Fleet Management News & Business Info | Commercial Carrier Journal
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TECHNOLOGY: CLOUD COMPUTING EMPLOYEES AND DRIVERS FOR QUALITY DISTRIBUTION INC. NOTICED IMPROVEMENTS IN THE SPEED, MOBILITY AND EFFICIENCY WITH WHICH THEY COULD ACCESS INFORMATION AFTER THE TAMPA, FLA.-BASED LIQUID BULK HAULER UPGRADED ITS CLOUD TECHNOLOGY. Dispatch information then is broadcast to devices as a notifi cation alert. For the future, the work where you can bring any device that you want to work from if you feel it makes you more effi cient," Dixon says. Extending the cab U.S. Xpress has embraced cloud computing as the means to give employees critical job information while they are away from the desk or the cab. The Chattanooga, Tenn.-based company has developed mobile applications for each type of mobile worker – drivers, salespeople, manag- ers, executives, etc. – accord- ing to his or her individual needs. For drivers, management looked at what informa- tion would help them to best utilize their personal and on-duty driving time. The consensus was that drivers could benefi t from interacting with time-sen- sitive dispatch information outside the cab. During the process of developing the apps, management carefully evaluated the type of data it would exchange with users and what this data meant for the organization. "Dispatch really doesn't have that much informa- tion that you would need to be secure," says Ken Crane, director of IT operations. "So far, with the type of information we are pro- viding drivers, we are comfortable relying on the carrier-provided networks for encryption, guaranteed delivery, etc." U.S. Xpress uses the Dri- verTech Truck PC onboard computing platform in its vehicles. While in the cab, drivers can view current load information and upcoming assignments and interact with the touch- screen display to accept and respond to load offerings. The same features are available using the mo- bile app, which the com- pany has developed for the iPhone and Android plat- forms and can be down- loaded through iTunes and Google Play. Once a driver downloads the app to a personal device, they go through a registration pro- cess to verify they are active in U.S. Xpress' host system. 62 COMMERCIAL CARRIER JOURNAL | OCTOBER 2012 company is looking at developing a Web interface for most of its software applications, which would enable users, including cus- tomers, to pull information into personal devices for display purposes only. U.S. Xpress would retain the data in its host system. While it is possible to develop applications for virtually any hardware device, U.S. Xpress is not considering changing its in-cab environment, Crane says. Having hardware integrated to the vehicle is critical to ensure that hours- of-service, shipment track- ing and other information for compliance, safety and customer service remains reliable, he says. "There are a lot of challenges for mobility to replace in-cab computers," says Crane, who believes a hybrid approach works best for "taking the in-cab system and extending its radius and ability to convey information to the driver so he is not bound within the constraints of the cab." Retooling drivers The power and affordabil- ity of popular consumer devices such as Apple and Android phones and tablets have expanded the options for fl eets to manage their mobile assets and workers. In many cases, a subscrip- tion plan with no upfront costs represents a big de- parture from the traditional in-cab computing model. About 1½ years ago, QDI began using Xata's Web- based fl eet management sys- tem, Xata Turnpike, primar- ily for electronic driver logs, driver vehicle inspection reports and driver messag- ing and workfl ow. Xata recently changed its name to Xata Road Science, and the Turnpike system now is called XRS; the system integrates with the vehicle's electronics through Relay, a small card- size device that connects to the databus. Relay com- municates vehicle mileage, fuel economy and other information via short-range Bluetooth to an app in- CHATTANOOGA, TENN.-BASED U.S. XPRESS HAS DEVELOPED MOBILE APPLICATIONS FOR EACH TYPE OF MOBILE WORKER – DRIVERS, SALESPEOPLE, MANAGERS, EXECUTIVES, ETC. – ACCORDING TO THEIR INDIVIDUAL NEEDS.