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Last December, we visited Steve Minter at the Kentucky Department of Agriculture. Steve has been rolling out our Quadrant solution throughout the state in the vehicles he manages. The Kentucky Department of Agriculture is responsible for a wide range of activities, including:
- Regulation and inspection, (including every retail weigh scale in the state, eggs, amusement rides, pesticide use, and fuel pumps)
- Teens and tobacco
- A veterinary office
- A marketing division, (which runs farmers’ markets and promotes Kentucky agriculture products around the world)
Many people at the Department of Agriculture work remotely and by themselves. There are obvious safety concerns, which Steve has addressed using Quadrant to gain visibility into where vehicles are located. Steve helps ensure safety of workers by conducting remote physical vehicle inventory checks using Quadrant—something that was impossible to do before Quadrant. Steve has used Quadrant reporting to move from re-active to pro-active management of his fleet.
With innovative solutions like this, Steve’s long-term vision will provide a positive impact in all areas for which the Kentucky Department of Agriculture is responsible. Customers, such as Steve, continue to show us new and innovative ways to use Quadrant on a day-to-day basis as a great telematics, automated GPS, and automatic vehicle location solution.
Dwight D. Eisenhower Executive Office Building
Last week, Michael Smith, CTO of the Webtech Wireless NextBus division attended an invitation-only meeting with the US Chief Technology Officer, Aneesh Chopra and Deputy Secretary, John Porcari. NextBus is the #1 provider of public real-time transit information in North America. Using information from transit agencies like Los Angeles, Boston, Toronto, and New York, Michael and the team at NextBus created the best real-time passenger information system in North America. Their leadership is why they were at the White House Executive Office Building meeting with US thought leaders on public access to real-time transit information.
In addition to vendors like NextBus, there was representation from the Association of Public Transit Agencies, Open Plans, and Google. The focus of the meeting was how to make more real-time transit information publicly available. For example, some GPS vendors require transit agencies to sign exclusive contracts that preclude them from sharing the GPS information with the public.
Aneesh Chopra reminded participants that the Obama Administration’s Open Gov initiative suggests that, “Openness empowers people with information to make decisions”. This has proven the case with examples such as JP Lick’s Ice Cream Store in Boston, which uses NextBus information to provide customers with real-time arrival information. Store patrons can enjoy their ice cream while an illuminated sign in the store scrolls through the times of the next two buses on Route 39, which passes their store (full story here).
NextBus has shown the way in providing openly accessible data feeds. The White House wants to see more leadership like this in real-time transit information systems.
At the Fleet & Asset Management 2011 conference, Conal Deedy, Solution Manager for Volvo Group Telematics gave the presentation “Fuel Management Systems: The Indispensible Investment”. In his talk, Deedy highlighted the fact that 31% of operational costs in trucking are fuel. In a low margin business like trucking, the effect of lowering fuel consumption by 5% can lead to an increase of 18% in company profitability.
Deedy asserted that these are the biggest factors affecting fuel consumption:
- Vehicle specification and configuration
- Aerodynamics
- Weather, road, and traffic conditions
- Vehicle maintenance
- Driver behavior
Take something as simple as tire pressure. According to Deedly, 50% of all truck tires are more than 10% under-inflated. A -10 PSI tire inflation equates to a -1% mpg reduction in fuel economy.
As we have documented in our white paper “Telematics ROI: The Human Factor” each 1 mph increase in speed over 55 mph reduces fuel economy by 0.1 mpg. Deedly stated that the most efficient drivers get about 30% better fuel economy and idling can account for 30-60% of a vehicle’s operating hours.
To save costs and increase profits, trucking companies need to focus on fuel savings. The best performing ones know that altering driver behavior requires both coaching and monitoring of drivers. Telematics solutions like ours give you the tools to both monitor and provide drivers with feedback to improve their fuel economy.
Wayne County in Detroit, Michigan has released an innovative new portal called Compass. Combining information from many different sources, including real-time information from our InterFleet solution, citizens can see what is happening on their streets as they happen.
Dealing with snow and keeping roads clear is a challenge for Wayne County. In the article Wayne County drivers get high-tech link to roads, The Detroit News documents how Wayne County is deploying Compass so that citizens can both see what roads have been plowed and view projections of where the snow plows will be next.
Wayne County, like many of our clients, use the unique features of InterFleet to provide a seamless view to stakeholders by using the information interfaces of InterFleet to connect disparate systems together. The creativity of customers like Wayne County results in an enhanced user experience for the viewer.
As the article reminds us, InterFleet also provides critical information such as the speed of snow plows, salt usage, and coverage. Customers use this information over time to reduce their winter material costs by up to 30%.
How can you use real-time GPS and Automatic Vehicle Location information to create information for your stakeholders?
At the TMW Transforum 2011 conference, I was interviewed by Michael Carpentier, CEO of Big Truck TV on risks that keeps fleet managers away at night. Michael has published the interview where I share my thoughts on how to mitigate risk and let managers sleep at night.
The American Transportation Research Institute just released their 2011 Critical Issues in the Trucking Industry 2011 Report. This annual report surveys more than 4,000 carriers to produce a rank ordering of the key issues the trucking industry sees for itself.
For Webtech Wireless, it was good to see that Onboard Truck Technology is a top 10 issue from the survey respondents. In fact, the graph above shows that for 85% of the trucking industry, onboard technology ranks 5 or higher. For 70% of the industry, it ranks 7 or higher.
Automated GPS and AVL solutions, like the ones we offer, can have an impact on several other of the critical issues raised in the survey. For example,
#2. Hours of Service. Both Quadrant In Cab and Quadrant Manager offer key HOS capabilities, including predictive in cab alerts.
#3. Driver Shortage. Customers tell us that it is the best drivers that stay around when they deploy a telematics solution. A professionally run organization that uses telematics and reporting to level the playing field, making all drivers accountable, is more likely to attract better drivers.
#4. CSA. Good compliance with CSA rules can be enabled through a telematics deployment and automated HOS solution (see #2).
#5. Fuel. Customers use our solutions to monitor idling, driver behaviour and fuel economy, which enables them to increase their fleet fuel economy and lower their fuel costs.
#9. Onboard Truck Technology. Need we say more?
We are pleased to be positioned to help customers solve five out of the top ten issues that the American Transportation Research Institute has identified for 2011.
Our brand appears in everything we do with customers. This blog, our web site, our products, communications pieces, quotes, invoices, and statements all have our brand logo. If we had a fleet of vehicles, our brand would be highly visible on each and every vehicle too.
Our customers are in the same situation. Whether in transportation, oil and gas, transit, winter fleets, or government, the corporate or organizational brand is shown on each fleet asset. When those assets are operated in the way management requires they operate, those brand assets do a lot for an organization. But what if they are not being operated appropriately? What happens to your brand reputation?
We recently had a situation in which the president of an oil and gas field services company was driving down a two-lane highway in the oil patch of northern Alberta. He was driving along, obeying the speed limit, when one of his own company vehicles pulled out and passed him, rocking his car in the wake of the huge vehicle’s slip stream as it took off down the highway. A short phone call later, the president knew exactly who had blown by him on that narrow northern highway.
It is management’s responsibility to know what is going on with their assets. With highly visible brands painted on the side of our vehicle assets out in the public, it is only with GPS based real-time reporting solutions that you can gain visibility and accountability into those brand assets. Do you know where your brand is today?
David Wangler, President & CEO, TMW Systems
There was a lot of excitement in Texas this week where the TMW Transforum 2011 conference took place. Over 1,600 people attended this year’s show to learn from hundreds of presentations, network with other TMW users, and to discover solutions at the vendor show. We have been integrating our solutions with TMW solutions and last week we announced our First TMW Suite Customer.
The opening session was hosted by David Wangler, President and CEO of TMW Systems. He gave an overview of the US trucking industry. David sees four key focus areas for the trucking industry:
- Maximize Utilization. This includes revenue per asset and rates per mile. David sees the TMW driver management tools as key in this area.
- Maintenance Costs. David sees the growth of Electronic On Board Recorders (EOBR), such as those we provide, as key to helping drive down maintenance costs. He specifically mentioned electronic driver trip reports being used to automatically notify maintenance of problems as soon as they occur in the field as a way to lower maintenance costs.
- Driver Performance. Drivers are still one of the keys to the entire industry. David sees driver report cards as they relate to key business metrics as key to maximizing the business value to customers.
- Freight Network. Gaining insight into rates, costs, timing, and keeping all of this in balance while maximizing the use of your network is the final key area David sees moving forward.
At the conference, TMW Systems presented their first ever customer technology awards. These were given out for each of the major TMW product lines. The winners were:
- Asset Management: Gibsons Transportation Services, Calgary, Alberta (1,900 trucks)
- Optimization: Boyd Brothers Transportation (1,000 tractors)
- Appian: Kellogg Company (42 distribution centers and 800 vehicles) with a 5.6% reduction in routes
- TL2000: Southern Tank Transport Inc (270 tractors and 388 trailers)
- Innovative: Big G Express (400 tractors and 850 trailers)
- Truckmate: Bay and Bay Transfer (300 trucks and 2 brokerages)
- TMW Suite: Cardinal Logistics
We met with conference attendees and demonstrated our solutions to many TMW customers. Webtech Wireless’ solutions focus matches well with the direction David Wangler is taking TMW Systems. We are expanding our integration solutions with TMW solutions. Look for more news in the coming months.
Saint John Transit bus on King Street soon to be equipped with NextBus AVL solution
Back in February 2010, Webtech Wireless expanded its InterFleet® implementation with the city of Saint John, New Brunswick to include an additional 100 public works and police vehicles—a contract valued at over $100,000. Now to complement the city’s Interfleet solution, Saint John Transit also plans to deploy a Webtech Wireless solution—NextBus.
NextBus will provide Saint John Transit with an AVL tracking solution for its 60 buses, allowing riders to check bus arrivals in real-time. Using PCs, landline phones, cell phones, or SMS text messaging, riders get real-time travel information (each bus is fitted with a satellite tracking system) designed to help them decide whether catching the next bus is a sprint or leisurely stroll. Currently, riders can only view a static schedule of intended bus arrivals and departures on the company’s web site.
NextBus will also install five LCD screens at various locations around the city, including McAllister Place Mall and the university campus (UNBSJ) and LED screens at bus stops. To help make public transport more attractive to potential riders (and as a nod to Saint John Transit’s already existing environmental initiatives), the service will add to the city’s existing hot spots with free WIFI for riders on all its buses.
About NextBus
A subsidiary of Webtech Wireless, San Francisco-based NextBus implements real-time passenger information systems used by dozens of transit agencies, universities and other transit operators across North America. Because traffic variations, breakdowns, and day-to-day problems faced by any transit provider can interrupt service, NextBus was designed to help keep riders on schedule even if their buses aren’t. NextBus uses satellite technology and advanced computer modeling to track vehicles on their routes.
About Saint John
Historic Saint John has been a transportation hub since long before confederation
As Canada’s oldest incorporated city and New Brunswick’s largest municipality, the city of Saint John has been providing municipal services for more than two centuries. According to Statistics Canada, the Saint John municipal area has a population of 122,389, with a population density of 36.4 persons per square kilometre.
The Port of Saint John is one of Canada’s most important ports (its relatively mild maritime climate keeps its deep-water harbour ice-free year round when inland ports in the St. Lawrence Seaway must contend with ice). This keeps the city’s businesses and industries bustling throughout the year. In 2010 for the first time ever, the Port of Saint John exceeded 30 million metric tonnes of cargo in a single year.
About Saint John Transit
Saint John Transit was established in 1979 to provide scheduled transit service to the city. It replaced City Transit Limited (1948-1979) and a string of others dating back to the People’s Street Railway Company (1869-1876). Saint John Transit is the largest public transit system in the province, both by mileage and passengers.
Saint John Transit bus now equipped with NextBus wireless AVL solution
Saint John Transit Statistics
Saint John Transit’s ridership is approximately 50 percent higher than the average for Canadian cities with a population of between 50,000 and 150,000.
- Number of vehicles: 60
- Ridership: 2.5 million riders per year
Current active fleet bus types:
- GMDD/MCI/Nova Bus Classic
- Nova Bus LFS Artic (Ex. NovaBUS demo 40881 and 40882)
- Nova Bus RTS
- Orion VII and Orion VII “Next Generation”
Greening Saint John
Source: Statistics Canada, 2006 Census of Population.
To reduce auto emissions, the City of Saint John, along with the Federal and Provincial governments, is investing in public transportation between uptown Saint John and outlying communities. Branded as ComeX (Community Express), it provides a rapid bus transport service during peak commuting times. With the implementation of ComeX, greenhouse gas emissions are projected to drop by 1,500 metric tonnes and downtown traffic will decrease by 800 vehicles a day over the next five years.
Additional reading:
Webtech Wireless has once again secured a solid spot in the rankings of the Branham 300 Canadian tech company listings. In 2010, Webtech Wireless moved up 39 spots from the previous year, to come in at number 100 in the Top 250 Tech Companies ranking. The increase also landed us on the Top 20 List of 2010 Movers and Shakers.
The Branham 300 is compiled each year by the Branham Group Inc. and published in the April issue of Backbone Magazine.
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