Mobile workforce tools: wireless onboard communication continues to provide valuable, timesaving driver and load information.

Two-way communication technology is not new to the trucking and transportation industries. For many years companies relied upon CBs, pagers and the good old-fashioned telephone to communicate business-critical information while on the road. The introduction of satellite technology and its myriad of tools, including GPS capability, created significant and welcome changes. These technological advancements have allowed the transportation industry to expand considerably, and transportation agents currently estimate that there are 2.6 million long-haul trucks in the United States, accounting for 10 percent of highway traffic.

These numbers suggest a tall order for trucking companies that need to manage their human and truckload assets. Tracking the mobile workforce needn't be an operational or logistical nightmare, however. Efficient technology can simplify details from the most mundane to those that are critical to a business' success. An effective wireless, satellite based communications system will eradicate missed calls and complicated driver/dispatcher interactions. These systems will track and maintain human and cargo assets while increasing operational efficiencies and opportunities for clients and customers alike, and they will place driver and cargo safety at the forefront of a company's operations.

New federal regulations stipulate that a tracker can be on the road a maximum of 14 hours per day. Designed to keep drivers well rested and safe, this new regulation is creating ripples in the trucking and transportation industry. With many drivers now spending up to half of their allotted 14 hours waiting for loads and stopping for fuel, trucking companies are struggling to maintain profitability under the constraints of the regulation.

These stricter federal regulations, plus intricate communication needs and ever-escalating customer demands, make success an increasingly elusive achievement for transportation companies across the country.

One major carrier deployed QUALCOMM's OmniTRACS wireless communications system across its fleet in the hope that it would monitor asset utilization and streamline fleet communication. To date, results have been impressive. With the system, the carrier wirelessly integrates load, vehicle, driver and work status data with its back-office system, bringing critical information to dispatchers. This same Web based interface allows customers to easily track the location of their deliveries through its Web site, diminishing the number of unnecessary calls to the dispatcher. Operations are more efficient as a result. The increased productivity has benefited drivers as well as the bottom line. Due to the system's ability to streamline dispatch operations, the carrier has increased the number of its drivers while keeping operational costs low and productivity high.