Technology Briefs — June 6 - June 12
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The Latest Headlines:
- Qualcomm Updates In-Cab Communications
- AtRoad Gets Patents for Data, Content Display Technology
- ‘Tech Talk With TMC’ Marks a Year on XM Radio
- Alabama Monitoring I-65 With Cameras
- AtRoad Gets Patents for Data, Content Display Technology
Qualcomm Updates In-Cab Communications
Wireless technology firm Qualcomm Inc. said it has updated its OmniTRACS in-cab communications system to improve the reporting of information between drivers and fleet operations officials.Qualcomm said the new feature, known as “critical event reporting,” will allow managers to re-ceive a record either manually or automatically.
“Because good drivers may be more conscious of their driving practices when they know their actions are being recorded, the CER application can help fleets reward and further improve driving behavior,” Ellis said.
Qualcomm said it has installed more than 700,000 OmniTRACS units in 39 nations. Transport Topics
AtRoad Gets Patents for Data, Content Display Technology
Technology firm AtRoad Inc. said it received two patents to help carriers handle location data and the display of audio content on wireless phones and other devices.AtRoad, Fremont, Calif., said one patent is for technology that allows carriers to handle data from multiple mobile-communication devices, such as cellphones or personal digital assistants, on the same truck.
AtRoad said the technology allows carriers to update their devices through a network, instead of doing this separately for each unit. This should result in “reduced input from the user.”
The second patent allows users to display audio content on a wireless handset to make it easier for drivers to retrieve information from remote locations, the company said. Transport Topics
‘Tech Talk With TMC’ Marks a Year on XM Radio
June marks the first anniversary of “Tech Talk with TMC,” a nationwide radio segment produced jointly by American Trucking Associations’ Technology & Maintenance Council and trucking radio personality Dave Nemo.The segment has been a weekly segment on Nemo’s XM Satellite radio since last June.
Every Tuesday, TMC representatives appear on show, covering a range of technical issues of interest to the trucking industry and taking live calls from listeners.
TMC Technical Director Robert Braswell appears on the program each week, along with a veteran TMC member covering issues related to maintenance, inspection, specs and other technical issues.
Response to TMC’s presence on the show this past year has been overwhelmingly positive and it’s great to have the members on the air on a weekly basis covering everything from the shiny side to the rubber side and everything in between,” Nemo said. Transport Topics
Alabama Monitoring I-65 With Cameras
The Alabama Department of Transportation has installed cameras along parts of Interstate 65 to better monitor traffic during evacuations from the coast, the Associated Press reported.The cameras are being placed at six heavily congested locations between the Tensaw River and Montgomery, said Stan Biddick of DOT’s design bureau.
ore cameras are planned along the I-65 corridor, AP reported.
The move came after complaints that state officials did not reverse the interstate lanes early enough to expedite evacuations during Hurricane Dennis last July, AP said.
The cameras will send traffic video straight to the DOT traffic control center. Transport Topics
