Archive for August, 2009
Friday, August 28th, 2009
You’ve decided to invest in a fleet management solution: you’re securing your funding, developing a deployment strategy, and engaging all the right people in your organization to make it happen. It’s come time to make one of the key decisions for the project: you need to choose a wireless network provider.
More often than not, data plan price and wireless coverage will dictate which provider an agency will choose. In some cases, a pre-existing agreement between a provider and your company or municipal institution may mean the decision has already been made for you. However, if you have the ability to research and choose a provider for yourself, then you’ll want to consider the provider’s availability and quality of customer service. Even if you aren’t able to choose for yourself, you’ll want to be informed about the support that will be available to you and your team, not just during the initial stages of your project, but in the long run as well.
Here are some tips that can help you get the most from your wireless network provider’s support services:
• Request a description of the support from the wireless network provider that is included with the wireless services you’re purchasing. This includes contact numbers, hours of operation, cost, and the level or type of support provided.
• If your account rep gives you a “1-800” number for customer support, ask exactly which department the number connects you to. If it is an automated system, ask whether there is a different number available to connect to a call center where you can talk to a live operator, or whether there is a particular keyword or series of menu options for the automated system that you can use to expedite the support process.
• If the devices you’re using to communicate on the wireless network are not cell phones or Blackberry devices, you want to be sure that the person on the other end of the line understands that. When evaluating the major wireless carriers, ask your account rep. if you will have access to a dedicated support department that works with data solutions, not just voice cell phones. That way, you’ll avoid a scenario where you call the support line and the person helping only has knowledge of consumer cell phones and no idea how to support data solutions.
• Ask your account rep if there are different contacts for different kinds of support. For example, you may need to call a certain department to get assistance with activating a new modem, and a different department to get assistance with a deployed modem that you’re having problems with.
• If you are a government agency you will most likely have access to statewide government negotiated pricing so be sure to talk directly to the wireless carrier and request this pricing.
• If you are unsure or uncomfortable with the information you’re receiving from your wireless network provider, review it with your data solutions vendor. They can verify the information and bring clarity.
The key here is to discuss long-term support with a wireless network provider before you make any agreements or put your money down. You understand your needs—now you need to make sure the support you’re paying for meets those needs. Knowing what level of customer service you can expect, and understanding how to access the support you need, will save you time, money, and headaches down the road.
Wednesday, August 26th, 2009
Many articles have been written about the advantages of AVL systems in fixed route transit agencies. While AVL does come with a host of benefits, including predicting next bus arrival times, lofty claims about a rider walking out their door 30 seconds before the arrival of their bus simply isn’t the case in most cities. Agencies salivate at the thought of people knowing exactly when their bus is going to arrive, but it’s important to realize that once implemented, AVL delivers predictions and not guaranteed arrival times.
The big question is why? Riders may wonder why, with all the GPS hardware and software, they can’t know exactly where their bus is every second of the day. And, why their PDA says the next bus will be at the stop in two minutes, yet they’re still standing there two minutes after the fact.
To answer this it’s important to understand how arrival predictions are constructed. First and foremost, while a vehicle may know where it is at every given second, it can’t ‘send back’ its location to in-office and online software systems every second. Not only would this incur huge costs (due to the volume of data being constantly sent), but data providers simply don’t allow it (as it would clog up their entire data network). As a result, software packages have to make an educated guess as to where a vehicle is based on the location information it does receive. Typically, vehicle location reports are sent every one to three minutes. If we assume an average vehicle speed of 12 miles/hour, this translates to anywhere from 0.2 to 0.6 miles of distance covered by the vehicle between location reports. That’s 0.2 to 0.6 miles during which the software has to ‘guess’ the vehicle’s location.
In most cases, software applications are able to predict arrival times based on a number of pieces of information:
• Last location received and speed of the vehicle
• Historical traffic and speed information for a given road section
• Distance from the target
• Current traffic information
All of this information does aid in arrival predictions, however, it will never be able to exactly predict an arrival time. Road conditions may vary from calculated values due to accidents, weather, construction, organized events, bad traffic, etc. For example, no software can predict when a vehicle in gridlock is going to start moving again. Sure, the vehicle may only be half a block from its next stop, but it may not move for an extended period of time.
Agencies looking for ‘next stop’ arrival time prediction functionality need to recognize that this information is a prediction—not the absolute truth. This holds true regardless of the software provider chosen.
Monday, August 24th, 2009
Joe Roberts of AAA NCNU
Joe Roberts is the Manager of Technology Support for Performance Management at AAA Northern California, Nevada & Utah. AAA NCNU is the nation’s second largest AAA club, dispatching nearly 3 million requests for service each year and utilizing over 1500 vehicles. Joe has been working in the auto club industry for 37 years and has managed major technology implementations. He’s been kind enough to share some of his experiences with us.
1. Why did you decide to invest in a fleet management solution?
The challenge we had was that AAA NCNU call volume was increasing, which resulted in more radio traffic being passed back and forth between our dispatchers and our independent contract station drivers. Dispatchers weren’t always able to acknowledge drivers, and drivers experienced delays getting through to dispatchers. Improving response time to our members was the goal.
2. What piece of advice would you give someone considering a similar technology purchase?
First off, you need to have a good business case to invest heavily into the cost of the infrastructure.
Secondly, you need to make sure you’ve taken into account all associated costs. This includes network charges with a wireless carrier, hardware and software technology costs, and all soft costs that are internal to your own organization.
Thirdly, it’s critical that you have a good project team in place to complete the project. They need to have a good understanding about data networks, the technology that will be used and what the application will actually do once it is turned on. They need to be able to understand what the technology engineers and software developers are saying, and then be able to translate it into business sense. They also need to adjust and be prepared for the unexpected during implementation. A good training team is also necessary when it comes time to train the clients.
3. How has your organization changed since implementing this technology?
Well, we’ve improved response times to our members. We’ve been able to reduce our average response time to the member by 5 to 7 minutes per call. That means from the time the call is dispatched, to the time the truck arrives, we are arriving 5 to 7 minutes faster now than we used to be. We’ve also been able to reduce the time it takes to dispatch a call to the truck, going from the 45 to 60-second average using radios, to 3 to 6 seconds with data communication. In addition, our system is a platform for us to implement other AAA NCNU initiatives.
4. What do your drivers think of the system?
They like it. At the start there was a lot of apprehension. Drivers didn’t want to give up radio communications, and they were afraid the software was going to be hard for them to use. But after 3 or 4 weeks using the system they adapted quite well to it. In fact, if we have to bring our system down for some reason, there are a lot of complaints from the drivers and our dispatchers.
5. What do your members think of the system?
It all ties back into member service. Other initiatives are targeted to improve the member roadside experience, but data communication is a key component in driving member satisfaction. I’ve been in the industry for 37 years, and the key is to keep up with the latest technology with the purpose of improving member satisfaction. Bettering our members’ roadside experience has been, and will continue to be our primary goal.
6. Have you seen a Return on Investment?
Converting from an analog radio communication system as a primary dispatch method to a data dispatch network was quite expensive. What we have seen in terms of a return is not a hard dollar amount. We’re seeing improved member satisfaction, improved response times, increased dispatcher capabilities, the platform to implement other initiatives and less stress on both the drivers and the dispatchers. Our return on investment is basically in soft costs.
View Mentor’s AAA/CAA fleet management solution
Friday, August 21st, 2009
There’s more to a Transit ITS implementation than just installing the technology. What should you expect during this critical stage? The better prepared you are, the smoother your experience will be. Here is a free white paper that breaks down the implementation process and describes ways you can prepare for ITS technology changes.
http://www.mentoreng.com/whitepaper/implementation.html
Wednesday, August 19th, 2009
Here’s a slideshow that highlights the U.S. Department of Transportation’s ITS Technical Assistance Program. It includes contact names and numbers to get assistance in finding over 400 ITS resources. Click here to view.
Monday, August 17th, 2009
There is a need to constantly improve efficiency and quality of service in the paratransit and fixed-route transit industries. One of the best ways to revolutionize your agency is by choosing an ITS solution. The proof is in the ROI. Take a look:
The Denver, Colorado Regional Transportation District (RTD) implemented its AVL system to improve bus service, and succeeded in decreasing passenger late arrivals by 21%. Weatherford, et al. Assessment of the Denver Regional Transportation District Automatic Vehicle Location System.
- Prepared for the USDOT (DOT-VNTSC=FTA=00=04), August 2000.
Transit agencies have reported reductions in fleet requirements ranging from 2% to 5% as a result of efficiencies in fleet utilization.
- http://itsweb.mitretek.org/aptsmatrix
Text messages reduce congested voice radio by up to 70%
- http://itsweb.mitretek.org/aptsmatrix
In San Jose, California, a paratransit program equipped with CAD/AVL and an automated scheduling and routing system, realized increased ridership, better on-time performance, and a $500,000 reduction in annual operating costs.
- http://www.itsbenefits.its.dot.gov/its/benecost.nsf/SingleTax?OpenForm&Query=Transit+Management
Scheduling software enabled St. Johns County in northeast Florida to reduce office staff from 9 to 4.5 full-time equivalents, while doubling the number of daily paratransit trips, saving $58,000 per year.
- http://www.itsbenefits.its.dot.gov/its/benecost.nsf/SingleTax?OpenForm&Query=Transit+Management
The Kansas City Area Transportation Authority (KCATA) reduced scheduled travel times by 10% based on data collected from its AVL system.
- http://www.itsbenefits.its.dot.gov/its/benecost.nsf/SingleTax?OpenForm&Query=Transit+Management
In Chattanooga, Tennessee, fixed-route scheduling software improved operations by saving approximately 60 hours per week in operator labor, resulting in a savings of approximately $62,000 per year.
- http://www.itsbenefits.its.dot.gov/its/benecost.nsf/SingleTax?OpenForm&Query=Transit+Management
Friday, August 14th, 2009
It’s true that AVL/GPS systems now come with more capabilities than ever before, like the ability to collect telemetry and other data from the vehicle, and to support richer applications. As this article points out, they also deliver route optimization and planning, and when connected to navigation, allow fleet operators to realize efficiency improvements of 15 to 20%.
Read about these and other AVL/GPS trends, as well as vendor selection tips.
Thursday, August 13th, 2009
“A recent report by the analyst firm Aberdeen Group indicates that field service technologies (including scheduling and routing solutions) reduce the overall service costs of an organization by an average of $471,639.”
Beyond cost savings, this article also discusses how routing and scheduling solutions can reduce wait times through predictive scheduling, where an organization can review historical data to see trends so they can schedule workers more effectively. It also looks at how these technologies minimize customer downtime, all improving the customer’s experience.
Click here to read the whole story
Monday, August 10th, 2009
Rick Mayer installing his new system
Located in picturesque Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Island Pumping provides concrete pumping services to not only the city of Nanaimo, but all of Vancouver Island. President and Owner, Rick Mayer, founded Island Pumping in 1988. Since then, Island Pumping has seen continuous growth and expansion. Rick has been involved in the construction industry all his life and has some great experiences to share with us today.
1. Why did you decide to invest in a fleet management solution?
Before this system was in place we relied on drivers to keep track of their hours, to write down when they arrived or left a job site, and we billed by the hour. With our equipment costing $125 to $230 per hour, the minutes can add up. We were losing an average of 15 minutes per job, which translates to about $100,000 a year.
We also had some problems with security. On a couple of occasions, we found vehicles in places they weren’t supposed to be, doing jobs they weren’t supposed to be doing. Because of this, we had to implement security policies where the trucks returned to the yard each night. This wasn’t cost effective, but we didn’t have another option. With the new system, we can have trucks in different cities and there is never a need to bring the vehicle back. This saves us money on fuel, and wear and tear on the vehicles. It also allows us to be much more productive, as we are spending our time at the job site as opposed to driving.
Also, our dispatch system wasn’t at the level it could be. It took a lot of guesswork and was time consuming. Our new system lets us track the vehicles and what stage they are at in the job. Sensors feed back to dispatch and we know, for example, that the truck is pumping or washing out. We don’t have to bother the driver anymore because we always know what they’re doing.
2. What one piece of advice would you give someone considering a similar technology purchase?
Be prepared for a lot of work, and find a company that is very supportive. You need a company who will be there for you if you need to pick up the phone for help at ten o’clock at night. Once you get started on a project like this you’ve got to keep it moving forward. You need to find companies that are willing to put in that effort with you.
3. How has your organization changed since implementing this technology?
We discovered that before this system was in place, two operators doing the same job could each be using a different billing format, making it hard for customers to understand their bill. For example, say one of our operators had a problem onsite, and decided to give the customer a free wash out. They wouldn’t necessarily write that on the bill so customers wouldn’t realize they were getting a discount.
We are much more standardized now, and customers really like that. If the same scenario happened today the operator tells dispatch about the discount and dispatch issues a credit on the bill in real-time. By the time the operator prints the bill out onsite, the discount is already on the bill and the customer can see they’re getting a break. Being able to present the bill correctly in the field and instantly having that information back in the office is great. Literally seconds after the job is done, the dispatcher is able to print out the invoice and mail it. That’s a key benefit.
4. What do your customers think of the system?
Customers are enjoying the technology. It’s made us a premier choice because everything we do now looks professional. The bill isn’t someone’s chicken scratch on a piece of paper. It’s printed out professionally, it is dated and time stamped, and the customer just has to sign it.
There has definitely been a reduction in customer complaints. Now we have a reliable way of backing up our invoicing because we can pull the detailed ticket if needed. We don’t get any calls about invoicing concerns because customers know they are being billed accurately.
5. What do your drivers think of the system?
Occasionally we’ve had to assign drivers to an older truck that doesn’t have the in-vehicle computer installed yet and they’re lost! I even experienced this myself in an older truck, where I went out to a job site without any billing paperwork or anything [laughs]. With the computer in the truck, everything is right there. My stress level goes right down. I hop in the truck, print out my pre-trip, do my work, finish the job, and hit print ticket. I don’t even have to remember what time I got there!
Time-wise, drivers are probably saving at least thirty minutes to one hour per day because there is so much less paperwork. The system makes our drivers’ jobs a lot less stressful as the hassle of filing paperwork is eliminated. We actually had a field operator who came to work for us from a competitor because we were using this system.
6. Have you seen a Return on Investment? If so, how much and how quickly?
We saw a return on investment instantly. At the beginning, we had the drivers hand-write bills like they always did and then we compared them with the printouts from the mobile computer. We started finding discrepancies in time and charges right away. Sometimes they’d just forgotten to write things on the bill. We stopped using the hand written bills immediately.
We are now able to very accurately predict how much time it will take to complete a job. Customers then know what to expect. There is an industry standard to charge a minimum number of hours per job, but we have been able to eliminate this because we are much more efficient now. If everything was status quo with the economy, I expect we would be saving between $50,000 and $100,000 per year with this technology.
We also used to have two people working to dispatch job assignments. Now there is hardly enough work for one person. There is less congestion for dispatchers as they can continually send jobs to drivers to be stored on their in-vehicle computer instead of having to reach them by phone.
And finally, we’re able to expand our business. We’ve remotely located trucks in different areas, and we couldn’t have done this before. It gives us a real edge. Being able to track the equipment, where our operators are, and where they have been, all from the office gives us peace of mind that we won’t be taken advantage of. The long-term use of the technology will probably save us millions of dollars because we won’t have to invest the money into opening new offices in order to expand our business.
To learn more about Island Pumping’s technology solution, click here.
Thursday, August 6th, 2009
GPRS, 1xRTT, iDEN and EDGE are all examples of wireless networks that have revolutionized the way fleet vehicles communicate with dispatch centers. They allow managers to track vehicle position, dispatch trips, update mobile software and retrieve engine diagnostics in real time—all from the comfort of their desk. The collected information is stored in a database for future analysis and reporting with the goal of optimizing fleet operation and streamlining business processes.
Sound too good to be true? It’s not, but this freedom comes at a cost.
To communicate over a wireless network, each mobile device needs a data plan which is supplied by the network provider (Verizon, Sprint, AT&T, etc). These plans are usually billed monthly and allow the mobile device to transmit a certain amount of data over the network. If a device exceeds its data limit, the network provider charges overage fees which are often quite expensive.
Originally, data plan limits were low because there were fewer applications needing wireless data and the messages being sent were small and efficient. Therefore, network providers have historically offered relatively small monthly data limits (e.g. 8MB) for a reasonable price. However, today’s users often exceed their monthly limit and upgrade to a more expensive plan. The recent advent of data-hungry mobile devices such as the iPhone have forced network providers to greatly increase monthly data limits, but they have also introduced the phenomenon of “wasted data”. Wasted data is where wireless applications are no longer designed to make messages as efficient or compressed as they can be because the new wireless plans give the illusion of a bottomless data limit. In reality, huge data plans are often reserved for consumers, while businesses are still faced with smaller limit plans for their devices. To make matters worse, fleet operations must purchase a plan for every device (usually one per vehicle), so costs add up fast.
This is where efficiency and message compression can really save fleet operations money. For example, let’s say a non-optimized wireless application transmits 10MB of real-time information to each device in a 200-vehicle fleet per month. To accommodate this data without overages, a 12MB data plan is selected at a cost of $20 per month. Now assume that an optimized wireless application can transmit the same data in only 6MB per month. The data plans can be downsized to 8MBs at a cost of $15 per month. That saves the fleet over $12,000 a year!
The obvious question is: how can 10MB of data be transmitted in only 6MB? The answer lies in the use of wireless optimization techniques to reduce network usage. These range from simple data compression to intelligent ways of reducing messaging. For example, mobile devices are often configured to send GPS updates every x number of seconds, regardless of speed. To optimize this process, it is much more efficient to send GPS at less frequent intervals when a vehicle is moving slowly or stopped. Techniques like this quickly reduce the amount of data transmitted and save money.
So what lessons can be taken away from this? The importance of choosing a wireless application that optimizes data transmission cannot be underestimated. A well optimized application can save a company thousands of dollars per year in data fees. Freedom from wires comes at a cost, but choosing the right wireless application will ensure that your company is getting the most bang for its buck.
