Trucking Technology Alert - Aug. 28
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Both the online report and e-mail are sponsored by @Track Communications, a supplier of wireless communications and dispatch services.
Today's Technology Headlines:
- Program Endangers Privacy of Wireless Data
- Allegheny Ludlum Agrees to Deal with BestTransport
- Companies Reduce Costs to Beat Slowdown
- DOT Developing Electronic ETA System
Program Endangers Privacy of Wireless Data
Wireless network connections available at airports, hotels, hospitals and colleges are vulnerable thanks to AirSnort, a program which allows hackers to infiltrate communications and steal information. According to AirSnort co-creator Jeremy Bruestle, the wireless encryption has many problems and leaks.The encryption, Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP), was placed in question by a theory paper released by cryptographer Adi Shamir and others and a follow-up program created by an AT&T Laboratories researcher and intern. Bruestle and Blake Hegerle say they decided to break the code in order to show the significance of its problems. University of Miami Chief Network Officer Stewart Seruya notes that students generally use WEP to look at Websites and use another more secure mode to send data--but WEP-based airport wireless networks do involve connections to email.
Allegheny Ludlum Agrees to Deal with BestTransport
Allegheny Technologies Inc.'s stainless steel company Allegheny Ludlum has made a deal with BestTransport to handle carrier selection and load assignments for their transportation suppliers.BestTransport uses an automated program to determine the most reasonable contract rates offered by preferred carriers, and Allegheny's John E. Sample believes the application of BestTransport's system will increase efficiency. The system fits with Allegheny Ludlum's existing operational system. eyefortransport (08/28/01)
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Companies Reduce Costs to Beat Slowdown
One of the few positive aspects of the high-tech sector's current situation is that buyers are being forced to reduce costs and determine ways to boost bottom lines, and subsequently encouraging vendors to create more comprehensive pricing plans.Buyers are most concerned with costs and implementation times, and vendors should realize that lengthy implementation and large initial capital outlay are not realistic terms for many buyers, according to Romala Ravi of IDC's eLogistics Services. In a recent bulletin on trends in the sector, Ravi finds that vendors that are creative and value-oriented can do well in the present. Currently, for example, some vendors are offering various applications together as a package, wholesale and using gain-share arrangements.
Peter Bishop of HighJump Software asserts that buyers are choosing supply-chain arrangements that will last and provide real ROI potential, and vendors are being more innovative with methods to sell their solutions. HighJump currently is offering a fixed-price deal on basic software adjustments, while V3 Systems now offers a Web-based supply-chain execution program through matrixed subscription. Other offerings include value-added services such as financial settlement, global trade management, exception management, and reporting-analytical tools. Online auctions also are becoming more popular for multiservice offerings.
I>Traffic World (08/27/01) Vol. 265, No. 35, P. 17; Cottril, Ken
Since last year, bus riders in Seattle have been able to check their desktop computers to find current schedules and estimated times of arrival (ETA) on the MyBus Web site, and now users can also do so via their mobile phones. The times are predicted using equipment on board the bus that transmits odometer readings to a central computer site, which, coupled with road sensors, can calculate when a bus will arrive at a certain location. Other cities, such as San Francisco, are relying on GPS technology, which utilizes a receiver, CDPD modem, and an antenna to pinpoint the location of a bus and merge the data with its known route, to find the ETA and post it at terminals located at the bus stop and other public places.
New York City and Dallas rely on similar technology for their transit systems, only the technology audibly announces bus stops, transfer points, places of interest, etc., making it especially beneficial for the blind.
I>Government Technology (08/01) Vol. 14, No. 10, P. 40; Newcombe, Tod
DOT Developing Electronic ETA System
Though most grants given by the U.S. Department of Transportation focusing on intelligent technology are aimed at relieving traffic tie-ups, there is also renewed interest in public transit.
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