Xata Corp., a provider of onboard fleet management systems for private fleets, has announced that Inergy Services, a propane and marketing distribution company, has selected Xatanet for its West Coast fleet to automate driver logs and monitor mobile assets in real time.
Inergy L.P. sells and leases propane, propane supplies and equipment to retail consumers under a number of regional brand names throughout the United States and Canada. Inergy’s West Coast fleet includes both local and regional routes running loads out of a variety of refineries and hydrocarbon processing facilities in a multistop environment.
Xatanet’s electronic driver logs are designed to eliminate both the paper from the logging process and the wasted time spent by drivers, management and administrative staff managing logs and HOS compliance. Xatanet automatically maintains a complete, paperless electronic driver log that is in compliance with U.S. Department of Transportation regulations, according to Xata.
“Electronic driver logs should be a critical business tool for every fleet — it is for us,” says Gene Jones, assistant manager for trucking. “Not only does Xatanet allow us to cut our audit and HOS compliance time in half, but it also provides real-time safety and security monitoring that enables us to better manage fleet operations and save money.”
The Xatanet system is designed to offer real-time location and mapping of fleet assets, collection of operating data from vehicle sensors, and the real-time exchange of driver, vehicle, route and delivery information via a two-way wireless communications network. Xata says these real-time fleet telematics provide Inergy with the information and automation required to eliminate the time-consuming tasks associated with manually managing driver logs and DOT audits.
“There’s a substantial return on investment for fleets utilizing automated electronic driver logs,” says Tom Flies, vice president of business development for Minneapolis-based Xata. “The savings start with the 30 minutes a day it typically takes to fill out today’s logbooks, but the return on investment extends far beyond that to include improved driver productivity, increased fuel economy, enhanced safety and proactive customer service.”
