UPS Adds Next-Generation Computers for Drivers

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PS Inc. said Monday its drivers would begin using a new generation of handheld computers that can “talk” with four different wireless communication systems to speed tracking information to customers.

The unit is smaller and lighter than its predecessor, displays in color and is easier to use and has an expanded memory that will support some more customized services, UPS said in a statement.

It’s a critical part of a broader technology shift that is allowing UPS to dramatically reduce its fuel consumption while improving route planning, vehicle loading and package delivery.

Co-developed with Symbol Technologies, UPS expects to deploy 32,000 in the United States and 8,000 internationally by the end of the year. It said it plans to have more than 70,000 in use worldwide by the end of 2007.

The new computer — known as the fourth-generation Delivery Information Acquisition Device or DIAD IV — will be deployed rapidly now that it has undergone more than a year of extensive field testing. UPS started its DIAD program in 1991.

"This is a key component of a bigger system that we call Package Flow Technology,” said Dave Barnes, UPS's chief information officer. “Our drivers are going to have all the information in their handheld computers to make even more reliable deliveries while driving fewer miles.”

he system links to a global positioning satellite system and has the ability to connect with four different wireless networks, including local wireless fidelity, or Wi-Fi, the company said.