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The trucks can be equipped with in-dashboard PCs with Internet connectivity, among other features. The signal is carried over Sprint Nextel’s nationwide mobile broadband network.
The result should be real-time labor and material-cost capture, inventory updates, invoice generation and work-order edits and completion at job sites ranging from construction to oil rigs, said both companies in interviews and releases.
Package delivery giant UPS Inc., Atlanta, uses an on-board telematics system to capture data on more than 200 vehicle-related elements — everything from speed, RPMs and oil pressure to seatbelt use, the number of times the truck is placed in reverse and the amount of time spent idling, said spokeswoman Donna Barrett.
The system uses a 900 megahertz radio to transmit data that the driver uploads at a terminal at the end of the day.
As a result, UPS is able “to cut fuel consumption, emissions and maintenance costs, as well as improve customer service and driver safety,” she said.
The telematics system also assists maintenance managers by tracking a vehicle’s performance and condition and helping to pinpoint opportunities “to coach drivers to improve safety, customer service and efficiency,” Barrett said.
Wireless Apps for Mixed Fleets
More and more companies are finding ways to leverage their technology in new ways so that a device traditionally used in a cross-dock warehouse environment can be retrofitted to operate on the road.
A handheld device may be embedded not just with a WiFi modem, but a wide area modem, so the driver can handle piece-level tracking from the back of his cab, said Norm Ellis, vice president of sales and services for transportation and logistics at Qualcomm, San Diego.
The result of the synthesis of so much wireless technology is near real-time tracking of shipments and assets, more efficient picking and loading of goods, more efficient inventory management and increased visibility into the supply chain process, said Harold Allen, industry solutions marketing manager for AT&T.
“Wireless technology has eliminated for all intents and purposes the paperwork involved. It's automated the process, eliminated labor and greatly reduced the number of errors associated with manual processing,” Allen said.
One of the key trends in wireless transmission for the transport/logistics sectors is the “blending and conglomeration of networks into multi-network platforms,” said Brian McLaughlin, chief operating officer for mobile communication supplier PeopleNet, Minneapolis.
“We’re bringing together 3G (third generation wireless), satellite and WiFi into one framework that allows for a multi-network call process,” said McLaughlin. For example, a delivery driver in downtown Minneapolis will be routed to a cellular carrier while making his rounds and then onto WiFi if in a warehouse. A delivery driver in the middle of an oilfield will be routed to satellite service.
Wireless carriers like Verizon are pushing pervasive, continuous coverage. Brett Conner, Verizon’s manager of enterprise data solutions in Basking Ridge, N.J., said “by offering the ability to switch from cellular to WiFi they are providing ongoing connectivity from the road to the warehouse.”
The range of content that can be transmitted wirelessly for use in the field also has taken off, said Igor Glubochansky, director of industry solutions at AT&T in Atlanta. The newer generation of 3G wireless products and systems allow for far faster data transmission at greater bandwidth, creating the ability to relay richer applications such as detailed data, graphics and video. Devices will be able to relay voice and data simultaneously and Allen says transmissions will become “more pictorial.”
Amy Zuckerman is a freelance writer based in Massachusetts.
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