Summer 2006

Whilst a lot of tracking systems offer some opportunity to report on the status and performance of vehicles themselves, not many are explicitly marketed with this emphasis.

SupaTrak CANbus from Swindon-based CMS Global Technologies aims to put that right. The name provides a strong clue, since it includes the term "CANbus". This is synonymous in vehicle engineering circles with up-to-date, automated on-board information handling. It stands for Controller Area Network bus (central communications link).

In the world of tracking, the kind of information gathered from vehicle systems in this way might include fuel consumption, driving style, braking and acceleration.

Not that the focus is entirely on engineering information. SupaTrak CANbus also retains the wide range of features in the existing SupaTrak product, which include vehicle and trailer tracking and cold chain temperature monitoring. Real-time updates at frequencies of up to 30 seconds are possible.

Options include GPS connection to a PDA for satellite navigation, and the ability to link with existing data collection devices and back office systems. The company offers its own CMS Mobile Worker application for automatic job allocation, job status and service level performance monitoring and vehicle and driver league tables.