About FleetNet America and Networkcar

Database mining by FleetNet America and Networkcar form the basis for the downtime causes information in this article.

"We're the AAA for trucks," is how Oren Summer summarizes FleetNet America. More formally, it is a third-party vehicle maintenance company that coordinates scheduled and nonscheduled service to truck fleets, owner-operators, original equipment truck manufacturers and aftermarket equipment providers.

The company receives nationwide service calls regarding on-the-road breakdowns at its call center, which is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. FleetNet's call coordinators, who average more than 20 years of truck maintenance and repair experience, use a network of more than 60,000 truck repair vendors to assist in providing vehicle repair and emergency road service throughout the continental U.S. and Canada. Through its FleetNet Select Towing and Recovery Program, FleetNet's customers have nationwide access to preferential towing and recovery providers at competitive prices.

Summer started the operation as Carolina Breakdown Service Inc. in 1993. At the time, it was part of Carolina Freight, which was sold to Arkansas Best Corp. in the mid-1990s. By that time, Carolina Breakdown had become FleetNet America, and it remains a subsidiary of Arkansas Best.

Its ability to link with customers through the most modern means available has been a major factor in success, according to Summer.

"We tout ourselves as the technology leader in this industry," he says. "We communicate by satellite and electronically by a proprietary system. We have an interface product through which we become connected to our customers' operational systems.

"That means in real time we feed their system with the information in terms of what is going on," he adds. "The most important part is communication – keeping the customer notified so he can communicate to his customer the status of what's being shipped."

Robert Young, CEO of Arkansas Best, says all the statistics compiled on customers' trucks can help with preventive maintenance and even what to choose when buying something new.

"Oren's very savvy – he understands the value and he understands the possibilities and he has created some incredibly good technology."

But Summer is nowhere near finished. "The thing on my plate right now is something that via satellite would connect to the black box that monitors the engine," he says. "We'd know before the driver finds out that something is wrong. It's exciting to be working on something like this."

Maybe Summer should look closely at Networkcar, which provided the top causes of light vehicle diagnostic codes lighting the "check engine" warning lamp.

San Diego-based Networkcar provides 24/7 services for remotely monitoring the location, performance and security of fleet and consumer vehicles – cars, vans and medium and heavy trucks. Networkcar's wireless fleet management system, Networkfleet, then merges remote diagnostic systems with GPS-based Automatic Vehicle Location technology. Fleet operators and car owners have access online to vehicle location information, Smart Roadside Assistance, stolen vehicle recovery services and vehicle performance updates.

Costs Down, Efficiency Up

The service helps fleet operators reduce operating costs and improve productivity by providing detailed information, ranging from stop reports to fuel efficiency trend data. With Networkcar, fleets and car owners can address safety and security and save time. Additionally, the system can reduce costs with preventive maintenance and early problem detection.

Networkfleet merges GPS technology with affordable wireless coverage, resulting in information on a vehicle's location, stops, idling and mileage that can be quickly analyzed to yield benefits in efficiency and cost reductions. The operations side can run more smoothly by accessing affordable GPS location information.

Networkfleet's data is transmitted over the Velocita Mobitex network, which enables Networkfleet to deliver a truly nationwide service. Mobitex covers more than 93 percent of the U.S. business population and operates in virtually every major metropolitan area. Because Mobitex is a data-only network, it does not compete with voice traffic.

In an area of unreliable (or no) coverage, any unsent data is stored. All pending data is then uploaded to Networkfleet's web site as soon as the vehicle travels back into the coverage footprint. Store and forward capability guarantees the accuracy of your tracking data even if contact is lost for brief periods.

Networkcar has a free white paper entitled "Optimizing Fleet Maintenance with Wireless Vehicle Management." Intended for managers of commercial fleets, the white paper explains how remotely monitoring engine diagnostics can improve preventive maintenance and reduce vehicle repair costs.

The white paper includes topics such as:

- Ways to reduce vehicle maintenance costs

- Lowering vehicle downtime by reducing unauthorized use, monitoring diagnostic trouble codes, and scheduling maintenance

- Improving maintenance accuracy with automatic odometer readings, automatic recall notices, and online maintenance history

- Monitoring engine performance with the Networkfleet wireless vehicle management system

Networkfleet vehicle management system collects and transmits data from a vehicle's engine computer via the OBD port and from a global positioning system receiver on the vehicle. The location and diagnostic details of the vehicle, including precise diagnostic trouble codes, are made available to fleet managers through the Internet in the form of immediate e-mail alerts, summary e-mail reports and a web-based software application.

A free copy of the white paper can be downloaded at: www.networkcar.com/networkcar/pub/whitepaper.