Jan/Feb 2005

Fast Internet access and GRPS wireless communications are driving vehicle tracking developments. As prices drop and options increase, Sharon Clancy looks at the state of the market

Knowledge is a great enabler. Armed with facts on where your vehicles are or have been, you have the power to manage them and your drivers more efficiently. Facts are also a great help in managing customer relations, whether your customers choose to use the information proactively by advising of a delayed delivery, or simply reactively, to resolve any disputes at a later date.

That's why automatic vehicle tracking, or AVL, is such an appealing concept. It delivers fundamental information to you that you could never have had in the past. It takes guesswork and assumptions out of the equation. Now you can see exactly where all your vehicles or goods are (or were) at any point in their journey - in real time if you want to. It brings everything into sharp focus.

 

But until lately all this came at a cost. Most operators are probably now aware of the free-to-use Global Positioning Satellite system, which allows an on-board transceiver to work out a vehicle's latitude and longitude. The trouble is that although the service itself may be free, you still have to pay for the equipment to do the calculation; and if you want to have the information on a live basis, you also have to pay to relay it back to base by some form of wireless transmission.

That's why until lately, many medium and small transport companies decided they probably didn't need to know exactly where their vehicles were in real time. Indeed, some argued that as the vehicles were usually on the same route on any given day, they didn't need AVL at all.

However, this attitude is looking increasingly outmoded, especially when you consider just how far costs for AVL have fallen. And this is due in large part to the way two key technologies are converging. One is fast, cheap access to the Internet through always-on broadband connections. The other is the growth of GPRS (General Packet Radio Services) as a means of transmitting data back to base wirelessly. This, too, is incredibly cheap compared with previous radio data networks.

Result: you can now track the movements of a vehicle as frequently as every minute for a few pounds a week. Real-time tracking really is fast becoming a "no-brainer".

The Internet provides affordable and easy access to real-time data for haulage and distribution companies of all sizes. If you pick the right AVL service (and there are plenty to choose from), they can show you your vehicles on a screen map presented through a normal Web browser. So you may not need any special software.

GPRS transmits the location details from vehicle to AVL service-provider, and like broadband, it is effectively (even if not technically) "always on". Moreover, the mobile phone network charges you for each data packet sent, not for cost the of the call. A vehicle position represents a tiny data packet, so the main deterrent to frequent position updates (the cost of making the call to get the information) no longer applies.

Even so, in the early days of these new technologies, you still had to contend with the hassle of setting up a back-office infrastructure to poll vehicles and get a position fix, then plot it on suitable mapping software.

Recognising this, many vehicle tracking system suppliers now either offer a hosted service as an option, or have migrated completely to server-based tracking. With these services, the only IT capability you need is the ability to log on to the Internet. And this means that tracking vehicles in real time is now affordable and manageable even for smaller companies. All players in a given supply chain can be drawn in, whatever their size or IT capability.

You may find yourself questioning just how far AVL costs have fallen. Craig Sears-Black, managing director of Isotrak, draws a simple comparison. "You might pay £1 today to download a specific amount of data; five years ago the same amount of data would have cost you £30." He attributes much of the change to the advent of GPRS.

Steve Coffin of Siemens VDO agrees. "GPRS has made a huge difference to the market and the technology is now established. We are no longer in a continual development cycle or waiting for costs to fall." However, it has also meant there has been an influx of new suppliers, says Coffin, not all of whom understand the transport and logistics sector. "First decide what historic and real-time data you need, and then find a supplier. Don't rely on the supplier to tell you what you should buy."

Despite all this progress, however, arguably real-time tracking is still in its infancy, and even now some potential users remain unconvinced that they need it. Some are only being dragged into it when their own customers demand it. This happens when those customers discover the benefits it can bring, and conclude that they're no longer prepared to tolerate the "black hole" that they encounter if a third-party contractor proves unable to track vehicles in real time or communicate with them.

Tellingly, none of the companies selling Internet-based vehicle reporting systems or GPRS data services focuses on the technology. Instead, they concentrate on the numerous benefits. "Whatever the true value to the fleet operator, real-time tracking is a plus for the customer: in many contract bids you have got to have it to be in contention."

Key points to look out for with GPRS and Internet-based systems are whether the "black boxes" supplied have on-board data storage capability, and how frequently the position updates are provided. Some units have minimal onboard data storage capability (it keeps the costs of the black boxes down). Other systems record the position data on-board, transmitting at less frequent intervals but allowing you to poll to establish a live position. The frequency of position fixes becomes critical if, for example, you need to prove to a customer that the vehicle arrived at 9.30, not 9.40 or 9.45.

On-board data storage units, of course, can collect other data apart from location. Many systems now update live vehicle positions automatically every five minutes which will give you a pretty comprehensive picture of fleet activity.

Recent developments

Perhaps because it started life as part of the Exel logistics group, Isotrak has long been associated with deployments in large fleets and with users requiring the sophistication of extensive supply-chain management solutions.

Now, however, it is aiming at all sectors of the market, and has completely redesigned its product offering to attract small and medium fleet operators as well as its traditional customers. Isotrak has always managed customer vehicle data through a hosted hub service operating through extranets, and the latest system extends that approach to smaller companies by giving them access via the Internet.

There are four levels to the new Isotrak suite of applications: vehicle tracking, fleet management, resource management and supply-chain management. Recognising that installation and up-front costs are a major deterrent to smaller companies, Isotrak now offers a per-vehicle lease model similar to those offered by other suppliers to encourage market take-up. The price includes hardware and ongoing communications.

List prices for Isotrak's vehicle tracking system are £50 per vehicle per month on a three-year lease basis. Fleet Management costs £75 per month and Resource Management £100. There are discounts for quantities, and the company's Craig Sears-Black says Isotrak is determined to establish itself in the competitive fixed-price sector. The systems are modular, so you can add extra functionality if and when required.

So, what do you get for your money with the latest Isotrak system? Vehicle tracking includes alert management, trip analysis, "snail-trail" tracking and the black-box data capture unit. The fleet management application has been designed to replicate paper-based systems for familiarity, while improving processes. With fleet management you get more detailed activity reports, including actual versus planned schedules, percentage of early, late and on-time deliveries, and dynamic journey libraries. Resource management adds driver and vehicle management, including traffic planning.

One useful tool is the graphical representation of reports, designed to help managers see at a glance what areas need attention or where the service is not as expected. Event notifications received by Isotrak can be forwarded by email, SMS or the BlackBerry system. In resource planning, the electronic "whiteboard" shows real-time journey progress for all vehicles, also displayed in clear graphical format.

Microlise is another full service fleet management supplier which is transforming the way customers can access fleet reports. Apart from customised reports, its AVL tracking solution comes with over 20 standard Web-based reports. Users can set rules and conditions about how data is treated. You can set your own rules for different vehicle groups and types, and download the rules to each vehicle wirelessly. You can determine which inputs you want notification of, including door openings, ignition, temperature and wireless panic buttons.

Tracking data is displayed on street-level mapping or via Microlise's Transport Management Centre, which allows the business to monitor real-time delivery progress. Reports include fleet analysis on all vehicles for every day, late departures report, hours variance report (planned versus actual), unplanned departures, unscheduled stops, customer turnround/drop time report, late arrivals reports. Driver activity reports include overspeeding, idling and harsh braking.

Cybit's Fleetstar-Online now includes support for GPRS, GSM data and SMS communications. It can even offer tracking via mobile phone cell identification, which some fleets are adopting to integrate subcontractors into their asset-tracking systems.

Operators can get reports sent to their PDAs and access the Web site to check current status and even ask questions like "Where's my nearest truck?"

The system is based on an open API programming interface, which enables developers to integrate telematics technology readily with their own applications.

Siemens VDO, which produces the FM and Datatrak vehicle management and tracking systems, also has an Internet-based service called FM Web. It is based on the VDO Fleet Manager Professional software, but includes additional features such as exception emails, a security model and targeted information delivery.

Siemens offers three types of on-board black box, depending on how much data you want to collect. The Mk V locator is a new design that works with both LF (low-frequency radio) and GPS tracking networks. The LF option uses a unique wireless network operated by the company itself. The FM200 box includes GPRS communications as an open platform to allow third-party systems to communicate with it. Ê

Thalestrak is a Web-based tracking service from Thales Telematics. Time-triggered data transfers report on mileage, fuel consumption, precise position and routes travelled, as well as on vehicle statistics like speed and engine performance. Both current and historical information is stored and available for analysis using Thalestrak.com. Event-triggered alerts signal departures from pre-defined operating zones (geofences).

French-owned Masternaut was a pioneer of GPRS-based real-time tracking. Costs are as little as £2 a day for position updates every 30 seconds. It operates with the Orange mobile network.

Gateshead-based Navstar is another provider of fixed-cost GRPS real-time tracking. The onboard unit reports its position every five minutes, or after a certain distance has been travelled. Vehicle position information and various reports are downloaded from the Navstar Web site. The cost is £1.42 per vehicle per day for a two-year contract, falling to 99p per day for a three-year contract. Alternatively, you can buy the onboard units outright (£699 each for up to 10 units) and pay £3.46 a week for the communications costs.

Telematics One, the distributor for Navman Wireless tracking systems in the UK, also quotes 99p per vehicle per day.

Cognito is best-known for its managed mobile data services, but it has now added a GPS- based tracking and geofencing application for operations where stringent customer service level agreements (SLAs) apply, whether among logistics and courier companies or in the service sector.

A GPS receiver connects via Bluetooth to the data capture unit in the vehicle, which records information on speed, ignition on or off, or distance travelled since the last event. Up to 1,200 events can be stored on the on-board unit between connections.

TrakManager from CS Electronics is not Internet-based, but it has been upgraded to GPRS and uses the Vodafone Data Network for real-time communication. TrakManager units monitor the location and status of a variety of aspects of the vehicle, then communicate all this to a desktop computer at the customer's site. Outside the coverage area, TrakManager operates in historic mode, automatically communicating its data when connection is re-established. Whenever a TrakManager unit is within Vodafone data network coverage, it operates in real time by communicating at pre-set intervals and on certain events such as ignition on, ignition off, door opening/closing, temperature alarms, geofence alerts and illegal vehicle movement alerts.

The future

To manage efficiently, operators need access to real-time data, whether they are in the office or on the road. Internet-based systems provide that accessibility. For small fleets, it means they can offer similar levels of service to larger companies for a fraction of the cost, and check their operations are running as efficiently as possible. Simply recording data does not in itself bring about improvements. Taking action based on the knowledge they give you does. And if someone else is preparing the reports for you, there is no excuse not to.

GSM just cannot deliver these benefits on a cost-effective basis. GPRS can, and at affordable prices.

A hundred tracking suppliers in Telematics and Mobile Data Guide!

If you're looking for suppliers who can provide you with vehicle tracking services, m.logistics has its very own supplier Web site - Telematics & Mobile Data Guide Online - www.telematicsguide.com. Here you'll find listings of over a hundred companies who offer vehicle and asset tracking and location systems, plus another 250 in the wireless communications, mobile data and field service markets. Many entries include descriptions of what the companies offer.