can find out from colleagues the situation on a particular road section, get a hint on how to drive to the desired point, where to refuel, and even send an SOS signal if a wheel has broken or you need urgent repairs right on the road. It is not recommended: just talk, tell jokes or push ads — for this immediately they “ban” in the most non-parliamentary terms. And the question arises, whether the “long-distance drivers” will not “ban” dispatchers, whether they will not consider their entry on their frequency, and even more so, the recording of negotiations unacceptable interference.

“I see nothing wrong with the fact that there will be such a notification system on our channel," Bashkir trucker Andrey Nikitin commented on the new initiative to Realnoe Vremya. “On the contrary, notifying drivers in advance about the situation on the roads is a useful thing, but at the same time, the recording of conversations with drivers and conversations of drivers will go, so we have nothing to hide, and in general, many negotiations are recorded now, so what?

Nikitin, who was in Novy Urengoy at the time of this conversation, said that he would only be happy to learn in real time about the “surprises” that are waiting for him around the bend — on the road on which he will be returned.

However, whether dispatchers will warn drivers about road patrols and cameras, as well as record, track and punish drivers who actively engage in this, is not yet clear...

By Inna Serova
Tatarstan