This story, written by Joe Howard, Staff Writer, appeared in the Aug. 17 edition of Transport Topics and presents a very convincing argument about the value of Location Based Services (LBS) in the trucking industry.

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PALM HARBOR, Fla. — Despite privacy and other concerns about the technology within the trucking industry, fleets should consider investing in electronic onboard records for a number of important reasons, economist Noel Perry said.

Speaking here during American Trucking Associations’ Information Technology & Logistics Council’s annual conference, Perry said the tough economic climate was all the more reason fleets should consider EOBRs’ potential efficiencies.

“Fleets have wrung out all of the waste available with conventional management techniques,” said Perry, a principal with Transport Fundamentals, Green Bay, Wis. “It’s not about tires anymore. It’s about where that truck is and what it’s doing.”

He said the efficiencies and protections EOBRs offer outweigh the uncertainty some in the industry have toward the technology.

The devices can also offer information on driver performance, behavior and health.
Perry said all of these kinds of traceable records could also prove helpful for investigating incidents involving either drivers or trucks, and said the time could eventually come when not having an EOBR in the cab will seem negligent.

“The lawyers will push it,” he said. “It will be a sign of irresponsibility not to have it.”
He also said that governments are becoming more interested for a variety of reasons, including for security and emission controls. At the same time, economic shortfalls are causing some to view EOBR’s wireless accessibility as a means to levy taxes.

“Governments are running out of money,” Perry said. He warned that if tax coffers continue turning up short, the transportation sector may be targeted to replenish the funds.
Perry said accessibility to onboard recorders will make it “a trivial matter” for governments to tax trucks.

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Additionally, there is a very good webinar presentation by Perry that can be found on the U.S. Department of Transportation’s website titled: July 2009 Transportation Market Outlook.

According to Perry, even though the trucking industry has taken quite a hit in this recession, there certainly seems to be light at the end of the tunnel. Part of the road out of the recession is the industry’s successful adoption of innovative new technologies like LBS and Telematics, which WebTech Wireless has pioneered. In addition to reducing costs, there is the added benefit of reducing CO2 and contaminant emissions.