Keeping technology current is a challenge for any business, especially when new devices and applications are not compatible with the systems they already have in place.
During the past few years, companies that supply mobile fleet management systems have aligned with consumer trends in technology. What this means is that more devices and applications are able to connect, straightaway, to accelerate the speed of new technology coming into the industry.
Earlier this year, Rand McNally released an Android tablet that runs its own truck-navigation software and suite of mobile applications. It also assembled a dedicated team focused on integrating its platforms with sensors and other “things” its customers want to add to their trucks, says Dave Marsh, the company’s vice president of research and development.
“We have teams that can jump on that now,” he says. Rand McNally has another product, the HD 100, that uses any Android or Apple device for the display. This small, wallet-sized device plugs into the vehicle’s diagnostics port to synchronize the electronic logs and other software in its client app with the engine data. The HD 100 communicates to a display using a secure Wi-Fi connection and has an embedded cellular modem for long-range Internet connectivity.
With the growth of more consumer-friendly devices and applications, technology in the trucking industry is getting closer to “plug and play” functionality, but the gap is still wide. No in-cab platform offers the same experience as installing a new app on a PC by plugging a USB device or pairing a new device, like a Fitbit, with your smartphone via Bluetooth.
Companies like Microsoft, Google and Apple have the manpower to create thousands of “device drivers” for seamless integration, says Mike McQuade, chief technology officer of Zonar Systems. As more fleets adopt Android platforms he expects more compatibility. Android already has a number of built-in device drivers for tablets and smartphones to talk with peripheral devices through Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, he says.
