Fleet Management News & Business Info | Commercial Carrier Journal
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A MOBILE NETWORK NEW PRODUCTS AND SERVICES SIMPLIFY AND EXPAND INTEGRATION BETWEEN OFFICE AND MOBILE DEVICES BY AARON HUFF T he basics of onboard computers haven't changed since Jerry Bartholomew began driving for Schneider National in 1997. While Bartholomew still communicates electroni- cally with the office, what has changed is how structured and accessible the information has become. In 2010, Schneider National converted its fl eet to Qual- comm's MCP200 fl eet management system, which included the technology provider's Workfl ow platform. Schneider's back offi ce systems are integrated with the driver's in-cab interface; drivers are prompted with specifi c questions for work assignments, and the data entry is verifi ed instantly for completeness and accuracy. "If I made a mistake before, I had no way of knowing until something was sent back," says Bartholomew, who both drives and trains drivers for the Green Bay, Wis.-based carrier. The Workfl ow application gives step-by-step instructions, including navigation and fuel plans. "When you start a load, it goes from start to fi nish," he says. "You have to do it in order. It is much more structured." Another major difference is access to corporate informa- tion and training videos. When Bartholomew stops at com- pany facilities equipped with Wi-Fi, he can use the MCP200 to log in to Schneider's Crossroads driver portal to see payroll information and performance metrics such as safety, compliance, fuel and idle time, and access his personal e- mail account and other approved Websites. "The data a driver looks at in the cab is the same informa- tion a business leader has," says Tom DiSalvi, Schneider's director of loss prevention. "That level of access to data provides a greater connection. There are no surprises on either side." Offi ce-cab integration once was limited to satellite posi- tioning and messaging. As Bartholomew and Schneider can attest, recent technologies have opened up the fl oodgates of opportunity. These fi ve integration trends can help increase the value of management systems for any business in short order. 66 COMMERCIAL CARRIER JOURNAL | JUNE 2012 Connectivity All onboard computing plat- forms include a Web portal for customers to access their data using various applica- tions. Many fl eets, especially smaller ones, log in to Web portals frequently to monitor driver compliance and per- formance, track assets, send messages and create alerts and reports, among many other tasks. 1 Fleets also can use op- tional products and services to integrate data with their native dispatch, routing, maintenance, safety, account- ing and other back-offi ce systems. These products have reduced the time and expense associated with integration projects. Rand McNally, which of- fers the TruckPC and TND 760 onboard computing systems, recently created a software platform called Connect designed to shorten the development cycle for integration between its FleetWatcher Web portal and third-party applications such as dispatch and enterprise software systems. Connect is located within a fl eet's IT environment and can interface with multiple third-party applications simultaneously, says Mason Meadows, director of product management. To integrate third-party applications with PeopleNet's mobile communications SCHNEIDER NATIONAL CONVERTED ITS FLEET TO QUALCOMM'S MCP200 FLEET MANAGEMENT SYSTEM, WHICH INCLUDED THE TECHNOLOGY PROVIDER'S WORKFLOW PLAT- FORM THAT PROMPTS DRIVERS WITH SPECIFIC QUESTIONS FOR WORK ASSIGNMENTS.