PeopleNet, a provider of Internet-based and integrated onboard computing and mobile communications systems to facilitate effective fleet management, on Monday, Sept. 21, announced the introduction of the first utility for creating applications that can be customized to meet PeopleNet customers’ specific workflow needs.
PeopleNet says its customizable BLU Workflow — designed with the flexibility to address any vertical trucking market — initially is being used by fuel hauler Justin Davis Enterprises to extend its custom back-end system and as a front-end to TMW’s Fuel Dispatch software; the resulting In-cab Fuel Management system provides the driver with multistop pickup-and-delivery information for each load.
Running on PeopleNet’s BLU in-cab PC, drivers can look ahead to the details of subsequent stops, including graphical facility maps of delivery locations, the company says; at the point of delivery, drivers will enter gross and net gallons — as well as retains and accessorial information — before declaring the delivery complete, and custom edits can be provided for all of the data entered according to the needs of individual customers; optionally, the In-Cab Fuel Management system can print receipts to ruggedized mobile printers. Fully integrated to PeopleNet’s geofencing system, PACOS, the workflow process becomes truly automatic, according to the company.
Randy Boyles, PeopleNet’s vice president of Tailored Solutions, made the announcement about BLU Workflow at the TMW User Conference, being held through Wednesday, Sept. 23, in Nashville, Tenn. “While transportation firms have similar business processes, they typically have a special take on them,” Boyles says. “BLU Workflow enables customers to provide their drivers with a directed process that guides the driver though each day’s planned activities. Drivers drive the vehicle, secure in the knowledge that all trip information is at their fingertips and that BLU will lead them through their employer’s defined process.”
The BLULink development platform is the foundation on which BLU Workflow applications are built, according to PeopleNet; customers create their own custom onboard systems with the easy-to-use interface supplied by BLULink — or they may choose PeopleNet Tailored Solutions’ help — and the automated step-by-step workflow helps the driver stay focused on their primary responsibilities rather than the data entry process. PeopleNet says BLU Workflow works in any dispatch software environment that incorporates PACOS 2.6.
