Fleet Management News & Business Info | Commercial Carrier Journal
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/388078
50 COMMERCIAL CARRIER JOURNAL | OCTOBER 2014 technology M acro-level trends in connectivity and data have changed the trans- portation industry and how PeopleNet will deliver new products and services, company president Brian McLaughlin told attendees at PeopleNet's 12th annual user conference in Hollywood, Fla. One of those trends is that devices with Internet connectivity have outnumbered the human population. By 2015, there will be 3.5 devices per person and seven devices per person by 2020. "We are seeing an explosion of things needing to talk to each other," McLaughlin said. "We need to enable that." McLaughlin and PeopleNet executives showcased a new "ConnectedFleet" plat- form they say will meet the challenges and opportunities ahead. The new platform consists of four parts, all of which are on schedule to be available by this time next year: s -OBILE 3OFTWARE that will work on multiple operating systems, including An- droid, allowing fleets to make certain apps for personal use such as Netflix and Skype available to drivers. PeopleNet will require that fleets use separate billing accounts for data usage – one for corporate and one for drivers. s -OBILE 'ATEWAY, a new onboard computer to enable what PeopleNet has termed the "Internet of Transportation Things." The small compact device will connect a truck to PeopleNet's data center and the Internet using 4G LTE cellular networks and Wi-Fi when available; it also will use 3G and 2G cellular networks as failover to maintain wide-area coverage, with satellite also an option. The Mo- bile Gateway will connect to PeopleNet displays and third-party devices in and around the vehicle using Wi-Fi and short- range Bluetooth communications. s -- #LOUD, a new software "gateway" that will allow fleets to "publish" the data communications taking place aboard vehi- cles between various devices and systems. It also will allow fleets and their trusted vendors and devices to subscribe to the data they want to receive through a secure feed. Overall, the new cloud gateway will make it easier for fleets and their vendors to receive data from the vehicle by moving the data off PeopleNet's data center and into a public cloud environment. s 3URROUND 6ISION, a new video-based system that captures video around the vehicle. Small cameras are installed in various locations to feed video to a sepa- rate DVR to transmit to an online portal for fleet managers to review critical event data. The system connects to the Mobile Gateway to stream live video to PeopleNet's in-cab driver displays. Driv- ers can see blind spots on the tractor's left or right side when using the turn signal and behind the tractor or trailer when in reverse. Attendees had a chance to see the ConnectedFleet installed on a vehicle. PeopleNet brought a semi-truck and trailer equipped with the technology to the conference center, the Westin Diplomat Resort and Spa in Hollywood, Fla. Inside the truck, three PeopleNet driver displays are mounted to the dash – the Tablet, the PD4 and an Android tablet. Each of these display options is connected to the Mobile Gateway onboard computer. MVT an early adapter Mike Kelley, director of information tech- nology for Mesilla Valley Transportation, spoke with CCJ about ConnectedFleet. The Las Cruces, N.M.-based truckload carrier recently ordered PeopleNet's color touch- screen PD4 device to replace the vendor's Driver Terminal, an LCD-display that MVT has been using for the past 12 years. MVT will install PD4 on its new vehi- cles and when replacement units are need- ed for its 1,200-truck fleet. MVT plans to continue using its current onboard computer from PeopleNet, the G3 gate- way, and will begin installing the Mobile Gateway as its G3 units reach their end of life, which could take a few more years. MVT plans to provide drivers the PD4's turn-by-turn navigation and the graphical display to make it easier for drivers to use electronic logs, said Kelley, who is looking to leverage the Apple and Android devices that drivers already own. PeopleNet's new platform will be useful, he said, because drivers will be able to use smartphones and tablet devices to receive dispatches outside the vehicle. PeopleNet is making various applications such as messaging available for any device, and it already has started moving this and other applications from its own data center to a public cloud. Continued on page 52 PeopleNet showcases 'connected fleet' platform Brian McLaughlin, PeopleNet president, addresses attendees of the company's 12th annual user conference in Hollywood, Fla.