Technology Briefs - Jan. 24 - Jan. 30
- Trucking Firms Seen Avoiding Technology
- New Night-Vision Device Offered to Trucking
- Motorola Delivers Millionth ECM to Cummins
- Irish Tech Firm Posts Small Loss
- Colo. Men Find Way to Beat Road Salt on Trucks
- Pocket Computer Offers Wireless Functions
- DOT Seeks Expansion of 511 System
- Three Companies Launch European Fuel Cell Fund
- Tech Spending Rise Expected
- Port of Vancouver to Use Gamma Ray Technology
- Weather Sensors Debated in N.C.
- Verizon Wireless to Launch New Network
- Holiday Sales Spark Nokia's 4Q Earnings
- Xata Reports Fiscal 1Q Loss
- New Night-Vision Device Offered to Trucking
Trucking Firms Seen Avoiding Technology
The Logistics Institute at Georgia Tech announced Tuesday that a survey of private, dedicated truck fleets found that companies are planning to do many tasks the old-fashioned way, by hand."What is very clear from this survey is that the majority of companies, both with smaller trucking operations of under $10 million annually as well as much larger operations exceeding $100 million, continue to plan truck routing and loading manually with very limited use of available information and decision technologies," said Harvey Donaldson, director of the institute.
The survey shows that more than 60% of all respondents still use manual tools for route planning, load building, dispatching and tracking. The remaining companies use some form of software, either commercial or custom, for these tasks.
"The Transportation and Logistics Survey results indicate that while respondents foresee substantial cost savings opportunities from improved transportation planning, they are reluctant to adopt available technologies because of concerns about the associated costs and complexity," Donaldson concluded. Transport Topics
New Night-Vision Device Offered to Trucking
Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems LLC has debuted XVision, which it calls the first visual-based collision avoidance system specifically for commercial vehicles.In a press release issued Wednesday, Bendix described Xvision as an infrared night-vision device that allows drivers to see five times farther in the dark, helping to improve reaction time.
The company says that a driver using XVision has between 18 and 20 more seconds to react to something on the road at 60 miles per hour than a driver using their unaided eyes.
The company said that research has shown most nighttime accidents stem from the driver’s inability to see in the dark. Transport Topics
(Click here for the full press release.)
Motorola Delivers Millionth ECM to Cummins
Motorola Inc. and Cummins Inc. said Tuesday that Motorola has now delivered more than one million electronic control modules to the maker of diesel engines.Electronic modules are used to control engine functions and play a role in the conservation of fuel and the reduction of emissions. The press release said ECMs make it possible for Cummins' electronic diagnostic products to read engine data quickly and conveniently.
The two companies, which have had a working relationship since 1984, said the agreement has recently been expanded, making Motorola the preferred provider of ECMs to Cummins. Transport Topics
(Click here for the full press release.)
Irish Tech Firm Posts Small Loss
Parthus Technologies plc, a Dublin, Ireland-based firm that sells to the mobile Internet market, including truck fleets, reported revenues for 2001 of $40.9 million on Wednesday, compared with $31.9 million in 2000.Although the company posted a net loss of 1.4 cents per share, Brian Long, chief executive officer, said he is “pleased by Parthus’ robust performance in 2001, particularly against the backdrop of the worst semiconductor downturn on record.”
Parthus offers platform level wireless communications systems that can be used as stand-alone systems or as part of a larger system. The company has formed strategic partnerships with such firms as Microsoft and Sun Microsystems. Transport Topics
(Click here for the full press release.)
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Colo. Men Find Way to Beat Road Salt on Trucks
A chemist and a soap salesman in Denver have developed a cleaning agent that can cut through deposits of the magnesium chloride used to melt snow and ice on the roads, the Denver Business Journal reported Jan. 25.The new cleaning agent, marketed under the name “Bright,” is not corrosive and cleans smeared windshields, tarnished metal and corroded wire that are caused by magnesium chloride, the Journal said. Transport Topics
Pocket Computer Offers Wireless Functions
Palm Inc. introduced a new pocket computer, called the Palm i705, Monday capable of surfing the Web, retrieving e-mail and other wireless communication functions.Wireless communications tools have a variety of applications in the trucking industry.
The Palm i705 features instant messaging, as well as other Web-based wireless applications using a variety of wireless plans. Transport Topics
DOT Seeks Expansion of 511 System
As part of an effort to enhance the 511 telephone system for traveler information services, the Federal Highway Administration and the Federal Transit Administration began soliciting applications from public agencies Jan. 16 for innovative 511 practices that can be replicated nationwide.DOT created the 511 number in 2001 to provide a universal way to access the more than 300 travel information telephone numbers that exist nationwide.
Guidelines call for simple-to-use voice interfaces that allow callers to locate content such as current traffic conditions, abnormal weather or road surface conditions, major incidents or unplanned events, construction and maintenance projects and other events that affect travel.
The Department of Transportation has allocated $1.1 million to the information-gathering effort, according to a notice in the Federal Register.
Transportation planners envision a 511 system that eventually can be accessed from in-vehicle wireless displays and personal wireless devices and interactive Web sites. Eric Kulisch
Three Companies Launch European Fuel Cell Fund
Royal Dutch/Shell, Mitsubishi Corp. and British precious metals and chemicals firm Johnson Matthey unveiled an investment fund that could provide funding to fuel cell companies in Europe and North America, Reuters reported Monday.Some experts believe fuel cells holds the answer to the trucking industry's search to meet more stringent clean-air standards.
Called Conduit, the fund is Europe's first to be focused on the development of the fuel cell. It could raise up to $100 million.
Reuters said that Conduit will concentrate on firms that have gone past the seed capital stage, but which have yet to go for a stock market listing. Transport Topics
Tech Spending Rise Expected
U.S. companies plan to spend about 2% more on information technology in 2002 after cutting budgets by 1% last year, according to a Merrill Lynch survey of 75 chief information officers released Jan. 2.Corporate budgets will target equipment and software that secure computer networks and recover data after a disaster, as well as develop Web-based applications, technology strategist Steven Milunovich wrote in a report.
Until the economy recovers and revenues increase, management is skeptical if returns justify greater IT expenditures, the executives said. Transport Topics
Port of Vancouver to Use Gamma Ray Technology
The Vancouver Port Authority said Friday that it will create a "smart border" by using non-intrusive gamma ray technology to scan containers.This would be good news for the trucking industry if it can ensure safety while speeding the flow of goods between the United States and Canada.
The equipment costs $2.5 million, and will be operated by local Canada Customs and Revenue Agency inspection officers at terminals in Deltaport, Centerm and Vanterm. The technology is designed to complement additional manual inspections and can inspect one container per minute, VPA said.
"It is our hope the new technology will now set the stage for the electronic bonding and pre-clearance of U.S.-destined cargo through our port." said Captain Gordon Houston, president and chief executive officer of the Vancouver Port Authority. Transport Topics
(Click here for the full press release.)
Weather Sensors Debated in N.C.
After an unexpected freeze in North Carolina caused hundreds of accidents and a death Jan. 20, state officials are resisting calls for the installation of weather sensors into streets and bridges, the Associated Press reported Thursday.This is important to truckers because bad weather can cause delays, and an accident could mean that a truck needs to be taken off the road completely for repairs.
At least 46 states are already using weather sensors, but N.C. officials pointed out that installation costs range from $20,000 to $50,000 for a tower that gathers information from the air, as well as several sensors up to a half-mile away. They question the need in a state that sees little frigid weather, the AP said.
Some studies have shown that the sensors, called Road Weather Information Systems, can save states money by pinpointing the roads and bridges that are likely to need salt. Transport Topics
Verizon Wireless to Launch New Network
Verizon Wireless could launch its third-generation wireless network capable of streaming video and high-speed Internet as early as next week, Reuters reported on Thursday.This new technology will likely allow customers such as truck drivers to more easily check e-mail and communicate with family or business contacts much faster.
Sources close to the company told Reuters that it is upgrading networks and will be able to offer as much as 10 times the network voice capacity and wireless data connections, as well as ability to give customers speeds up to 144 kilobits per second on their mobile phones.
Verizon Wireless will first offer the service in areas from Boston to Virginia on the East Coast, and Silicon Valley and the San Francisco Bay area in the West, Reuters said. Transport Topics
Holiday Sales Spark Nokia's 4Q Earnings
Nokia Corp., the world's largest maker of mobile phones, said Thursday it posted stronger-than-expected earnings in the fourth quarter due to brisk holiday phone sales, Reuters reported.Cell phones are utilized widely in the trucking industry, allowing drivers to communicate with companies' headquarters.
Nokia earned $398.7 million in the fourth quarter, compared with $970.5 million in the same period the previous year. For the full fiscal year, profits fell to $4.6 billion U.S. from $5.06 billion in 2000. Sales grew 3% to $27.37 billion.
Meanwhile, Swedish telecommunication equipment maker Ericsson reported its first annual loss on Friday but forecast a return to profit in 2002. The $2 billion pre-tax loss was more than three times larger than its pre-tax loss in 2000.
Looking ahead, Nokia was cautious about 2002, saying that first-quarter profits will likely be 13 cents to 15 cents per share amid an industry-wide slowdown. Transport Topics
(Click here for the full press release.)
Xata Reports Fiscal 1Q Loss
Xata Corp., a supplier of onboard-vehicle technology for trucking and other transportation companies, reported on Jan. 23 a net loss for the fiscal 2002 first quarter ended Dec. 31 of $371,000, or 5 cents per share. That compares with a net loss of $376,000, or 7 cents per share, in the year-earlier period.Net sales during the quarter were $4.3 million, up from $2.4 million in the first quarter of fiscal 2001, Xata said in a statement released late Wednesday.
Looking ahead, the company said it expects a net loss in fiscal 2002 due to research and development expenses. Transport Topics
(Click here for the press release.)
