Trucking Technology Report - June 7

The Trucking Technology Report and Alert are compiled by Information Inc., a supplier of news summaries for vertical markets. Information Inc., subscribes to nearly 7,000 news sources, including: major newspapers and magazines; regional, national, international, and business wire services; weekly and monthly trade journals; business periodicals; legislative sources and non-industry sources.

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Today's Technology Headlines:


Motorola Says It Gained Handset Market Share

Motorola's president of its Personal Communications Sector (PCS), Mike Zafirovski, said the company's share of the cell phone market increased between one and two percentage points in the second quarter.

Zafirovski expects the handset division to once again turn a profit during the second half of this year, when it is expects to sell large volumes of General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) phones. Motorola was the first telecom manufacturer to launch GPRS phones in Europe, and many of its rivals are just starting to ship their own models.



Research firm Gartner Dataquest estimated Motorola's worldwide share of the cell phone market at 13.2% as of this year's first quarter. Zafirovski says Motorola is committed to boosting its share of the market to 20% to 25% within a two- to three-year period.

He also indicated that Motorola's PCS unit is already benefiting from the company's restructuring campaign. However, he notes that increased competition and slowing market growth has hurt the company's profits. Reuters (06/07/01); Bendern, Paul de


Pacer, Qiva in $10 Million Deal

Pacer International announced a formal engagement of services from Qiva Inc., the transportation management and supply chain software firm, for the installment of new technology designed to enhance Pacer's logistics management services.

The deal is estimated at $10 million and is expected to take at least 12 months to 18 months to complete. Journal of Commerce (06/06/01)


Trucking Firm Turn to Logistics ASP to Cut Costs

Refrigerated carrier Stevens Transport chose application service provider (ASP) Logistics.com's Internet OptiYield Fuel&Route tool to improve route planning and slash transport costs.

Stevens' director of quality assurance, Matt Welding, estimates the tool will slash the company's costs by nearly $800,000 each year. The software can provide both truck drivers and management with abundant information and analysis thereof, such as by calculating state transport taxes.

In addition, the system provides driver-friendly services, such as rating truck stops based on their food quality and fuel prices. Computerworld (05/28/01) Vol. 35, No. 22, P. 10; Rosencrance, Linda


Bond Movies Inspire Army's High-Tech SmarTruck

The U.S. Army has designed a new vehicle that smacks of James Bond, with gizmos and gadgets and a little surprise kick for would-be auto thieves. Called the SmarTruck, the vehicle features pepper spray and oil slick dispensers, night vision capabilities, biometrics used for fingerprint identification and operation, and an onboard PC that works like a black box.

Now Army design engineers have added high voltage exterior door handles to stun would-be intruders. The Army says the truck was basically designed for urban warfare and will serve ideally as a vehicle for transporting dignitaries through dangerous regions.

There are no cup holders though, not exactly ideal for the everyday urban warrior in that regard, but imagine how cool it would be to be driving the SmarTruck down the freeway, and with a button, emit a smoke screen to annoy the tailgater behind you? InformationWeek.com (05/31/01); Swanson, Sandra

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