Fleet Management News & Business Info | Commercial Carrier Journal
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/923471
A NCX provides – free of charge – full-featured fleet management, including a dispatcher dashboard, live location awareness and haul status updates, driver performance analysis, electronic dispatch, a driver job calendar, a full invoicing/accounting/ chart-of-accounts system, instant delivery confirmation, bill of lading transmission and much more. NCX lets managers and dispatchers see the location and status of their entire fleet, moving on a live map display in real time. The 24/7/365 availability of the NCX System allows carriers and their customers to access data, locate trucks and do business at all hours, not just when their offices are open. Q What ELD solutions do you offer? A NCX has a full-featured ELD, and I'm not just saying that! Our philosophy isn't to gouge carriers on the hardware. We're not trying to make a profit on ELDs, but rather to break even — ELDs are just one of the many things we provide to carriers to make their lives easier. We put nearly every dollar into the device in terms of value. As a result, it's a very powerful and capable device when you compare it side-by-side with the competition. For example, it's got a full telematics option, and supports an independent connection to the NCX servers via a SIM card. It also isn't limited to just GPS, but tracks up to 72 satellites across three different satellite systems at the same time (GPS, Galileo and GLONASS). What this means is that even in areas such as cities, canyons and hilly terrain, where portions of the sky are obstructed, there are more satellites "visible" in the remaining area of the sky for the NCX ELD to monitor than if it was limited to just GPS satellites. That's enhanced yet further due to the ELD's amplified GNSS antenna, which can add up to 50 decibels of signal gain to these satellite signals. What this d s is enable faint satellite signals that normally would be too weak for position fixes to still be used. This results in increased reliability when it comes to position fixes, in all kinds of terrain and situations. The unit also has a six-axis accelerometer, so it can detect and analyze vehicle motion even when there are no satellite signals, such as in tunnels. It's got an internal reserve power supply as well, to ensure smooth data saving and shutdown in the event of power loss. But the main benefit is financial – there is no recurring monthly cost to operate the NCX ELD, unlike other devices on the market with costly monthly fees. Q How can you offer these services at no cost? Will this change? A There's no bait-and-switch in the works. We don't ever expect to charge a fee for any of our core services. There's no strange money- making scheme happening just out of sight, no "catch," no "gotcha." We are totally open about our finances. There's nothing to hide. Right now, NCX isn't making any money at all. We've developed this entire platform, our ELD and our other hardware products, and operate it, freely, for the benefit of the trucking industry. Obviously, our bank account isn't bottomless, and we plan to eventually generate revenue – we have to, or we'd run out of money – but we plan to do it in a win-win way for everyone. In early 2018, we plan to provide a number of additional services which will bring some very big smiles to our carriers' faces, and at the same time, some much- needed extra padding to their wallets. When we get there, we'll finally be generating some revenue, which will help us keep the lights on, pay the bills, keep making payroll for our programmers and continue adding ever-more useful features to NCX. But our mission won't change. We're here to help, first and foremost. We're looking for partners, not victims. We want users to continue to benefit from NCX for decades. Q How complicated is the sign-up process? A It takes about five minutes. We've made it as simple and painless as possible. Start by going to our website, www.NationalCarrierExchange.com and clicking "SIGN UP". Put in your DOT number, and the system will pull all your data from the FMCSA, filling in all of the blanks. After that, you just enter your e-mail address and a password, and you'll be ready to start using NCX! First thing, go to the HELP menu on the left, watch the Dispatcher Training Video and start inviting all of your drivers to join your fleet. Attendees at MATS visited the NCX booth to learn about the free management system and ELD options.