Trucking and I.T.: Tracking Assets

My, how far we’ve come.

Remember the old days when trucking companies were happy if an asset-tracking system could simply identify a truck’s location on a map?

Today, carriers have become spoiled. They’ve come to expect much more from their systems, including expecting the data the systems collect to integrate seamlessly with their existing management systems, technology developers.

According to Henry Popplewell, Skybitz’s senior vice president of sales,he’s seen that shift since the Herndon, Va., company began marketing its asset-tracking services in 2002.

For the first five or six years of Skybitz’s life, the fact that we could show [clients] location and fundamental tracking of GPS data on their trailers was perfectly fine. Now they want more data.

They say, ‘I’ve got this GPS tracking hardware on my trailer. What else can it do for me?’ There’s a need and a demand for more and more sophisticated data.

But integrating all of that data isn’t easy. Just ask Newth Morris, president of Telogis Geobase and Telogis Route, Aliso Viejo, Calif:

You’ve got their road management package, their transportation management package, their asset-management package, their work-order management package.

He added, noting that, while making the various systems work together can present challenges, developers realize the importance fleets place on the data they contain.

All of this relates to the activity in the field.

Per Joe Cretella, vice president of manufacturing for reefer manufacturer ThermoKing, Minneapolis, which markets its own monitoring service, called TracKing, to fleets:

Some customers have their information integrated already into their logistics systems or fleet-management systems. They have information that says I’m going to deliver at this time and arrive at that time, and all the information about what is going to be loaded into the truck is loaded into the system, so we have to get system integration right.

Now, more than ever, it’s important to hire the best, to make sure that your business gets to market.

The Transportation Firm, LLC knows that your supply needs are unique. And that’s exactly why we’ve pooled together the best minds in the industry to create specific solutions customized to suit your ever-changing operating environment.

From precise design to seamless execution, our dedicated transportation transportation professionals are involved every step of the way to provide you with the most accurate and economical transportation the industry has to offer.

The Transportation Firm, LLC

384 E. Goodman Road, Ste 242

Southaven, MS 38671

E-mail: info@transportfirm.com

“Integrity, Committment, Results”

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“Can You Hear Me, Now?”

Truckers are increasingly doing business via mobile devices, according to UShip.com’s third annual mobile usage survey. It also shows significant shifts in use of smartphone GPS navigation over traditional GPS units and a greater interest in social media and apps via mobile.

Started in 2010, uShips mobile study tracks year-over-year mobile trends of a cross-section of active transporters on uShip, ranging from commercial carriers to small fleet owner-operators to hot-shot drivers. More than 26,000 drivers were surveyed between Oct. 17-30, 2012.

According to the survey:

– 7 in 10 are conducting more business via mobile devices than ever before, compared to 6 in 10 a year ago.

– Nearly twice as many U.S. truck drivers use Android phones over iPhones; 1 in 4 uses a basic feature phone

– More than half of drivers say their phone already has or could replace their GPS device on the road

– Over half of all drivers say the 2012 texting ban has not changed their behavior on the road

– Text messaging (79%), Internet/email (65%) and camera (55%) rank as the most popular features

– 26% now use their mobile device for social media, up from 13% in 2011 and 19% in 2010

– 43% now use apps, a jump of 16% over 2011 and 10% over 2010

– Nearly 1 in 2 (47%) are now more likely to buy a tablet for business, up from 1 in 4 (26%) in 2011

Smartphone Navigation vs. GPS Navigation

According to the data gathered, there’s a growing trend towards using a single device on the road – for business, navigation, entertainment and communication – ultimately putting smartphone GPS navigation and on-the-dash GPS units at a crossroads, notes uShip.

– Over half of drivers say their mobile phone’s GPS has “already have replaced” or “could replace” their GPS unit

– 53% use their mobile phone’s GPS feature more than (36%) or equal to (17%) their traditional GPS device

– 47% say they’ll “never” give up their GPS device

– 52% now use their mobile phone’s GPS feature – up 24% from 2011 and 22% from 2010

According to Eddie Peloke, vice president for mobile, uShip,

The 2012 uShip Mobile Usage Survey surprisingly shows smartphone and GPS devices on a bit of a collision course, especially as mobile phones expand their feature versatility, especially with apps and social media. Study findings also coincide with uShip mobile app trends, which has seen 3000% increase in downloads – in the hundreds of thousands – over the past year alone.

 

Now, more than ever, it’s important to hire the best, to make sure that your business gets to market.

The Transportation Firm, LLC knows that your supply needs are unique. And that’s exactly why we’ve pooled together the best minds in the industry to create specific solutions customized to suit your ever-changing operating environment.

From precise design to seamless execution, our dedicated transportation transportation professionals are involved every step of the way to provide you with the most accurate and economical transportation the industry has to offer.

The Transportation Firm, LLC

384 E. Goodman Road, Ste 242

Southaven, MS 38671

E-mail: info@transportfirm.com

“Integrity, Committment, Results”

WE WELCOME YOUR COMMENTS ABOUT THIS BLOG!!!

OOIDA Partners With Truckers Against Trafficking

The largest national association for professional truckers, the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association, is partnering with Truckers Against Trafficking in their efforts to stop one of the nation’s most despicable and fastest growing crimes — human trafficking.

A nonprofit organization, TAT educates, equips and mobilizes members of the trucking and travel plaza industry to combat domestic sex trafficking. According to the Department of Justice 100,000 to 300,000 of America’s youth are at risk of becoming victims of the sex trade industry each year.

OOIDA president Jim Johnston remarked,

Their efforts are important in so many ways, and we have been glad to help spread their messages to our members. We are proud to strike an official partnership with them and continue that outreach through social media, a direct link from our website homepage, and other channels.

OOIDA, which has more than 150,000 members nationwide, hands out TAT wallet cards from its headquarters and keeps them on hand on the association’s tour truck, “The Spirit of the American Trucker.”

According to Johnson,

Often, visiting members have asked for stacks of them to hand out to other drivers they meet out on the road.

The TAT organization works with the FBI, truck stops, law enforcement agencies and other groups in their battle to stop the horrible crime of human trafficking.

Now, more than ever, it’s important to hire the best, to make sure that your business gets to market.

The Transportation Firm, LLC knows that your supply needs are unique. And that’s exactly why we’ve pooled together the best minds in the industry to create specific solutions customized to suit your ever-changing operating environment.

From precise design to seamless execution, our dedicated transportation transportation professionals are involved every step of the way to provide you with the most accurate and economical transportation the industry has to offer.

The Transportation Firm, LLC

384 E. Goodman Road, Ste 242

Southaven, MS 38671

E-mail: info@transportfirm.com

“Integrity, Committment, Results”

WE WELCOME YOUR COMMENTS ABOUT THIS BLOG!!!

DOT Funds Released in Aftermath of Hurricane Sandy

U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood Thursday announced last Thursday that he is making $12 million in quick release emergency relief funds immediately available to New Jersey and Connecticut to help begin repairing the damage caused by Hurricane Sandy, even while assessments continue throughout the Northeast to determine the full extent of the damage.

The announcement follows President Barack Obama’s call for federal agencies to act quickly and bring all available resources to bear as quickly as possible.

It also builds on the disaster assistance efforts Obama approved in the last several days, including major disaster declarations, which make federal assistance — like these emergency relief funds — available to supplement state and local response and recovery efforts.

The funds — $10 million for New Jersey and $2 million for Connecticut — mark another installment of federal-aid highway funds going toward repairing damage from Hurricane Sandy.

Earlier last week, DOT approved $17 million in quick release emergency relief funds – $10 million for New York; $3 million for Rhode Island; and $4 million for North Carolina.

Quick release emergency funds provided by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) are used for a variety of repairs to roads, bridges and tunnels that are immediately necessary.

Now, more than ever, it’s important to hire the best, to make sure that your business gets to market.

The Transportation Firm, LLC knows that your supply needs are unique. And that’s exactly why we’ve pooled together the best minds in the industry to create specific solutions customized to suit your ever-changing operating environment.

From precise design to seamless execution, our dedicated transportation transportation professionals are involved every step of the way to provide you with the most accurate and economical transportation the industry has to offer.

The Transportation Firm, LLC

384 E. Goodman Road, Ste 242

Southaven, MS 38671

E-mail: info@transportfirm.com

“Integrity, Committment, Results”

WE WELCOME YOUR COMMENTS ABOUT THIS BLOG!!!