GM Fleet Partners with Spireon on Telematics Solution

General Motors announced a partnership with Spireon today to provide a telematics solution to GM fleet customers.

Using the OnStar 4G LTE hardware embedded in GM vehicles, Spireon will offer a customized version of its FleetLocate fleet management system on Chevrolet, Buick, GMC, and Cadillac vehicles. The new system will be available in May 2017.

Spireon's FleetLocate system joins other GM Fleet business solutions that include a version of Telogis Fleet for GM and GM's proprietary Commercial Link tool.

“Connectivity is the future for fleets of all sizes because the opportunities to help improve safety and reduce operating costs are so great,” said Ed Peper, U.S. vice president, GM Fleet. “With OnStar 4G LTE technology and sophisticated software — whether it's developed by us or by leading third-party providers — we can deliver innovative business solutions that work for any customer.”

“Our customers want choices and no other automaker has the combination of services, experience and connectivity GM and OnStar offer,” said Greg Ross, OnStar Business Development and Alliances director. “The Spireon collaboration is the latest example of how we're well-positioned to adapt to our customers' ever-changing needs with both products and services.”

Spireon, the largest aftermarket telematics provider with 3.75 million active U.S. subscribers, offers web-based fleet management solutions to monitor vehicle and driver performance. These solutions are designed to help fleet operators reduce fuel costs, idle time, labor, fleet mileage, and maintenance-related downtime, as well as provide insights into driver behavior, according to the company.

“FleetLocate connected by OnStar helps make it fast and easy for fleet managers to gain valuable vehicle and driver insights from their fleets wherever they are, with no installation downtime,” said Kevin Weiss, CEO of Spireon. “We're excited to offer our GM customers a ‘push-button' onboarding experience for FleetLocate, enhanced by exclusive diagnostics and data that only come from ...Read the rest of this story

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Volvo’s Euro Efficiency Concept Truck Now Boasts Hybrid Power

Euro-spec Volvo Concept Truck boasts hybrid diesel-electric powertrain. Photo: Volvo Trucks

Sweden's Volvo Trucks has developed its first hybrid truck designed for long-haul applications— a concept vehicle based on its European-spec Volvo FH cabover tractor powered by Volvo's own D13 Euro 6 emissions-compliant diesel engine.

The diesel-electric hybrid powertrain combined with the Volvo Concept Truck's other efficiency improvements yields a total reduction in fuel consumption and CO2 production of around 30%, according to the OEM.

When first rolled out in May 2016, the Volvo Concept Truck featured extensive improvements in aerodynamics, rolling resistance and reduced weight. It was developed via a similar public-private initiative as the SuperTruck program that Volvo has participated in with the U.S. Department of Energy. The Volvo Concept Truck came about via the Swedish part of a bilateral research project involving the Swedish energy authority Energimyndigheten and the U.S. Department of Energy.

Volvo Trucks said the Swedish concept's hybrid powertrain works by recovering energy when driving downhill on slopes steeper than 1% or when braking. The recovered energy is stored in the vehicle's batteries and used to power the truck in electric mode on flat roads or low gradients.

In addition, an enhanced version of Volvo Trucks' driver support system I-See has been developed specifically for the hybrid powertrain. It's used to analyze upcoming topography to calculate the most economical and efficient choice between the diesel engine and the electric motor-- as well as the optimal time to use the recovered energy.

In long haul transportation, it is estimated that the hybrid powertrain will allow the combustion engine to be shut off for up to 30% of driving time, according to Volvo Trucks.

The OEM estimated that will save between 5-10% cent in fuel, depending on the vehicle type, specifications and drive cycle. It also offers the ability to drive in ...Read the rest of this story

California Carrier Builds Own ELD

Photos: Best Yet Express

For Southern California carrier Best Yet Express, which operates within a 100-mile radius, log books are only required if drivers have to work more than 12 hours. So if drivers of its 43 trucks unexpectedly had to go beyond that 12-hour period, they had to pull over and fill out their log right away.

“We wanted to make sure our trucks were always moving,” explains Jay Newjahr, CEO of the family-owned, primarily less-than-truckload and warehousing company. “Whether we work one hour or 14 hours, we didn't want to make our drivers have to fill out those forms.”

None of the commercially available products really fit its needs, so the company decided to develop its own system, which would go beyond the electronic logging device mandate that kicks in this December and become a true productivity tool.

“We said, why does it have to stop at hours of service?” Newjahr says. “We want our HOS to develop in the background and run as the guys are doing their normal everyday shift.”

The project actually grew out of a desire to automate pretrip inspections, Newjahr explains. “I was having problems getting drivers to fill out vehicle reports accurately. So I said, why don't we find a way to do this electronically, and set it up so a driver has to do step one before he does step two,” and so forth. “It started getting very creative after that.”

In addition to electronic pre-trip inspections, Best Yet Express wanted its system to track not just city names, but the actual customer location. It wanted to be able to tell where drivers are, why they're there, and what they're doing.

The resulting system is a workflow application drivers can easily pull up on a Samsung 7-inch tablet.

“They used to have to fill out a paper form for ...Read the rest of this story

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