During meetings at the ninth annual PeopleNet Users conference in Boca Raton, Fla., PeopleNet executives shared new features and enhancements that will soon be available on its in-cab computing and mobile communications platforms.
PeopleNet has experienced a 38 percent growth rate, year over year. The company has added 29 new positions and now has 240 total employees. In 2010 it signed 224 new customers and has added 151 so far in 2011. By customer request, 90 percent of new units shipped have eDriver Logs, PeopleNet’s application to electronically record and manage driver logbook data, said Brian McLaughlin, chief operating officer.
PeopleNet announced a discount opportunity through Brazos Risk Insurance. The insurance company is offering a 5 to 10 percent reduction in premiums to qualified fleets that use the PeopleNet onboard computing system with SpeedGauge service to monitor drivers’ actual speeds to posted speed limits, by road segment.
Through its partnership with SpeedGauge, PeopleNet plans to add real-time alerts for when drivers exceeded posted speed limits, said Matt Voda, vice president of product management. The company also plans to add new metrics to an in-cab driver scorecard that show drivers their performance with regards to speed, use of cruise control, shifting patterns, etc.
“Feedback will be on a much more real-time basis,” he said.
Voda also said that PeopleNet has enhanced its driver vehicle inspection report (DVIR) form and created a streamlined login process for drivers. The company also will be working with a design firm to redesign the driver interface for its Windows-based BLU and Tablet platforms to simplify and improve usability of the in-cab computer.
Future possibilities for the BLU and Tablet platforms include driver entertainment options such as in-cab video and web connectivity for Netflix, Skype and casual gaming.
PeopleNet and in-cab navigation partner, Maptuit, announced a new feature that will send an e-mail alert to fleet managers when drivers go out of route. The alert can be established for the actual corridor a driver is traveling–for example, if the driver veers off a planned segment by 0.25 mile.
Having a tool to monitor and capture route compliance information will not only help control fuel costs but can be used to evaluate drivers, says Luke Wachtel, executive vice president of business development for Maptuit. “In light of the growing driver shortage, fleets will have to decide which drivers they will pay extra to keep,” he said.
In 2012, Vusion, a division of PeopleNet that provides a platform to integrate data from equipment manufacturers with fleet performance data, plans to offer new industry benchmarking tools for fuel economy and other metrics. The tools will allow fleet customers to compare their performance to peers of their same size and type of operations, McLaughlin said.
PeopleNet’s newest platform, BLU.2, will soon have in-cab scanning through ACS, in-cab training through ITI, and will interface with tire pressure monitoring systems. Finally, PeopleNet announced that its next-generation Web interface, the PeopleNet Fleet Manager (PFM) has rolled into production and the company is beginning the migration of customers to the new system. The new PFM has a more robust engine for creating exception-based alerts and custom reports.
