Old Dominion Freight Lines Inc. announced that it has selected PeopleNet to provide onboard communications and fleet management solutions for its fleet of more than 5,100 trucks. Barry Craver, director of freight processing applications for the less-than-truckload carrier, says PeopleNet will be installed across Old Dominion’s fleet in local pickup-and-delivery operations for linehaul.
Old Dominion says it will continue to use handheld computers for their pickup-and-delivery drivers and will relay this same information through the PeopleNet unit in the truck, providing more powerful transmission, better reception and improved coverage. With PeopleNet onboard, Old Dominion will collect and process data from the truck and run other applications such as eDriver Logs, PeopleNet’s electronic onboard recorder application; Pacos, PeopleNet’s Geofencing application; and PerformX, which monitors vehicle and driver performance.
Craver says Old Dominion, which also expects PerformX will help control fuel costs, began considering onboard systems in 2006 after conducting a program to test automated driver logs. Since automated logs might become mandatory, the Thomasville, N.C.-based company wanted to be prepared. “That test raised a question,” Craver says. “If we’re going to install an onboard device, what else can it do for us?”
Craver says that in early 2007, Old Dominion set out to find the answer and interviewed many potential providers. “We invited some companies to make presentations,” he says. “We narrowed those down to a few that we actually piloted. And we finally selected PeopleNet.” Among the reasons was PeopleNet’s eDriver Log solution. “Our safety folks liked PeopleNet’s log program better than anyone else’s,” Craver says. “Plus, PeopleNet made a serious effort to understand how Old Dominion does business. They’re very innovative, customer-oriented and flexible about listening and devising a way to get where you want.”
Ron Konezny, chief executive officer for Minneapolis-based PeopleNet, says his company believes its partnership with Old Dominion marks the beginning of a new era for both firms and even for the LTL sector as a whole. “We’re very excited to serve Old Dominion,” Konezny says. “The economic, energy and regulatory challenges ahead of us make onboard intelligence essential for the entire trucking industry. We look forward to working with Old Dominion to meet those challenges.”
