Subject: [NEXTEL-1] More than TALK

From: [email-masked]
Date: Wed, 07 Apr 2004 21:36:31 -0400

More than TALK
April 5, 2004 3:20am
FLEET OWNER

Fleet management systems based on tracking vehicles and trading wireless
messages with their drivers have proved to be one of the industry's most
important productivity tools, boosting vehicle utilization rates while
simultaneously offering improved customer service options.

But what about fleet applications that require drivers to spend
significant amounts of time away from their trucks and the onboard
wireless hardware? Knowing where the truck is parked isn't much help if
you need remote access to the driver, and while a mobile phone offers
voice communications, it falls far short when what you need is a way to
automate basic job-related information.

While field service, local delivery and other similar fleets found only
limited and often expensive options for their particular applications,
the recent development of two complementary technologies for hand-held
mobile phones is now quickly extending the productivity benefits of
wireless fleet management to just those types of operations.

The first enabling technology is the addition of GPS tracking to the
phones, which allows them to acquire and transmit precise location
information. The second is a compact Java-based operating system that
allows hand-held phones to run applications uploaded wirelessly over the
communications network to individual handsets.

Motorola, with hardened GPS/Java handsets like the i55sr, and Nextel,
which supports both technologies with its wireless network, now offer a
relatively low-cost platform with just the right characteristics for
driver-centric fleet applications. And software providers have responded
by developing a range of fleet management systems to take best advantage
of the new hardware and technology.

Some are new mobile phone versions of well-established onboard systems,
while others are completely new applications. The following descriptions
include both types, offering a good sample of mobile phone fleet
management systems developed for a variety of specific vertical markets.

You'll find information on basic features, intended fleet applications
and relative costs. It's far from comprehensive, though, since the
marketplace for these phone-based fleet management systems is moving
fast, with new systems being introduced on a monthly basis.

The one common denominator that should be noted is that all the systems
described currently operate on the Nextel wireless network and Motorola
phones, although all could also migrate to other networks and portable
hardware if or when it became widely available.

SYSTEM: GeoManager Pocket Edition, @Pathway
DEVELOPER @Road
FLEET APPLICATIONS:

Local distribution, field service, waste management, construction
GeoManager Pocket Edition is a mobile phone-based version of GeoManager,
@Road's full-featured vehicle-based fleet management system. @Pathway is
a new, simpler phone-based system designed for entry-level applications.

Both automate capture and processing of data in the field, allowing
fleets to move away from paper and pen or voice mail systems, says J.D.
Fay, VP of corporate affairs. They also free users from the cost and
headaches of maintaining a wireless IT structure since @Road hosts the
actual fleet management applications which users access with a web
browser and Internet connection. The Java phone applications upload to
the handsets over the wireless network and are launched automatically
when the phones are turned on.

Both GeoManager Pocket Edition and @Pathway display real-time location
for each mobile unit on a map that can be customized by the user to show
specific landmarks, such as customer locations or work-sites.

@Pathway users are limited to 100 landmarks, and GeoManager offers no
limits to customer-defined landmarks. Both systems also provide mileage,
time-in-transit and stop/ start reports for each unit that can be viewed
online with a browser and downloaded in simple formats for export to
other software applications. All location information is stored on the
phones when they roam outside of wireless coverage areas.

The company has also announced a new time-stamp feature for both
systems, allowing drivers to record work and job status information with
a one-button command. Timesheet and job status reports can be accessed
online and exported to other applications.

Additional functions for GeoManager Pocket Edition include two-way text
messaging that allows fleets to design simple fill-in forms for drivers.
Data collected by the forms can be automatically exported to back office
systems for billing, inventory and other applications.

The high-end system also offers vehicle maintenance management and
scheduling based on location information and real-time mileage reports,
eliminating the need for daily vehicle mileage checks and improving
maintenance planning.
Monthly fees for GeoManager Pocket Edition run between $40 and $45.95
per unit: @Pathway is $14.95/mo. per unit. Appropriate data plans for
the Nextel wireless service start at approximately $15, according to
@Road.
www.road.com

SYSTEM: WorkTrack
DEVELOPER: Aligo
FLEET APPLICATIONS: Field service

WorkTrack uses GPS-verified location and time information to collect
timesheet and job data based on specific work rules and billing
practices for various vertical field service markets. Its initial focus
is on electrical, plumbing and HVAC field service providers;
construction and other work groups organized around a group foreman will
be its next targets.

“Each vertical has somewhat different needs based on its own work rules
or practices,” says Joyce Kim, vp-marketing. “Our system is flexible
enough to adapt to an employer's current usage model or business, so we
can give them the same job codes and other data they're currently
using.”

Like all Java-based phone applications, WorkTrack is downloaded to each
unit over the air. Simple one-button commands allow workers to enter job
and work status, which is stamped with GPS location and time
information. If a phone is out of coverage, the data is stored until it
detects a network signal.

The management application for WorkTrack is hosted by Aligo and accessed
through a browser and Internet connection. It offers a dashboard view of
workers' locations and status, and can be used to add, remove or
reschedule jobs for individual workers. Fleets can choose to generate
time, job and location reports from the hosted application or export
data to automate billing and payroll functions.

The monthly cost for WorkTrack is $15 per worker plus Nextel charges for
wireless data service.
www.worktrack.com

SYSTEM: Enterprise Transportation Solution Set
DEVELOPER: Enterprise Information Solutions
FLEET APPLICATIONS: P&D for TL, LTL, private fleets

Actually an optional component in a complete fleet management system,
EIS' mobile phone-based module is designed to integrate with other
mobile computing platforms and a complete suite of back-office
applications.
For example, one fleet uses onboard computers for company-owned tractors
and provides GPS/Java handsets for its contracted carriers. “Dispatch
and other back-end applications don't see any difference between the two
[platforms],” says Marc Mitchell, transportation practice director.

The EIS system is somewhat different than other mobile phone services.
It is not a web-based application, but rather a true client/server
application running on a fleet's own server in most cases, and is
intended for what the company calls “heavy-duty transactional systems,”
or in layman's terms, applications like P&D that require a good deal of
data and computing power.
Since the mobile Java operating environment is relatively limited, the
EIS approach allows the phone to function as a “rich client,” sending
data back to a server to handle chores like determining rates or
assessorial charges. As a rich client and not simply a dumb terminal,
the phone can also store entered data and collected GPS locations when
it is beyond network coverage areas.

For-hire P&D fleets with 100 or more trucks generally host the entire
enterprise management system themselves, but EIS also offers hosted
service for smaller fleets.

Since most fleets purchase the mobile-phone component as part of the
overall system, there are no monthly fees beyond the cost of Nextel
service. Mitchell points out that EIS's enterprise solution can run on
an open system, significantly reducing licensing costs for operating
systems, databases and web server applications.
www.eissolutions.com/trans por tation

SYSTEM: etrace 4.0
DEVELOPER: Gearworks
FLEET APPLICATIONS: Distribution, retail delivery, P&D, field service

Released in March, the newest version of etrace is organized into three
levels or packages to allow fleets to start with basic mobile phone
services and add functions at a later date, according to Scott Hull,
vp-marketing. “All three are what we call high-level mobile workforce
management solutions that help workers do their jobs, not just track
their vehicles,” he says.
The basic level, etrace: worksight, provides real-time location and
work-status information on web-based maps. It allows a fleet to set
individual work zones or geofences for automating on-duty status or
worksheets, and tracking authorized and unauthorized stops within that
zone. It also provides drivers with GPS-enabled driving directions and
supports two-way messaging.

Dispatch functions are added with etrace: workflow. It can handle job
scheduling and can be configured for specific fleet requirements. It's
also supports mobile printers for producing service receipts at customer
sights. Most importantly, this module adds integration for billing, work
order and other backend enterprise systems.

The most advanced level, etrace:worksmart, uses the audio abilities of
the smart GPS/Java mobile phone to add interactive voice response. Both
voice and keyed data input can be processed by backend applications to
generate invoices, credit-card authorizations and other point-of-sale
documents that can be printed for customers with a mobile printer.

All three packages are hosted by Gearworks and accessed through a
browser and Internet connection. The basic package is $14.95/mo. per
user, plus $12.99/mo. for Nextel data service. Adding the dispatch level
raises the monthly Gearworks fee to $39; the fee for using all three
levels is $59/mo. Nextel monthly charges for the mid- and top-level
packages is $22.99, according to Gearworks.

www.gearworks.com
SYSTEM: TeleNavTrack
DEVELOPER: Televigation
FLEET APPLICATIONS: Field service, P&D, high-value delivery service

Offered in basic, plus and premium levels, TeleNavTrack emphasizes the
GPS capabilities of the new smart phones, according to Sal Dhanani, sr.
director of marketing. All three can also operate on RIM Blackberry
networks or with non-Java phones using Nextel's WAP data service.
Televigation hosts the services, which are accessed with a web browser
and Internet connection.

The basic level provides employee tracking in real-time and electronic
timesheet functions for automating payroll. It can be integrated with
many existing dispatch systems and exports data in MS Excel format for
billing or payroll functions.
The plus level adds dispatching and job time tracking to the basic
functions. Drivers send preformatted responses over their phones, which
are also time and location stamped. Both location and job status are
then displayed on the system's Web-based map, giving dispatchers and
managers a quick view of their entire field workforce.

Fleets that have a high-value time component and that must quickly
locate non-standard route locations get turn-by-turn directions with
TeleNavTrack's premium service. If a specific address is tagged to a
dispatch, the driver's phone will provide spoken directions based on
real-time GPS locations. Companies delivering construction equipment
rentals that carry high per-hour charges or technicians installing home
or business equipment are good examples of applications for the premium
direction service, according to Dhanani.

Cost for the basic service is $9.99/mo. per unit, plus $9.99 for Nextel
data communications. The plus level is $12.99/mo. with similar Nextel
charges. The premium level is $21.99/mo. with Nextel data service rising
to approximately $20, according to Televigation.

www.telenavtrack.net
SYSTEM: MobileCast
DEVELOPER: UPS Logistics Technologies
FLEET APPLICATIONS: Local distribution, retail delivery, LTL, P&D

Dispatch and delivery tracking are the strengths of MobileCast, which
was created to add smart mobile-phone capabilities to the company's
Roadnet route planning system. Using MobileCast allows dispatchers to
change dynamically change the optimized, preplanned routes created by
Roadnet, says UPS Logistics Technologies spokesperson Aaron Lee. “But it
can also be used with anyone's route planning tool or even in LTL
operations where there are no planned routes,” he says.
Integration with preplanned routing, however, is the system's unique
feature since it lets food, beverage and other local delivery fleets
compare real-time locations with the plans, allowing them to react to
changes and disruptions quickly.
Originally written for hand-held computers, the GPS/Java phone version
for the Nextel network is the system's latest iteration, and it can be
used in mixed fleet applications that include high-powered onboard and
handheld computers communicating over a variety of other wireless
networks.

Since Roadnet uses a fleet's own relational databases to set up its
routes, MobileCast is an installed application running on the fleet's
own servers, not a web-based hosted application like most of the other
GPS/Java phone systems. Pricing is flexible and options range from
outright purchase to per-vehicle charges, says Lee.
www.roadnet.com

SYSTEM: Vettro Fleet Optimization
DEVELOPER: Vettro
FLEET APPLICATIONS: P&D, local distribution, TL

Dispatch messages with detailed customer information can be broadcast to
an entire fleet or sent to a single phone with the Fleet Optimization
system. Drivers simply update the data with changes, which are also time
and location stamped when sent back to dispatch. “An optional bar code
reader can be used to enter pickup data, and a mobile printer can be
used to print receipts for customers,” says Vettro president and CEO Joe
Rymsza. Credit card readers for the smart phones are also available.

With location tracking and mapping like other GPS/Java phone-based
systems, Vettro's strength is integration with a fleet's backend
systems. All Fleet Optimization messages are XML based. “If a fleet
wants to scan inventory on and off a truck, or integrate with billing
and invoicing systems, we've published the XML APIs for our system,”
says Rymsza.

Vettro has also just released a GPS Mapping Console that includes
Microsoft MapPoint geodata. The new module provides interactive maps
that can be searched by a variety of criteria and supports geofencing
for automated alerts when drivers enter or leave predetermined areas. It
can also generate turn-by-turn directions that can be forwarded to the
handsets.
The handset Java applications can be loaded, upgraded and even shut down
over the wireless network. The mobile portion of the system can also be
run on RIM Blackberry handheld devices and wireless PDAs operating on a
variety of wireless networks.

On the fleet side, it's an installed system running on the fleet's own
server rather than a web-based hosted application. “We see that most
customers have greater needs than those that can be served by a simple
ASP (application service provider),” says Rymsza.

As an installed application, prices vary, but the average is $55/mo. per
vehicle, according to Vettro. Nextel wireless charges are additional.

www.vettro.com
SYSTEM: Xora GPS TimeTrack
DEVELOPER: Xora

FLEET APPLICATIONS: local distribution, retail delivery, field service,
construction
Ease of deployment is the standout feature of Xora GPS TimeTrack,
according to company president and CEO Sanjay Shirole. Since it's a
web-based hosted application, fleets only need a browser and Internet
connection in addition to the Motorola GPS/Java phones to get up and
running. They can sign up for the service online at Xora's web site.
The system offers job status and employee tracking with data displayed
on a map; maps can be customized with landmarks indicating customer or
work sites. GPS location and time stamping allows verified tracking for
deliveries, as well as automated timesheet functions. Its dispatch
feature allows fleets to identify the closest employee to a job and then
push the order information out to their handset. Messages can also be
broadcast to defined groups or the entire fleet.
As a hosted system, updates for the phone applications can be
automatically installed over the wireless network, and Xora maintains
the data center hardware and software. There is a $24.99 set up fee per
phone, and a monthly per unit charge of $11.99. Nextel wireless service
fees are additional.
www.xora.com/timetrack

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