Fleet Management News & Business Info | Commercial Carrier Journal
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/116194
technology hnology MAKING THE LATEST TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENTS WORK FOR YOUR FLEET BY AARON HUFF CHANGING DIRECTIONS Consumer platforms reshape the present and future of enterprise computing In-cab platforms integrate with the vehicle and use consumer-style smartphones and tablets for the display. A wide gulf used to separate consumer and enterprise mobile computing. While consumer electronics always have been on the leading edge of technology, they traditionally lacked durability, reliability and security. In the rough-and-tumble trucking industry, it was necessary to spend thousands to equip vehicles with enterprise-grade mobile devices to run applications for safety, compliance, customer service and other areas. Today, the rules have changed; a growing number of fleet management systems now offer a hybrid approach. In-cab platforms integrate with the vehicle and use consumer-style smartphones and tablets for the display. Cloud-based applications connect the driver and vehicle to the office. Turnpike was one of the first companies to take this approach. In 2009, XRS – then Xata Corp. – acquired Turnpike and adopted this strategy throughout its organization, and last year, the company announced plans to move to an all-mobile platform. Companies that use industrial-strength hardware – including Qualcomm, CarrierWeb and Rand McNally – soon will offer consumer-style Android platforms as an option. The strategy is to tap a potentially large market of small fleets looking to adopt electronic onboard recorder technology ahead of the mandate. PeopleNet now offers the option to run its in-cab platform on industrial-strength handheld devices, and Zonar Systems offers an industrial-strength Android tablet. Thinking big The new XRS platform, set for release this spring, uses a small relay device that connects to the vehicle's databus. The device sends information to an app on Android 32 COMMERCIAL CARRIER JOURNAL CCJ_0313_TechDept.indd 32 smartphones and tablets through Bluetooth wireless. The mobile app automatically transmits vehicle and operator data directly to a management dashboard. The XRS platform will run on more than 50 types of mobile devices. Fleets pay a monthly subscription to use the cloud-based software, but no upfront costs for the relay device. Allied Automotive Group is among the first fleets that will be using XRS. One of North America's largest vehicle transporters, Allied plans to implement the platform this year on 7-inch Samsung DOWN THE MIDDLE: More fleet management systems offer a hybrid approach. EARLY ADOPTER: Allied Automotive Group will be among the first fleets to use XRS. CHANGING TIMES: Opportunities and risks arise over the ownership of data. | MARCH 2013 2/20/13 11:02 AM