Some developers of in-cab and mobile fleet management applications offer navigation that is pre-built into their product platforms.
Rand McNally’s IntelliRoute navigation app comes standard in its Windows and Android fleet devices, including the HD 100 which enables all applications — messaging, electronic logs, navigation and more — to run on any Apple or Android device.
The app gives drivers the mileage and estimated time of arrival to the next stop with workflow functionality that allows fleets to provide specific instructions for each stop. Meanwhile, back office employees can continuously send real-time message updates to keep drivers informed on the road, the company says.
Blue Tree Systems offers a durable, six-inch Garmin device to run all of its applications that include messaging, electronic hours-of-service with HOS Advisor, and driver performance. The Garmin device is an Android tablet that comes with navigation and lifetime map updates.
BlueTree offers a rugged Garmin tablet with navigation as part of its mobile computing platform.The Blue Tree app can also be run on any Android device a fleets chooses. Drivers as well can install the Blue Tree app on personal devices to stay connected to the messaging and HOS information.
Fleets can automatically monitor for out-of-route events by sending the waypoints for planned routes to the Garmin devices as part of the dispatch process, says Chip Powell, director of U.S. operations for Blue Tree.
Speaking of out-of-route monitoring, Magellan is releasing a new feature called Return to Route that automatically detects when a driver deviates from the route and calculates a return to the point of departure. This is particularly important for service fleets like school buses and snowplows that need to get back to the original point of departure to not miss stops along the route, says Mark Perini, vice president of product marketing.
Magellan has a cloud-based Fleet Navigation platform that runs on a 7-inch Android device and integrates third party content and apps, such as hours-of-service, through a single user interface.
