Rand McNally announced that G.D.S. Express and Nick Strimbu, Inc., are installing the company’s TND 760 mobile fleet management system in their trucks.
G.D.S. Express, Inc. (GDS), based in Akron, Ohio, is installing the TND 760 in more than 120 company trucks. GDS chose the system based on the TND 760’s feature set, ease of use, and affordability. The carrier also noted that drivers have been very receptive to the devices, particularly the Rand McNally navigation.
In addition to the TND 760, GDS also selected Rand McNally’s IntelliRoute software for the company’s routing and mileage transactions. Both the TND 760 in-cab units and the back-office IntelliRoute software integrate with GDS’s existing transportation management system, McLeod LoadMaster software.
“Rand McNally’s TND 760 device will enable our operation to become much more efficient, reducing the phone calls between drivers and dispatch. The integration capabilities with our McLeod software means that our dispatchers can send out the plan and the truck-specific routes to each driver automatically, which will allow us to grow our operations without adding personnel, and better manage our customer communications,” said J.P. Delaney, president of GDS.
Delaney also shared that GDS intends to use the EOBR features of the TND 760 for Hours of Service logging, and to use the engine diagnostics to assist with safety and maintenance planning.
Nick Strimbu Inc., a family owned flatbed and refrigerated carrier in Brookfield, Ohio, selected the TND 760 for its fleet of more than 140 trucks. The system will replace its current vendor based on service, reliability, ease of installation and competitive price. Although Strimbu has used fleet management/mobile communications technology for more than ten years, the company was not satisfied with its provider, experiencing inconsistent connectivity, and a lack of customer service and driver training for the product.
Strimbu evaluated several systems before choosing Rand McNally.
“Rand McNally’s TND 760 product has the features we were looking for at a competitive price, which has allowed us to take a big leap forward in acquiring necessary technology across our fleet,” said Bill Strimbu, president. “This product is the best we’ve seen, but what really solidified our decision to move forward is the high level of customer service, reliability, and ease of installation we’ve experienced. Rand McNally is literally just a phone call away, ready to assist quickly with any question.”
Strimbu is currently taking advantage of the Rand McNally Connect software to integrate information coming from the TND 760 devices with its McLeod Loadmaster system for communication and dispatch, fuel tax miles, equipment location, and maps and directions.
According to Mr. Strimbu, the company realized a significant drop in the training necessary for drivers to understand and use the device, decreasing the training time from several hours on the prior system, to several minutes with the TND 760.
“Our director of technology systems reports that the driver acceptance of the TND 760 has been very positive,” continued Strimbu. “Typically, you would experience some pushback from drivers when installing unfamiliar technology. The product is so intuitive; we’ve been able to get the most out of it very quickly.”
Strimbu intends to use the EOBR features of the device for hours of service logging, and the engine diagnostics to optimize driver behavior and vehicle performance.
