PeopleNet Offers ‘Panic’ Button Key Fob

PeopleNet Communications Corp. said it is working with security technology firm SafeKey Corp. to provide a location-aware key fob that truck drivers can use to send “panic” signals through PeopleNet’s system.

Using the global position system-enabled key fob and a PeopleNet telematics device, a truck driver can hit a “panic” button from up to 100 feet away from the truck, the company said. PeopleNet’s system will notify a monitoring service or the carrier’s dispatch office with the driver’s location, and allow the carrier shut the truck down.

“The GPS-enabled key-fob ‘check’ module is like a portable ‘insurance policy’ for supporting a driver’s personal safety and minimizing vehicle and cargo theft,” Rick Ochsendorf, PeopleNet’s senior vice president, said in a statement.