Trucking Technology Report - Nov. 30
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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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Study Gives WAP Phones a Thumbs Down
The Nielsen Norman Group distributed WAP phones to 20 experienced mobile phone users living in London to evaluate WAP performance. But only some of the participants had extensive experience surfing the Web.
Dr. Jakob Nielson, a co-author of the study, said the results showed that the performance of WAP did not match industry hype. The study used phones manufactured by Nokia and Ericsson. Nielsen Norman is a Web-design consulting firm. New York Times (11/30/00) P. E6
Triad Transport Enhances Operations With Central Load Planning Program
Triad Transport, a hazardous-waste carrier operating across the United States and Canada, has cut down on empty miles and boosted its operating rate since implementing a centralized load-planning initiative last year.The operation centers around three load planners, each covering one section of the carrier, who work hand-in-hand with the dispatchers to coordinate loads, using equipment and driver availability information. Within terminal areas, vehicle movements are managed by terminal dispatchers, but the load planners take charge once the truck is out of the terminal area.
The planners' job is made possible by the McCormick software the company uses on its IBM (IBM) AS400 computer, as well as information from the QUALCOMM (QCOM) satellite-equipped trucks.
The trucks' performance and mileage are tracked by SensorTracs and Prophesy technology, enabling the company to keep track of detailed data about the truck's performance and activities. This data is analyzed by computer programs that look at speed, idle time, and running time to help determine which drivers are saving the most fuel.
Drivers are offered incentives to operate in a fuel-efficient manner, and the information gleaned from the computer system helps teach drivers fuel-saving driving techniques. Modern Bulk Transporter (11/00) Vol. 63, No. 5, P. 21; Davis, Mary
Expert Says Issue of Cancer Risks From Cell Phones May Never be Resolved
Bernard Stewart, chief of the Southeast Sydney Public Health UnitCancer Control Program in Australia, said scientific studies may not ever be able to prove or disprove possible cancer risks from the radiation emissions of mobile phones. While Stewart says studies using animals found a minor cancer risk from cell phone radiation, manufacturers are likely to feel pressure from consumers to restrict radiation levels.Without conclusive evidence disputing cancer risks, Stewart maintains that caution is the best policy. He envisions cell phone makers offering more hands-free cell phones and providing devices with more shielding and less power consumption. Australian Associated Press (11/29/00)
Mobileum Delivers Mobile Apps
Mobileum recently introduced wireless software for enabling corporate users to form and run applications. The software, which is based on the Java 2 Enterprise Edition, operates on top of a Java application server and is compatible with all wireless nets and a variety of wireless devices.The company began operations in March and has already received $45 million in financing from such companies as BEA Systems.
The technology offers interfaces to WAP or SMS servers being employed by carriers. In addition, the system contains tools for creating wireless applications. The software is designed for signals from Web devices to travel through the Internet and application server before being sent to the Mobileum server. From there, certain complex requests can be handled by additional service modules.
Servers for the software are priced at $125,000 and additional modules cost $95,000 per unit. Network World (11/13/00) Vol. 17, No. 46, P. 50; Cox, John
Transportation.com Rolls Out Online Classifieds
Transportation.com is launching its Classifieds service to supply the transportation industry with an easy to use method for selling or purchasing equipment.The Web site will allow sellers to select equipment to be offered within a publicly viewed environment, or can enable them to market their products at a distinct community of potential buyers. In addition, potential purchasers can scroll through search commands that list equipment according to various categories.
The service, which began within the past two weeks, has already posted more than 1400 trucks, trailers, and tractors. On average, site visitors are viewing more than 350 pages per day. The company began offering the new service as an alternative to its auction service, which attracts on average 500 unique visitors per day. Fleet Equipment (11/00) Vol. 26, No. 11, P. 26
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