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10/20/2006 Trucking Fleets Going High Tech
The Space Age has come to the trucking industry. Today, the average 18-wheeler operated by a midsize to large motor carrier, has more computing power aboard it than did the Apollo spacecraft that carried men to the moon in 1969. Trucks have become “rolling networks” equipped with sophisticated voice and data communications links, global positioning systems, and onboard monitoring sensors which autonomously communicate the operational status of various vehicle systems with motor carrier dispatch centers.
The dispatch centers themselves are becoming as sophisticated as military command centers. Terminals and displays are able to pinpoint the exact location of any truck in the carrier’s fleet at any given moment. The most efficient routes are planned and sent to individual trucks using advanced software which is able to take into account variables such as weather, road construction, traffic jams and more, all in real time. Motor carriers are able to monitor not only the speed and location of their trucks, but also the acceleration, deceleration, and side to side motion of their vehicles. That type of data could indicate to dispatchers a potential accident situation or near miss.
The new electronic systems found on today’s long-haul trucks are collectively grouped into a category known as “telematics.” Says Michael C. Lewis, president and general manager of PHH First Fleet, a high-tech operational support company specializing in the trucking and transportation industry; “Telematics is the trucking industry’s newest asset in the fight to curtail soaring prices that impact fleet profit margins. Private truck fleets are using the data available through telematics to understand fuel consumption, the effects of new engine emission standards, and driver behavior.”
The reason for the ever-growing technological sophistication of the trucking industry is simple. The bottom-line. Technology has in a sense provided a lifeline to an industry that has over the past few years faced rapidly rising fuel prices, an ever-increasing driver shortage, more and more road congestion, and swiftly changing regulations that affect how motor carriers and their drivers are allowed to operate.
Overall, the impact of the telematics revolution on the trucking industry has been a reduction in operating costs, along with a significant increase in fleet efficiency, driver effectiveness and productivity, and asset utilization.
Initially, because of cost and complexity, it was the larger fleets that led the way in introducing telematics to the trucking industry. Now however the technology has become sophisticated enough and simple enough to install and use, that even medium and smaller motor carriers are adopting it. Cellular based systems which utilize existing cell phone networks in place of satellite based systems, are allowing even the smallest companies to enjoy the benefits of sophisticated routing and dispatching functions.
These cellular based networks use cell phone displays to replace dedicated in-truck terminals or laptop PC’s and allow drivers to see routes, receive instructions from dispatchers, and even record driver log entries such as work start and stop times.
The Future of Telematics
It was the trucking industry that led the way in the large-scale introduction of telematics to U.S. commercial markets. The next generation of telematic systems that will be used by the trucking industry will be even more revolutionary in their effects both on the industry and the economy as a whole.
Telematics is on the verge of making the leap to a fully digital environment that will open up communications between sectors of the trucking industry, its customers and its suppliers that till now have only been dreamed of. For example, real-time asset tracking and the integration of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology will be combined so that both trailers and their cargo will become part of the information flow. This information will be available not only to drivers and their dispatchers, but to manufacturers, customers, and warehouses. All of the participants in the supply chain will have access to real time information regarding location, status, and expected delivery time of any individual part of a given shipment. Says Craig Boddy, vice-president of Teletouch Inc; “There’s going to be a convergence of the shipper’s need to generate more real-time information and the fleet’s need to make the best use of its assets.”
Advanced telematics will move from diagnostic monitoring of truck systems to prognostic monitoring. Technicians and fleet operations managers will be notified electronically of pending systems trouble prior to the actual failure of a part or system. Part of that notification will include insuring that the required replacement part(s) are on hand and ready when the truck arrives at the service bay.
For drivers, advanced telematics will mean they will receive information beyond what the motor carrier operations center provides. For example, information regarding available parking slots and fuel prices at truck stops within a preset distance from the location of the truck will be available at the push of a button, or touch of the screen. Or, as a driver approaches a major urban area his navigation screen will automatically display the location of delays, accidents or road closures and suggested bypass routes.
As telematics play an ever bigger role in trucking operations, fleets of all sizes will have to jump onboard the information superhighway simply to stay competitive. Information is becoming a commodity that is as valuable to motor carriers as the cargo they carry. | 
