Blue Tree USA – a provider of fleet management, reefer monitoring and trailer tracking solutions – announced that National Carriers Inc. has signed a contract to install the R:Com Fleet Management System on its entire fleet of tractors and refrigerated trailers. National Carriers, based in Liberal, Kansas, is a diversified motor carrier providing refrigerated, livestock and logistics services throughout the 48 lower states. The company currently fields more than 600 tractors and more than 1,200 refrigerated trailers.
“In 2010, we began to search for a truck and reefer trailer management solution that would significantly improve our existing capabilities,” says Jim Franck, vice president of National Carriers. “With the R:Com system’s performance monitoring capability – specifically as it deals with fuel – we realistically can raise our mpg by 2/10ths per mile, and we feel that is conservative. Overall, Blue Tree’s analytics and drill-down capabilities, and the company’s communications business model that allows us to select and negotiate directly with a wireless carrier, were our main deciding factors. We also like having tractor and untethered reefer monitoring systems from the same company.”
On its trucks, the company is using R:Com for vehicle tracking, driver messaging, navigation, electronic hours-of-service logs and performance monitoring. On trailers, National Carriers uses R:Com for live trailer tracking, temperature monitoring and alarm reporting, and reefer maintenance and data downloads, which helps safeguard sensitive cargo and provides proof of temperature during transit if customers require it.
National Carriers hosts the R:Com solution on an in-house server. The tractor and reefer applications are fully integrated with the carrier’s Innovative Computing Corp. Add On Systems enterprise management software. A seamless integration by Blue Tree allowed for a smooth transition from the previous systems on National’s vehicles, Franck noted, and the R:Com solution has simplified processes for the company’s IT personnel.
“The Blue Tree R:Com Fleet Management Solution is proving to be a very successful choice for a growing number of U.S. motor carriers, who have installed it on over 10,000 vehicles,” says Charlie Cahill, chief executive officer of Roanoke, Va.-based Blue Tree. “National Carriers has now adopted our highly effective solution for its ability to help maximize fleet efficiency, reduce costs and improve customer service. We look forward to serving them.”
