Fuel Optimization
For the best deals on diesel, all you need is a PC and an Internet connection
John Bendel
Technology Editor
Fuel optimization is as close as the nearest Internet-connected computer. Anyone with a credit card - or soon with a PayPal account - can set up an account with a fuel routing service and immediately start taking advantage of the differences in truckstop fuel prices.
"Fuel prices continue to rise," said Dave Harris of Integrated Decision Support Corp., Richardson, Texas, "But even when they come down, the variations will remain."
Those variations can be determined and exploited by sophisticated computer algorithms that consider a truck's starting point and delivery point then weigh a number of factors. Among them are daily diesel prices along the route, but also the capacity of a truck's tanks, the amount of fuel in them at the start and the miles per gallon the truck averages.
The programs - which include mapping and routing applications - then create a detailed route that includes precise instructions on where to stop for fuel and how much to buy. According to Harris, fuel routing optimization can save between 4 and 11 cents per gallon.
That kind of savings is based on prices at all fuel outlets being considered. Customers can also limit fueling choices to preferred networks, through services like T-Chek or Comdata, for example. But even within such networks, differences exist from one truckstop to another. Harris said those differences average between 4 and 7 cents per gallon.
So it's no surprise that more and more fleets and owner-operators use fuel optimized routing. Chris Lee, ProMiles' marketing director, said that demand for fuel optimization products has grown between 400% and 500% recently. At least part of that increase has been in demand for fuel optimization over the Internet.
Both ProMiles and Prophesy added fuel information to their Internet routing products in 1998. Both are still in business on the web.
Prophesy calls its online product mile.comGOLD, and it says pricing starts at $39.95 a month. A sample report on the Prophesy web site shows a demonstration trip from Boston to Los Angeles with the current prices at virtually every accessible truckstop along the way and in order, though the prices shown - some under $1 a gallon - are downright nostalgic.
ProMiles Online, according to Lee, offers unlimited use by fleets of any size for approximately $39 a month. ProMiles says a route generated by ProMiles Online can easily be e-mailed - presumably to a truck on the road.
Integrated Decision Support, or IDSC as it's known, was the first company to launch a fuel optimized routing solution when it introduced Expert Fuel in 1994. But Expert Fuel is a licensed product that runs on the customer's computer (see "Fuel Optimization On Your Computer" below).
IDSC developed an Internet version of Expert Fuel, called Fuel Advice, in 2002. Fuel Advice charges $9.95 a month per truck - which encourages larger fleets to choose the license product, but makes Fuel Advice a good buy for single-truck operators.
The latest entry into the online fuel optimization business is Maptuit Corp. The Burlington, Mass., company may be best known in trucking for its FleetNav Directions product, which provides truckload drivers with turn-by-turn, street-level directions over popular mobile communications systems, most notably, perhaps, Qualcomm's OmniTRACS. Maptuit officially introduced its FleetNav suite of software solutions in 2003.
Maptuit is a different case because its trucking solutions are all on the Internet; they're hosted applications. They run on Maptuit's computers and are accessed by customers over the Internet.
"FleetNav Fuel is relatively new. It has been out there for really hard use for about six months," said Rick Turic, Maptuit's chief technology officer.
But FleetNav Fuel is not really comparable to the online products offered by ProMiles, Prophesy and IDSC. Even though it is accessed over the Internet, FleetNav Fuel is available only as part of the FleetNav suite aimed at fleets of 500 trucks or more.
But Maptuit announced in March it intends to launch an online fuel routing application called FleetNav Express for pay-as-you-go use by owner-operators and small fleets. The company says FleetNav Express will offer an online and mobile phone solution providing accurate directions and optimized fuel plans for single-point or multi-point routes on truck-designated roads. Truckers will be able to pay by credit card or through PayPal, the popular method of Internet payment that was originally developed for customers of (and is now owned by) eBay, the online marketplace.
FleetNav Express is expected to launch in the second quarter of this year.
"It's my No. 1 priority for development. I've resourced it and we're full speed ahead on it right now," said Turic.
Fuel Optimization On Your Computer
• IDSC offers Expert Fuel, a licensed product that runs on a fleet's own computer system, frequently an IBM AS/400.
• Manhattan Associates, Atlanta, Ga., markets a licensed application called Fuel&Route that runs on a fleet's own Windows NT or Unix server.
• ProMiles Software Development Corp., Bridge City, Texas, markets the Fuel Opt module that comes with ProMiles Mileage Guide software. ProMiles runs on a PC in a Windows environment. ProMiles also offers a more advanced Fuel Management program that includes rack prices for fuel, updated hourly.
• Prophesy Transportation Software, Bloomfield, Conn., offers FuelLogic based on the company's Prophesy Mileage software with daily fuel price data provided by T-Chek Systems Inc. FuelLogic runs on a PC in Microsoft Windows.
Qualcomm's Irwin Jacobs Retires Again - Sort Of
Qualcomm has announced that company CEO and co-founder, Irwin Jacobs, will leave his post as executive head of the company in July. His son, Paul E. Jacobs, 42, will become Qualcomm's CEO. The elder Jacobs, 71, will remain as chairman.
Jacobs spoke with HDT in 1997, the 10th anniversary of Qualcomm's successful relationship with Schneider International, the fleet that bought Qualcomm's first mobile communications system and made it work. Only a few quotes were published then. Here, Jacobs recalls the days that marked the start of a new era in trucking.
Jacobs said he started life as a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, was drawn in to the business world and retired in 1985.
"I retired in April and stayed retired for about three months," he said. Jacobs and a group of seven others started Qualcomm in July of the same year.
The company did not have a specific product in mind, but its work moved in three directions. The first was a low earth orbit satellite project that eventually became the GlobalStar system. In the second, Qualcomm's work in voice communications led to the company's code division multiple access wireless technology, known as CDMA - used today by Sprint and Verizon in the U.S. and other wireless networks around the world.
The Roots Of OmniTRACS
The third project led to the OmniTRACS system that revolutionized the truckload industry. Qualcomm wasn't the first satellite mobile communications provider. GeoStar operated a one-way system that beamed messages to trucks, but could not carry messages back. Qualcomm provided the first two-way system and trucking's first successful satellite communications venture. It wasn't easily accomplished.
"There are a number of very tricky technological issues," Jacobs said. "If the truck drove through an underpass, the antenna could very quickly re-acquire the satellite and continue communications. The communications had to be robust enough that you would always get an accurate message through, even if you had these occasional interruptions. Finally, it had to be very rugged and very inexpensive compared to other satellite terminals. That was challenging.
"This was really before there were large numbers of PCs for people to become used to. People said you don't want anything that looks like a computer terminal in the cab. You probably don't want anything that has an alphabetic key pad. You simply want to read messages and send back very simple information. The more we thought about a lot of that, the more we thought it would be too limiting."
Qualcomm opted for its familiar console keyboard.
"People originally voiced concerns about drivers having difficulty operating the system because it was too complicated. That has never been an issue. Drivers always learned how to use the system and took to it very, very quickly."
A Spy In The Sky?
"The other issue that came up was Big Brother, namely drivers being concerned about the operators knowing the location of the truck all times. I think that was - and is - a real concern, but it never developed into a problem. As operators and drivers began to use the system there were enough positive rewards from the system. You arrive someplace you could sleep, you didn't have to wake up every hour to find out where you're going to go next. The system would remember it. If you were really needed, you could be beeped.
"One of our concerns was that (drivers) would want to hit the antennas with a baseball bat or to run them into a tree or something like that. That has never been a problem. That has actually been one of the more personally rewarding aspects of OmniTRACS. The fact that they have been very well accepted by the drivers and found to be valuable to the drivers I find very positive."
Creating the system was just part of the effort. Jacobs had to sell the idea to the industry and the public. The job began in 1987 when Jacobs and his team mounted one of the first production units on a truck and drove to Washington, D.C., for a press conference.
"We were warned that driving cross-country we might have trouble; we should take along a cellular telephone so the driver could stay in communications. I think after we left San Diego County back in those days, the cellular telephone stopped working. Our system worked all the way cross-country."
It was a hint of the success to come. Jacobs placed test units in the Schneider National fleet that year, beginning a relationship between the two companies that continues today.
"As I drive down any highway now, in fact increasingly anywhere in the world, I still spend a good part of lifetime looking for OmniTRACS units and always getting this happy smile when I spot one," Jacobs said.
Video-To-Hard Drive TS2 Keeps An Eye On Trucks, Other Drivers
Transportation Safety & Surveillance Inc., Topeka, Kan., has introduced a mobile video surveillance product to meet the challenges of incident analysis and prevention as well as driver behavior and training.
The TS2 8000 Series Mobile Digital Video Recorder is a multi-camera video recorder that protects the driver, the truck and the cargo by monitoring and capturing video of the truck and its surroundings.
With video captured by the TS2, drivers can be counseled on driving behavior and in all aspects of safety - whether driving defensively, loading and unloading cargo or performing a vehicle inspection.
Video can be used for one-on-one coaching or in a classroom setting to train new drivers and develop the skills of experienced ones.
TS2 can capture days or even weeks of video on its hard disk drive, allowing companies to quickly reconstruct situations as needed, reducing claim processing times and virtually eliminating any false claims or fraud. The TS2 stores and archives video leading up to a particular alarm or event. The device is network capable and can automatically transfer images to a video server over a wireless or cellular network. Video can then be transferred to a CD or DVD for use.
TransCore's Link Logistics Launches Link OpsCenter Broker
TransCore's Canadian-based Link Logistics has launched Link OpsCenter Broker, a web-based application for freight brokers that combines the LoadLink freight-matching service and LinkDispatch management services, providing access to separate applications all contained within a single screen.
Link OpsCenter simplifies management of a freight brokerage operation by reducing the number of steps necessary to complete multiple tasks. Instead of having to open multiple applications to manage a shipment, a dispatcher can open a single frame and view all the necessary information with immediate access to the various functions needed.
Once a shipment is entered into the system, users can post it automatically to both the LoadLink and DAT freight-matching systems. Users can then retrieve the leads generated and import the corresponding carrier information.
Link OpsCenter Broker supports operation in both Canadian and U.S. dollars. The online billing system allows users to customize billing and print detailed invoices and statements. Since Link OpsCenter Broker is accessed via the Web, there is no software to download. Link OpsCenter is available with monthly pay-as-you-go pricing or as part of the LinkPlatinum Broker Package.
Bolt System Follows Load And Driver From The Trailer
Bolt Systems, Hermitage, Tenn., has introduced a low-cost, trailer-oriented fleet management system. Bolt offers a GPS device that attaches to the roof of a van trailer and provides location information over the Aeris Microburst network - the maximum ground-based coverage commercially available and the same footprint as Qualcomm's new T2 Untethered TrailerTRACS product.
The Bolt device can be equipped with sensors for trailer temperature or a gyroscopic instrument that records driver behavior in fine detail. The Bolt device is totally self-contained; it has no connection to the tractor, thus works without any driver input.
Updates from the trailer-mounted device go through Aeris to Bolt where they are integrated with Bolt's management software and made available to the customer over the Internet. Customers require only a PC or laptop and an Internet connection. According to the Bolt web site at www.boltsystems.com, Bolt's letters stand for Best OnLine Tracking.
Bolt says its software provides a slew of management tools including operations tracking, driver compensation and fuel tax reporting.
Bolt is run by Robertson Group LLC, a privately held company in the truckload business with 10 trucks in the lower 48. The company also serves as an Internet services provider.
Comdata And RAIR Partner For Driver Log Auditing Service
Comdata Corp., Brentwood, Tenn., a provider of electronic payment transactions, announced an alliance with RAIR Technologies to provide fleets with accurate, easy-to-administer, DOT-compliant driver log systems. Document management company RAIR Technologies, Boca Raton, Fla., specializes in the maintenance of driver log and driver qualification records for fleets.
The new driver log auditing product offered through Comdata's Regulatory Compliance Services division eliminates paper records and puts all driver log data on a fleet's computer desktop within 48 hours of submitting driver logs. Payment for the service is transacted on the fleet's Comdata card.
Fleets submit driver logs - including fueling, roadside inspection and random drug test information - and access any needed data via the Internet within 48 hours, eliminating paper record-keeping and having all DOT compliance data a few keystrokes away.
Because the system is Internet based, it is more flexible than traditional paper-based systems. All information is viewable, but only to authorized individuals. The system offers access to a mountain of log data that can be organized into key reports or downloaded and customized to fit a fleet's log management needs.
The system offers routine audit trails on important regulatory items, including the number and percent of DOT critical log violations, summary reports of missing, duplicated and/or incomplete logs, and any necessary driver counseling through a series of counseling letters that address a range of violation issues.
Cadec Introduces Mobius SP Onboard Computer System
Cadec Corp., Londonderry, N.H., has announced the availability of the Mobius SP onboard computer. According to Cadec, the new product provides a cost-effective paperless solution that automates regulatory compliance and helps manage operations.
Mobius SP features paperless electronic DOT logs, IFTA state fuel tax recording, accident reconstruction analysis with real-time communications between the office and drivers as well as real-time vehicle location information. Using the onboard computer touch screen, drivers can display their DOT logs in graphical or text form for quicker, more effective roadside inspections.
Les Dole, Cadec president and CEO, said, "We've tailored this straightforward solution to customers who are looking for a low-cost basic system. As customers' needs grow and develop they can easily upgrade to the versatile Mobius TTS. That platform provides all the features within Mobius SP, but also includes advanced add-on features such as dual-mode communications, point-of-delivery and routing and dispatching software."
Intermec Introduces CK60, Sturdy Handheld Computer
Intermec Technologies Corp. has introduced the company's most rugged mobile computer, the CK60, designed specifically for the physically demanding requirements of the direct store delivery market.
The Intermec CK60 is constructed with a magnesium top cover, rubber bumpers on each corner and a case sealed against water and dust to IP64 standards. It is designed for fast input and retrieval of information with a QVGA touch-screen display, enabling it to run both text-based applications and graphical interfaces, and a big keypad that allows one- and two-handed input of large amounts of data.
To avoid loss of data, the Windows CE 5.0-based device has onboard, non-volatile memory called Persistent Storage which preserves applications and databases even if the battery becomes depleted. The mobile computer also has an SDIO card slot to enable the use of removable storage cards for large databases. The CK60 uses Intermec's SmartSystem for automatic installation, routine maintenance and application software updates, security adjustments and device settings. Various connectivity methods are integrated into the computer including high-speed Ethernet, USB and RS232 serial connections as well as Bluetooth wireless personal area communications.
