Telefónica and Geotab have announced an agreement to partner in Europe. The agreement will initially focus on the markets of Spain, Germany and the U.K., with the intention to explore Latin American markets in the near future.
The solution, which includes Geotab’s plug-and-play device, offers real time fleet management and the ability to develop a number of alerts, notifications, and review driver trip and activity reports. Advanced features also include on-board diagnostics through engine indicators to return feedback, such as engine failures, or an in-depth engine fault code diagnosis; detect accidents and retrace cause of the accident; and allow add-ons such as a navigational device, NFC driver ID key, sensors and more.
According to Geotab, the technology will help businesses improve their on-road productivity, on-road safety, and ecological efficiency, in addition to optimizing fleet performance to reduce fuel costs. Fleet managers will gain more intelligence across multiple vehicles giving them the data and insights needed to make more informed business decisions in real-time. Furthermore, drivers will have more insight over their individual vehicles.
Through this agreement, Telefónica extends its fleet management offer to further cover the global needs for its clients of both large corporations and small and medium size companies.
“We’re delighted to partner with Geotab, who through continuous innovation have many of the world’s largest fleets already using their product,” said Surya Mendonça the m2m managing director at Telefonica. “This agreement allows Telefónica to provide a best-in-class ‘plug and play’ fleet telematics product in Europe that reinforces our portfolio and gives our m2m customers further access to the strongest solutions.”
“We are seeing tremendous growth for fleet management solutions worldwide and the wireless carriers are now becoming an integral component of the fleet telematics and connected machine ecosystem. We are impressed by the Telefonica m2mteam and look forward to working together with Telefonica to deliver the most advanced fleet telematics solution in the market,” said Neil Cawse, CEO of Geotab.
A GPS tracking device helped Philadelphia police rescue a woman who was kidnapped November 2 and apprehend the suspect who abducted her. A growing number of used car dealerships use the technology to protect their investments. This time it protected the life of an innocent victim of violent crime.
Surveillance video showed the crime being committed. The brazen attack was shocking to watch — an innocent woman named Carlesha Freeland-Gaither was grabbed by a man who then forced her into a car parked at the curb. The man then got in the car and drove away.
Police investigating the crime immediately checked the surveillance video and discovered they could read the license number of the vehicle used by the kidnapper. When they checked the license number, they discovered the vehicle had been purchased from a used car dealership specializing in helping people with bad credit get car loans.
“‘Buy Here, Pay Here’ refers to the fact that the dealership is also serving as the lender,” said Eddie Bermudez, product development manager with Position Plus of Lake Forest, California. “These lenders take a big risk lending money to people who other lenders won’t touch.”
The BHPH industry found GPS tracking systems to be a big help when a borrower is delinquent on their loan payments. The Position Plus system is used by almost 1,500 dealerships across the country.
“The lender places a small GPS tracking device in the vehicle,” Bermudez said. “As long as their loan payments are current, there’s no problem. But if they go delinquent, the lender has the option of using the GPS tracking device to locate the vehicle. This makes the process of repossessing the vehicle much easier.”
The lenders each have a policy as to how they handle these situations. In most cases borrowers receive emails or text messages warning them they’re behind before repossession efforts are initiated.
Fortunately, the kidnapping in Philadelphia ended well. The vehicle was located in the parking lot of a shopping center. The suspect attempted to start the car, but he was completely surrounded by police. According to Bermudez, the PositionPlus system could have stopped him cold.
“If it had been our system, he wouldn’t have been able to start the car,” added Bermudez. “We can’t shut down the engine while it’s driving, but we can keep the vehicle from starting the next time the ignition is turned on.”
Users now have full access to Fleet Director’s management features via mobile device, in addition to desktop functionality. Also, the latest update offers robust fleet management tools, such as the ability to monitor fuel consumption, increase driver safety, and meet compliance mandates.
“In the current climate, businesses have the ability to achieve high levels of profitability and growth with the help of an advanced fleet management platform,” said Tony Eales, president, Teletrac. “The latest version of Fleet Director churns millions of data transactions daily, providing vital information to help meet company goals across multiple industries and workforce sizes. Businesses are equipped with the actionable data necessary to cultivate and develop their company on multiple levels and gain a competitive advantage in their market.”
Teletrac has modernized Fleet Director in four key fleet management areas: anywhere, anytime mobile access; deeper driver and vehicle behavioral data; enhanced mapping functionality; and advanced safety analytics.
“Fleet management has historically been an at-a-desk job, limiting companies in their productivity and communication. The added flexibility of using modern devices — such as smartphones, laptops and tablets — to do business has increased productivity while also adding expectations from customers,” said Sid Nair, director of Product Management, Teletrac. “As the industry has evolved, so have we.”
Enhancements include:
Mobility: Fleet Director allows users to manage their vehicles from any mobile device or browser through new HTML 5 functionality. The software’s clear and user-friendly interface lets users navigate easily to a targeted location regardless of whether the manager is in the office or on a mobile phone in the field.
Actionable Data: The updated software allows managers to move beyond basic track-and-trace functionality, offering an in-depth look at the overall health of a business. The new Fleet Director is built with more robust driver and vehicle behavioral data, providing businesses with insight into performance areas such as fuel management, power take-off time, engine performance and job-site delivery tracking.
Cutting-Edge Mapping Technology: Mapping has moved beyond location tracking with Fleet Director’s enhanced interactive features. Vehicle and asset mapping is now accessible on easy-to-use Google Maps that toggle between single and multiple views. Managers can consult Fleet Director to pinpoint the exact road their drivers are on while using Google Street View to zoom into the terrain and makeup of the road. These added map enhancements provide fleet managers with tools to have better control of their business.
Advanced Safety Behavior Data: Fleet Director Safety Analytics helps managers get closer to their fleet through insight into key driver safety events, such as speeding, harsh braking, accelerating, stop sign violations and fast cornering. New data-rich dashboards display relevant information that shows the time and date of each event and the number of infractions per vehicle and driver, including the best and worst performance rankings. Safety infractions can be replayed on the map interface to show how an unsafe driving incident occurred in real-time, providing useful data that can prevent the risk of a crash.
Omnitracs LLC, a provider of fleet management solutions to transportation and logistics companies, has completed the acquisition of XRS Corporation for $178 million. XRS is a provider of mobile-based solutions that enable trucking companies to manage fleets, comply with regulations, and reduce operating costs.
Omnitracs acquired XRS to strengthen its core technology portfolio, adding complementary solutions designed to help fleets solve critical business problems, Omnitracs said. The combined company will continue to deliver transportation management products and services that empower fleets to control virtually every aspect of their business, from improving safety to complying with industry regulations to enhancing productivity and profitability, the company said.
“This acquisition exemplifies Omnitracs’ commitment to delivering solutions that translate into real value and a true competitive advantage for customers,” said John Graham, CEO of Omnitracs. “By integrating XRS into the Omnitracs portfolio of businesses, we can now offer fleets an extended array of industry-leading solutions, helping fleets make intelligent decisions that positively impact all aspects of their operations.”
Together, Omnitracs and XRS will provide end-to-end fleet management solutions to more than 30,000 customers with nearly 1,000,000 mobile assets in 63 countries.
Omnitracs Outlook 2015. In related news, registration is now open for Omnitracs’ first joint user conference — Omnitracs Outlook 2015 — which takes place February 8-11, 2015, in Dallas, Texas.
Omnitracs Outlook 2015 will unite fleet customers of Omnitracs and its business units Roadnet, Sylectus, and Omnitracs Analytics (formerly FleetRisk Advisors). The conference will bring together fleet executives, managers, power users, product experts, specialized technology providers and industry opinion leaders for educational, networking and peer-to-peer sessions designed to help fleets improve operational efficiency, safety and regulatory compliance.
“With just a few months until this ‘don’t miss’ event, we look forward to bringing together our customers from across all Omnitracs business units for an opportunity to learn about the company’s strategic vision, product roadmap and more,” said John Graham, CEO of Omnitracs. “We’re thrilled to have this opportunity to host everyone in our new hometown, Dallas, and look forward to the unparalleled networking and education sessions at Outlook 2015.”
Thesessions at Omnitracs Outlook 2015 will include product-specific breakouts targeted to users of Omnitracs, Roadnet, Sylectus and Omnitracs Analytics; cover the latest transportation and logistics technology trends; and highlight user case studies. Peer-to-peer networking opportunities and the technology expo, featuring integration partners and hands-on solution demonstrations, will deliver additional value to conference participants.
Interested sponsors and exhibitors should contact [email protected].
Geotab, a telematics engineering company, has launched its new GO7 telematics device. The GO7 allows fleet management applications to receive vehicle data communications from the engine, drive train, instrument cluster and other subsystems.
The Geotab GO7 is the newest device in Geotab’s line of telematics solutions and has added a number of new features such as programmable CANBUS, OBD, J1708 connection pins, enhanced auto-protocol detection and higher sensitivity accelerometer — making the solution future-proof and cost effective for any fleet to install and maintain, the company said.
The GO7 is an plug-and-play device with internal antennas that eliminates installation and out-of service vehicle time, which significantly lowers installation costs and improves fleet productivity, according to Geotab. The latest edition of Geotab’s GO devices caters to more than one vehicle protocol at a time, allowing the device to collect data simultaneously for all possible datasets, such as RPM, VIN, fuel level, seat-belt detection and odometer. The secondary protocol support provides detailed engine data for a variety of vehicles, including Ford, GM, Chrysler, Volvo and Mazda. The technology is scalable, from light duty, medium duty, to heavy commercial trucks in addition to supporting all major vehicle manufacturers globally, Geotab said.
Photo: Geotab
“Our goal is to provide the most advanced and efficient telematics solution in the industry,” said Neil Cawse, CEO, Geotab. “Together with our MyGeotab software, the all-new GO7 device allows us to provide our customers with the most sophisticated end-to-end fleet management solution on an industry leading platform — providing great productivity enhancements, safety features and cost-savings to our fleet customers.”
Top features of the GO7 include:
Easy plug-and-play installation
External device expandability via IOX Technology
Intelligent in-vehicle driver coaching
Small form factor device
Breakthrough accident detection and notification
Accurate engine diagnostics, DTC, and proprietary engine data
Real-time vehicle data
Fast GPS acquisition time using Almanac OTA support
Because of nonstop government regulation, which can help and hinder the trucking industry, the mobile resource management market will continue to be one of the strongest location segments. In other news this month, while it doesn’t get much bigger a deal in the location industry than a $2.5 billion purchase, as in the case of Qualcomm buying CSR, one smaller deal that should not be overlooked is ST Telecom’s acquisition of Shopkick, a growing indoor location provider.
SAN DIEGO — The global trucking market for fleet management products has always been strong — and one of the first location segments to have prospered over the last 15 years. This market growth will continue because of new technology and government requirements, say attendees at the American Trucking Association annual management conference here.
An American Transport Research Institute report offered at ATA, “Critical Issues in the Trucking Industry – 2014,” outlines 10 issues, mainly driven by government regulation, that concern fleet owners.
One of the big issues is hours of service (HOS). Rules adopted by the feds require 11 hours of driving — and a 34-hour break before restart. This includes a 30-minute break before driving again after eight hours. ATRI believes these rules cost carriers $1.6 billion to $3.9 billion annually in driver pay impacts.
An electronic device (ELD) mandate requires all drivers to keep records of duty status via a logging device. A mandate could come in 2016 that outlines hardware specs.
Another big issue is truck parking — and could be an opportunity for mapping and location companies. Because HOS regulations require drivers to take many breaks, shortage of parking is a big and dangerous concern because drivers are operating beyond allowable rules to find areas to park. ATRI wants closed public rest areas to reopen. They want real-time truck parking information availability and trucking parking reservation systems.
Driver distraction in the form of texting and driving is a growing concern. ATRI wants the feds to ban hand-held cell-phone use/texting for all motorists, encourage harsher penalties and more aggressive enforcement, and to continue to research to understand the size of the distracted-driving problem.
Other issues include driver shortage, health and retention; compliance, safety, Accountability (CSA); and congestion funding.
“My takeaway from [ATA’s] luncheon panel was that the trucking sector is in pretty good shape overall, except for the driver shortage. In regard to mobile resource management (MRM), I would estimate overall growth in in-cab and trailer monitoring at less than 10 percent per year,” said Clem Driscoll, president, CJ Driscoll Associates. “The Truckload sector is heavily penetrated with in-cab solutions. Most large carriers have a system. CSA is motivating some sales to mid-size fleets, but many small fleets are waiting for the ELD regulations. So, the delays with ELD regulations have probably been slowing market growth.”
Such companies as AT&T are trying to address the growing trucking requirements with new and existing products. For example, Saia LTL Freight, a trucking and logistics company, is managing its fleet of trucks with several AT&T products. Saia drivers are using handheld computers to connect with dispatch managers and monitor fuel consumption, safety, and location using AT&T’s wireless network.
“[SAIA] is a trucking company that is using all our capabilities. We partnered with them from an early stage, starting with the [Electronic Device Mandate] requirements,” said John Moscatelli, AT&T advance resource management solutions director. “Then we helped them with rugged handhelds and voice where necessary.”
Overall, Moscatelli sees a few fleet trends emerging. “There have been a lot of mergers and acquisitions in this industry. I also see that trucking companies are very aware of forced hours of service regulations for every company [mandated by the government],” he said. “It will not necessarily be the first adopter of technology that will be needing units. We have looked at the demographics, and even small and medium fleets are going to need affordable connected systems. The other trend is the growth of government sales — local, state and federal — very strong.”
Targeting a large worldwide market, Trimble has acquired several companies in the fleet space in recent years. One of them is Minneapolis-based PeopleNet, which is gearing up for the ELD mandate with an “Internet of Transportation Things” strategy that includes multiple devices talking to each other, said Randy Boyles, company senior vice president, tailored solutions.
The company rolled out its Wi-Fi-enabled in-cab scanning feature at ATA that allows drivers to scan and transmit transportation documents.
PeopleNet, along with ALK, GEOTrac, Vusion and TMW Sysems, are part of Trimble’s Transportation and Logistics division. Trimble has allowed their purchased companies to operate autonomously.
“About 95 percent of our management team is still intact. TMW still works with Omnitracs and others, but you will see a convergence with [other Trimble companies],” said Boyles, who believes that oil and gas pipeline monitoring/mapping is a growing niche.
The fleet and enterprise market is a growing space for Magellan, said Mark Perini, company associate vice president. The company has been offering its Magellan RoadMate 9496T-LMB Android unit for the fleet market.
“The unit enables bulk updates using our smart GPS technology. The Android operating system has been a growing technology for fleets,” Perini said. “The HOS regulations require reporting of how many hours truckers are off duty. With our management system, operators can implement a full set of protocols [to achieve HOS compliance]. It’s on a server, so the driver can’t change anything.”
Telogis Partners with Ford
Telogis has grown from a small company to a major player in the fleet market. The company recently announced it will be the “technology provider” for the Ford Crew Chief in North America, which is an expansion of its European partnership with the automaker.
In Europe, Ford’s telematics products will be offered to customers as a dealer-installed option and will feature vehicle location, diagnostics and performance.
The company has also been a major player in the U.S. market, integrating into Volvo Link, said Kevin Moore, Telogis vice president of OEM sales at ATA.
“While the trucking business is huge, the aftermarket is also growing,” he said. “While location information is central to what we do, we are constantly growing the platform. We are looking to be the only product that provides crowdsourcing for the commercial market.”
Even though the U.S. fleet market is growing, other world markets are growing by double digits each year. Driscoll, in his China Commercial Telematics Market Study, says the Chinese markets are growing at 20 percent, or more, each year. “China is manufacturing over 600,000 commercial trucks per year for internal use, so the addressable market is growing at a very fast rate,” he said. “China has a very inefficient logistics system and spends far more on logistics than the U.S. or Europe as a percentage of GDP. The government is very aware of the problem and is mandating the use of satellite tracking solutions in a number of sectors. Systems being sold in China today typically support both GPS and BeiDou (Compass).”
In other ATA news:
Orbcomm rolled out its GT 1100 chassis tracking solution to allow trucking companies to monitor where their rigs are located. It also allows operators to see if a trailer is mounted.
10-4 Systems is offering real-time data products NonStop, NonStop Mobile and NonStop premium. The company has a track/trace asset management capability for operators.
Qualcomm to Buy CSR for $2.5 Billion
The recent announcement by Qualcomm saying it would buy United Kingdom-based CSR for $2.5 billion signals continued inroads into the connected car and Internet of Things markets for the San Diego company.
In 2009, CSR, which stands for Cambridge Silicon Radio, purchased SiRF Technology, a GPS pioneer that was making huge strides in indoor location technologies. CSR, mainly known for its wireless Bluetooth technology, has chips in such products as audio speakers and Apple-owned Beats headphones.
The connected car market will be a big one for Qualcomm in the future. The connect car market, a dominant topic at most wireless trade shows, is expected to grow to $20 billion by 2018, according to Juniper Research. Another research company, SBD, has even higher expectations for the technology, saying the connected car market will grow to $54 billion by 2018.
Macy’s plans to add Shopkick indoor location beacons in preparation for holiday shopping. (Photo by Nicholas Eckhart is licensed under CC BY 2.0.)
Shopkicking It at Macy’s
In another big industry acquisition, SK Planet, part of South Korean mobile carrier SK Telecom, bought indoor location provider Shopkick for $200 million. The sale indicates how valuable the worldwide indoor location market is becoming.
Macy’s announced it was installing 4,000 Shopkick beacons prior to the holiday shopping season, according to published reports. The company has nearly 8 million active users and relationships with 20 retailers
In other location news:
General Motors OnStar is arguing for less restrictive open Internet rules for wireless carriers, according to published reports. OnStar argues that future connected services (Wi-Fi hotspots, wireless collision avoidance systems, streaming video and audio) that are going into cars make the net neutrality issue vital for the auto industry. The auto giant, which works with such carriers as AT&T Mobility, is siding with the wireless carriers in their battle with the FCC over net neutrality.
A number of location companies, and companies using the technology, are seeing major investments. Most notably, INRIX received a $55 million investment from Porsche. XAd, which develops mobile advertising products, received $50 million in funding from a number of partners. Geofeedia, an LBS social media monitoring company, raised $3.5 million. The company gathers social data from such sources as Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Flickr, Facebook and others.
Nokia’s HERE mapping platform is now available on Samsung’s Galaxy smartphones. The HERE app, available in Samsung’s Galaxy App Store, will run on devices operating Android 4.1. Currently, Google Maps is the default mapping service on Android phones. However, the HERE platform gives consumers another Android option.
TomTom said it has “extended [its] location-based services product portfolio with an online turn-by-turn navigation service” with support from deCarta. While TomTom has many customers, including Apple, it has never offered an off-board, server-based navigation service. Industry sources say that this announcement will allow TomTom to better compete in the Internet of Things/connected car market.
According to a new research report from the analyst firm Berg Insight, the number of active fleet management systems deployed in commercial vehicle fleets in Europe was 3.65 million in Q4-2013. Growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 14.2 percent, this number is expected to reach 7.10 million by 2018.
A group of international aftermarket solution providers have emerged as the leaders on the European fleet management market. Masternaut reported an active installed base of close to 350,000 units in July 2014, mainly in France and the UK. TomTom Telematics was the fastest growing vendor also in 2014 and has now surpassed 400,000 subscribers in August 2014.
The two companies share the number one spot in terms of active installed base in Europe. Digicore has also joined the exclusive group of fleet management providers in Europe having more than 100,000 active devices in the field. Transics is number one in the heavy trucks segment with an estimated 85,000 active units installed.
A major trend in the past three years has been the announcements of standard line fitment of fleet management solutions among the HCV manufacturers. Scania, Daimler, Volvo and MAN now experience fast growth of telematics subscribers thanks to these initiatives. FleetBoard by Daimler, Dynafleet by Volvo and Scania Fleet Management are the most sold systems with cumulative shipments of 150,000 units, 135,000 units and 100,000 units respectively as of Q4-2013.
A recent trend is that LCV manufacturers increasingly work together with aftermarket players to offer fleet management solutions. PSA Peugeot Citroën has for instance launched a new fleet management service on the French market in partnership with Orange Business Services in April 2014. Ford and Telogis recently partnered to deliver fleet management solutions to Ford customers in Europe. Teletrac has moreover for a long time collaborated with OEMs on the UK market, including Citroën and Mercedes Benz.
M&A activities on this market continued with full force in 2014. “Seven major mergers and acquisitions have so far taken place this year among the vendors of fleet management systems in Europe,” said Johan Fagerberg, Senior Analyst, Berg Insight. At the beginning of 2014, Qualcomm finally divested also the majority of the European arm of its fleet business to Astrata Group, a fleet management company headquartered in Singapore.
Later in February, WABCO acquired Transics and the transaction valued the company at about €100 million. Lysanda acquired UK-based TRACKER Network in February and plans to establish Tantalum Corporation from the combined business.
In April, TomTom also acquired the French FM provider DAMS Tracking, adding another 27,000 subscriptions to the installed base. Francisco Partners, moreover, divested Masternaut to Summit Partners and FleetCor in the same month.
In July 2014, Zucchetti Group acquired a majority share of Macnil from its founders. The latest transaction was done in October 2014 when Finder acquired its Polish competitor Autoguard to form the largest FMS provider in Poland. Fagerberg anticipates that the market consolidation of the still overcrowded industry will continue in 2015.
Thomas Seiler, u-blox CEO, holds a drone with GPS embedded.
Several companies at CTIA Super Mobility Week, held in Las Vegas September 9–11, are attempting to find niche opportunities in the crowded machine-to-machine market — and Switzerland-based u-blox is no exception. The company is focusing on the mobile, industrial and consumer-location markets, said Thomas Seiler, u-blox CEO.
While Seiler says there is no one dominant market for u-blox, the fleet market has been very good for the company. In addition, asset tracking has been a good market, he said.
“We are also seeing consumer markets such as e-bikes, golf carts, commercial helicopters and drones growing,” Seiler said.
While many location companies are fretting about government regulation, u-blox is taking the position that most agency requirements have actually helped build the market. “Regulatory requirements have been driving business for us. The [National Highway Traffic Safety Administration] proposes that vehicles report location, speed and direction,” said Nikolaos Papadopoulos, u-blox America president. “The collision avoidance regulations have helped to create an ecosystem that drives business.”
The company recently rolled out its ODIN-W160 multi-radio module for automotive, industrial, medical and security applications.
Nick Papadopoulos, president of u-blox America, tells CTIA Super Mobility Week show-goers what they should see at the u-blox booth.
On October 21, Jordan will host a Euro-Mediterranean Partnership (EUROMED) regional event focused on the use of GNSS, particularly European GNSS, for freight and road transport. The Euromed GNSS II/MEDUSA meeting will be held in Amman, Jordan, at the Sheraton Al Nabil Hotel.
Organized by the Euromed GNSS II/MEDUSA project, under the auspices of the Ministry of Transport of Jordan, the event will aim to share experiences and best practices, and to discuss strategies and possible ways forward in relation to the use of the satellite navigation for freight and road transport in the region.
At the event, MEDUSA will present the results of its case study, which was conducted with Royal Jordanian Customs and with the aid of the Ministry of Transport of Jordan. Since April, supported by European companies involved in MEDUSA, Royal Jordanian Customs have had the opportunity to test and validate the use of European GNSS, and specifically of EGNOS, for tracking and tracing containers shipped across the Mediterranean Sea and vehicles transporting goods in Jordan.
The case study is one of the technical assistance actions implemented by MEDUSA, and it represents the first life experience of EGNOS services’ usage in areas distant from Europe.
MEDUSA belongs to the EU Euromed Transport Program. Its objective is to promote the adoption of the European GNSS by the Euromed countries, which include Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Palestine, Syria (suspended due to political unrest), and Tunisia.
GNSS technology is applied to several user applications, and transport is one of the most important, including aviation, road, maritime, rail, freight transport and logistics. The MEDUSA project includes a program of specific technical assistance actions for the Euromed countries, to facilitate the introduction and exploitation of GNSS services in their markets.
The wide adoption of advanced technology, also including satellite navigation, for freight and road transport applications (such as Intelligent Transport Systems, or ITS) enables the implementation of smart mobility and the enhancement of goods transportation/traffic volumes increasing.
During the event, the participants from the Euromed countries will share lessons learned from the Jordan case study, and learn about relevant best practices in Europe and in the Euromed region, as well as debate strategies and possible ways forward in the light of national interests and common regional perspectives.
Opened by an institutional panel, with representatives of the Jordan Ministry of Transport and the European Commission, the event will consist of a session dedicated to the case study and a session addressing opportunities in other Euromed countries, including the presentation of European success cases as examples of suitable paths to guide the GNSS operational introduction and adoption.
At the conclusion of the event, the participants will elaborate guidelines and recommendations, to be possibly translated into action plans for the Euromed countries.
Telematics Update has announced the agenda and speaker line-up for Connected Fleets USA 2014, formerly known as Telematics for Fleet Management USA. The conference and exhibition will take place November 20-21 in Atlanta, Georgia. The early registration discount ends September 26.
As growth is seen in goods movement and driver shortages, integration of the connected fleet in the supply chain, service bays, and transport infrastructure is crucial to maintain growth in the U.S. and abroad. Experts anticipate that there will be more investment, mergers and acquisitions, and consolidation in a rush to deliver the best-in-class solution to drive fleet optimization.
The speakers just announced to take the stage at Connected Fleets USA will be reflecting this change. They include some of the largest fleet rental/leaser, OEMs and companies from across the value chain such as Donlen, Hertz Equipment Rental, ARI, Ryder, Daimler, John Deere, Microsoft, Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority and up-and-coming start-ups like Peloton Technology and Metro Tech, Inc.
Connected Fleets USA 2014 will look into ways to capitalize on the integration of solutions in the supply and create solid partnership models that will increase profitability and drive the connected fleets in the mature North American market
“It will be critical that companies evaluate the opportunity present from the integration of connected fleets into the wider enterprise and embrace key breakthroughs in the wider connected ecosystem to create an indispensable connected vehicle service package to add value to fleet operators and carriers,” Daniel Pavey, Connected Fleets USA 2014 project director, said.
Topics and Trends
The trends and topics to be discussed include:
Connectivity is the future of transportation. Explore case studies and the roadmap for autonomous vehicles and V2V/V2I technology that can be leveraged to improve transport infrastructure, mobility, goods movement and traditional fleet manager needs.
Enterprise and telematics converge. Integrate vehicle and telematics data to the wider connected ecosystem, including enterprise resource planning, work order management and maintenance bays to map opportunities where connectivity can ease bottlenecks in the supply chain.
Complete the leasing puzzle. Overcome the complexities of fleet leasing by integrating back-end analytics from embedded and aftermarket solutions for a seamless approach for improved driver performance and vehicle life-cycle to engage government, small local and large long-haul fleets.
The law of connectivity. Review current and potential proposals for data logging and vehicle-to-vehicle communication to assess legal opportunities and challenges for automated and connected vehicle technologies including liability, litigation and privacy to anticipate potential roadblocks.
The investment drive. Investigate the motivation and strategies of private equity, industry players, and government investment, including improving congestion and road safety, widening portfolios and entering new markets to position solutions for investment.
Smarter services through data sharing and analytics. Crack open the OEM platform to create a sandbox of data that combine vehicle, driver and environmental data to offer a more precise service portfolio.
Other sessions will be held on topics such as integration with the advanced connected transport project; commercial data ecosystem, platform and partnerships; and exclusive case studies and panel discussions from Donlen, Hertz Equipment Rental, ARI, Daimler, John Deere and Volvo.
For the complete Connected Fleets USA 2014 conference program and speaker line-up, visit the conference website.
Newly Announced Speaker Line-up
The connected fleet specialists set to speak this year include:
Nick Ehrhart, Vice President Business Development, Donlen
Mike Dennis, Group Director Maintenance Operation, Ryder Systems, Inc.
and many other specialists from across the value chain. The full speaker line-up is available on the website.
For the complete Connected Fleets USA 2014 conference program and speaker line-up, access the e-brochure or contact the Telematics Update team at [email protected]. Register before September 26 to take advantage of a $300 saving on all conference passes.
Omnitracs, LLC, a provider of fleet management solutions to transportation and logistics companies, is making available Omnitracs Tracking powered by Roadnet, a mobile workforce tracking application for smart devices. Omnitracs Tracking offers basic capabilities to help companies track the locations of their mobile workers throughout the day and get additional performance data to help make them safer and more productive, the company said.
“Every transportation company with a mobile workforce wants to know the location and key behaviors of their drivers,” said Dan Speicher, chief technology officer at Omnitracs. “Omnitracs Tracking powered by Roadnet enables companies that have not adopted a fully featured mobile fleet management solution to utilize their existing smart devices in order to track locations of mobile workers, improving safety, productivity and customer satisfaction.”
Benefits of Omnitracs Tracking include:
Location Tracking. By leveraging existing smart device GPS positioning technology, location tracking pinpoints drivers’ locations in real-time using satellite and street maps. Fleet managers access this information through a web-based application, enabling them to provide customers with timely updates on the status of their delivery or service call.
Speed Tracking. The application monitors drivers’ speed throughout the day, allowing fleet managers to take prompt action to help preempt potential safety issues.
Exception Reporting. Users can predefine thresholds for maximum speed allowed, GPS gap, over road speed and stationary position time limits. Exception reporting helps to quickly identify driver behaviors that may lead to unsafe driving and reduced productivity.
“Omnitracs is committed to leveraging the expertise and capabilities of our business units to continuously bring value to our customers. Our newest basic tracking application will give companies the tools they need to better manage their mobile workforce and take fast, appropriate action to improve safety and productivity,” added Speicher.
Omnitracs Tracking is available exclusively through Roadnet and Omnitracs’ resellers. For more information about the application, visit.
Hong Kong-based Maestro Wireless Solutions, a manufacturer of location receivers, and CSR plc, a global provider of silicon and software solutions for location-aware applications, announce the immediate availability of the A5100-A, a next-generation SiRFstarV GNSS positioning module that combines high-performance GPS and GLONASS receiver technology in a small 10 x 15 mm package.
The A5100-A is designed for a wide range of applications including wearable devices, cameras and automotive trackers.
The A5100-A is the first release within Maestro’s new line of GNSS receivers. It achieves high accuracy with quad-constellation support, up to 30 percent faster time-to-first-fix (TTFF), and up to 20 percent lower power consumption using CSR’s TricklePower and Push-to-Fix (PtF) modes. The module also accelerates customer time to market and reduces development risks by integrating a number of features, including TCXO, SAW filter, RTC, antenna-control mechanism, and flash memory for future-proof upgrades, as well as offering a drop-in replacement capability for Maestro’s previous SiRFstar4 generation modules. The castellated-edge form factor also enables simpler manufacturing and reduces assembly cost, the companies said.
Supporting all currently deployed GNSS, the A5100-A acquires and tracks all visible GPS, GLONASS, QZSS, and SBAS satellites. Concurrent GNSS performance enables the A5100-A to choose the best satellites from different constellations and deliver optimal location information. Immediate benefits are better coverage, enhanced stability, and accuracy in difficult environments, such as urban canyons, and stronger resilience to multipath and signal jamming. This ensures consumers maintain a position fix whether they’re in the middle of a busy city or in a remote rural location, the companies said.
The A5100-A offers a range of other features including:
Direct to Battery connectivity: Connects directly to a rechargeable 1.8V-3.6V Lithium battery enabling system cost reduction and increased power efficiency.
Low Power technology: Optimized for power consumption by incorporating CSR’s PtF technology. PtF rapidly establishes a valid position fix enabling the module to hibernate for longer periods of time, and adaptively changes power depending on the operating environment and motion conditions. Advanced algorithms and a powerful on-chip DSP processor maintain high accuracy (QoS) while achieving the lowest power level possible for the given environmental and motion conditions.
InstantFix Extended Ephemeris (EE): Accelerates TTFF for devices without internet connectivity such as cameras and wearable devices, by autonomously predicting EE for as long as three days and up to 31 days when connected to a network that supports SiRFInstantFix server generated extended ephemeris data (SGEE).
“Maestro Wireless has worked closely with CSR for many years to design and commercialize highly accurate and reliable location products,” said Anthony Murray, senior vice president, Business Group at CSR. “But to win in today’s highly competitive consumer electronics market performance isn’t enough. That’s why we’ve worked with Maestro Wireless to develop a solution that excels in a range of performance metrics but also offers the small form factor essential for today’s compact devices and is highly integrated to help them get to market fast.”
“The A5100-A is perfect for customers designing highly integrated products that need uncompromising performance but are pressured by the speed required to go-to market and lack of development resources,” said Olivier Bernard, EVP of Business Development at Maestro. “By combining low power consumption with high sensitivity, high jamming immunity and concurrent GNSS operation, and with its drop in upgrade path to the A2200-A, the A5100-A creates a fast and convenient route to the latest GNSS offering in the marketplace, to meet these needs quickly.”
