Trucking Technology Report - Aug. 7
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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:
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New Protocols to Expand GPS Usage
The U.S. government's removal of Selective Availability (SA) from the Global Positioning System (GPS) is advantageous to consumers and businesses that use location data. Since SA removal increases GPS receiver accuracy to within 20 meters, it will, in the words of President Clinton, "allow new GPS applications to emerge and continue to enhance the lives of people around the world."
The removal of SA was mandated by military development of technology that no longer affects civilian receivers. The U.S. government estimates that the consumer GPS market will skyrocket from $8 billion to over $16 billion in the next three years. Field Force Automation (08/00) Vol. 1, No. 10, P. 22; Purdue, Matt
Florida Firm Fights to Create Truckers' E-Commerce Niche
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Although PNV is not yet profitable, it sees a potential gold-mine in the nation's 1 million long-haul drivers, and has already signed exclusive contracts with more than 75% of all U.S. full-service truck stops. Truckers, or their companies, can pay a daily or monthly subscription fee to have a cable from a yellow fixture in truck stop parking lots installed in a phone, fax, or computer in the cabs of their trucks; those who lack a computer can use PNV's computers set up at terminals inside the truck stop.
PNV says that it is not simply serving truckers who are cut off from the world for weeks at a time, but also the trucking industry, which loses billions of dollars in business annually because many independent truckers who have just off-loaded have no way of knowing due to poor communication what company in the same area may need another load to be shipped.
PNV contends that truckers' current communications technologies are antiquated and costly, as CB radios usually only work well over short distances, and mobile phones have expensive roaming fees and high long-distance rates. Sun-Sentinel (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.) (08/06/00) P. 1F; Mann, Joseph
Talks Advance In Verizon Phone Strike
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The strike, which started at 12:01 a.m. Sunday, did not significantly affect basic phone services. However, calls for new services were delayed, as were repair work and directory assistance. Such problems may increase today as call volumes rise.
While demonstrations were mostly peaceful, some striking workers prevented managers from entering several facilities in the Philadelphia area, Verizon said. The strike is intended to provide unionized workers with benefits from new businesses introduced by Verizon, including wireless communications and Internet access.
The Communications Workers of America and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers are pushing for the right to organize employees in Verizon's wireless division with the stipulation that they gather signed cards from a majority. However, company management has insisted that the union could claim representation following an election win by secret ballot. While an agreement had yet to be finalized as of last night, a deal has been sketched, according to sources. Washington Post (08/07/00) P. A1; Goodman, Peter S.; Irwin, Neil
E-Mail Going Postal?
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One service would alert customers via e-mail about an incoming bill or parcel, which could then be rerouted to a different street address, and another would enable customers to send e-mails to a local post office, where it would be translated into print form and sent out as a regular letter through first-class mail.
The third service, which is already in operation, allows customers to pay their bills via the Postal Service's Web site. The Postal Service fears that by 2003, Americans will have abandoned its first-class mailing services en masse and have moved online. Journal of Commerce Online (08/02/00)
Highway Technology Research Centers On Concrete
Engineers are testing whether the use of unsealed joints can provide the same level of performance as sealed joints on short-jointed concrete pavements. If the test succeeds, state and federal highway administrators could significantly reduce both the costs and delays of such construction.This is one of several research projects recently undertaken by the Concrete Pavement Technology Program, a joint venture of Federal Highway Administration, the Innovative Pavement Research Foundation, and the Transportation Research Board. For the next five years, the program will use its $25-million budget to support numerous research projects on concrete pavement.
Besides the above example, the program will study topics such as overlay whitetopping, precast concrete panels, and pavement cracking. Program participants hope to ease the burden of concrete repair on both government budgets and drivers while providing insights into potential improvements in pavement technology. The program's participating organizations will also prepare a plan for the future of concrete pavement technology. They will likely present this plan at the 2001 International Concrete Pavement Conference in Orlando, Fla. Roads & Bridges (07/00) Vol. 38, No. 7, P. 14; Vanikar, Suneel
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