CCJ

October 2014

Fleet Management News & Business Info | Commercial Carrier Journal

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52 COMMERCIAL CARRIER JOURNAL | OCTOBER 2014 technology PeopleNet | Continued from page 50 With the Mobile Gateway and M2M Cloud, drivers could receive inbound messages and change duty status on their logbooks while outside the vehicle from personal devices, among other possibili- ties. Kelley said MVT is in the process of enabling drivers to use personal devices to capture images of delivery documents and retrieve payroll information. "Since we are already providing this on our website, we can provide it quicker to an app that drivers can download on any of their devices," he said. Overall, Kelley is satisfied with PeopleNet's efforts to extend connec- tivity to more devices and have data re- side in a public cloud "so that everyone pulls from that or views into that." In the future when MVT is using the Mobile Gateway, drivers could use a mobile Wi-Fi hotspot for their personal devices. MVT could get Wi-Fi agreements from truckstops and other locations, and as soon as trucks are within range of Wi- Fi, MVT could access company data from its vehicles, including video. Meanwhile, drivers only would have to set up a single Wi-Fi connection between their personal devices and the Mobile Gateway rather than try to connect to different hotspots, said Kelley, who also is interested in PeopleNet's Android display when it becomes available. "Android devices are a lot cheaper than the PD4," he said. "Now we can do signature capture and come out of the cab. It would also be awesome for drivers to hand their logs to a DOT officer outside the vehicle." Kelley also mentioned having drivers use an Android tablet to take pictures during vehicle inspections. The major drawback, he said, is the possibility that drivers will break or lose devices outside the cab. For now, the fleet is going with the PD4 display and, at a later point, adding the Mobile Gateway. "We've got time to go," he said. – Aaron Huff O mnitracs, a provider of fleet management systems for transpor- tation and logistics companies, an- nounced Sept. 2 that it agreed to acquire XRS Corp. Subject to the terms and conditions of the definitive agreement, Omnitracs will pay $5.60 per share of XRS, which equates to $178 million in equity value. The merger agreement was approved unanimously by the board of directors at XRS. Omnitracs expected to complete the acquisition in the fourth quarter of 2014. XRS provides mobile software systems designed to help trucking companies manage their fleets, comply with regulations and reduce operating costs. In 2011, XRS started to migrate its platform to mobile devices for collecting and analyzing compliance and management data. In November 2013, Vista Equity Partners acquired Omnitracs from Qualcomm. The next month, Omnitracs acquired Roadnet Technologies, a provider of fleet management software solutions for private fleets. Other previous acquisitions include Sylectus and FleetRisk Advisors, which is now Omnitracs Analytics. Omnitracs also announced that Central States Manufacturing, a provider and distributor of metal building products, will deploy Omnitracs' Mobile Computing Platform 50 and key applications – including Hours of Service (HOS) and Vehicle Inspection Report (VIR) – across its 85-vehicle fleet to enable safe two-way infor- mation exchange between drivers and the back office, while also helping to improve regulatory compliance and overall fleet safety. – Staff reports M obile workers often have to use consumer-grade cam- eras for scan-intensive enterprise-grade applications, resulting in lost productivity for the worker and organization. To address this issue, Motorola Solutions has introduced its Symbol CS4070 wireless handheld Bluetooth scanner designed to pair with a Bluetooth-enabled device to provide enterprise-class 1D and 2D barcode scanning. The pocket-sized CS4070 scanner is suited for mobile point- of-sale, merchandising, end-to-end track and trace, real-time ordering, route accounting, inventory management and repair service. The device is engineered to work with all of today's Android, iOS and Windows tablets, laptops and smartphones, and is designed ergonomically to be worn on a lanyard around the neck or fit naturally in the hand for scanning. The CS4070's omnidirectional scanning helps eliminate the need to align the scanner with the barcode. Green and red light indicators also can be mixed and matched with audio to provide scanning feedback in any environment. A field-replaceable battery holds enough power for a 12-hour shift, and an LED indicator lets workers know how much charge is left. – Aaron Huff Motorola adds Bluetooth barcode scanner Motorola Solutions' Symbol CS4070 wireless handheld Bluetooth scanner is designed to pair with a Blue- tooth-enabled device. Omnitracs buying XRS for $178M In 2011, XRS started to migrate its platform to mobile devices for collecting and analyz- ing compliance and management data.

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