Mueller chooses PeopleNet for private fleet operation

user-gravatar Headshot

Mueller Inc., a private fleet operator based in Ballinger, Texas, announced that it has selected PeopleNet to provide onboard communications and fleet management solutions. Mueller manufactures steel buildings and metal roofing for business and residential customers in the Central and Southwest United States.

The company employs 600 people at 28 distribution centers and three manufacturing locations, and its fleet of 92 company-owned trucks consists primarily of flatbeds. According to Phillip Arp, corporate finance manager for Mueller, PeopleNet is the company’s first onboard communications system; until now, Mueller relied on phone communication and “black box” data collection.

“We have a two-pronged effort here,” Arp says. “Our first goal is to reduce liability — we want to make sure our drivers are using automated logs to meet the compliance requirements of the DOT. The second goal is operational efficiency. That’s where we’re going to utilize other PeopleNet elements.”

The Mueller fleet will implement PeopleNet’s eDriver Logs and PerformX applications:

  • eDriver Logs is designed to accurately maintain Mueller driver logs, meeting DOT requirements as well as providing accurate log status information for fleet managers; and
  • PerformX is designed to gather and report relevant truck and driver performance data to track such elements as idling time, speeding and hard braking. PeformX can warn of mechanical problems before a breakdown, enhance the overall maintenance process and provide critical, detailed data in the event of an accident, according to PeopleNet.
  • Beyond those initial goals, Mueller intends to integrate PeopleNet data into its Enterprise Resource Planning system for data mining and further efficiencies, including fuel savings.

    “We’re very glad for the opportunity to serve Mueller,” says Brian McLaughlin, chief operating officer for Minneapolis-based PeopleNet. “We look forward to helping Mueller meet and exceed their goals.”