Teletrac Launches New Telematics Era with Fleet Director 8

GARDEN GROVE, California, May 26, 2010Teletrac today announced the release of its newest integrated telematics solution, Fleet Director 8, taking vehicle fleet management to a new level. Through any web browser, Fleet Director 8 gives users a quicker, more intuitive grasp of vehicle location, routing, traffic status and fleet operations than ever before. To deliver more realistic and detailed mapping, Teletrac employs the latest Microsoft Silverlight and BING Mapping technologies to serve up advanced satellite maps, 2D and 3D-perspective roadmaps, users’ own familiar landmarks and live traffic information in real time. As a result, fleet managers, dispatchers and drivers, in fleets of all sizes gain a complete understanding of operations, at a glance, making them more productive and efficient.

Teletrac, an award-winning telematics provider for more than 20 years, combined its new, advanced mapping technology with capabilities that have long made Fleet Director an industry leading solution. Fleets gain benefits including lower fuel consumption and out-of-route miles, higher productivity, less unauthorized vehicle use, more on-time arrivals, enforced safer driving—often enabling lower insurance premiums—less driver overtime, reduced paperwork and improved regulatory compliance through automated electronic driver logs.

“With Fleet Director 8,” said executive vice president Drew W. Hamilton, “Teletrac sets a new, higher standard for efficient fleet operations and related performance benchmarks including FMSCA and DOT compliance, preventive maintenance, safe driving, on-time arrivals and fleet customer satisfaction. These and other key indicators strongly depend on having the best available telematics solution.”

Fleet Director 8 technology also gives users unprecedented flexibility and ease of use in an easy-to-understand interactive display. A user friendly and customizable layout and easily recognizable icons makes Fleet Director easy to use and intuitive from the start. Users enjoy unique flexibility for displaying multiple map views and data, and can customize window sizes and screen positions on the fly—allowing dispatchers to view whatever information is most productive at a given moment.

Fleet Director locates, tracks and monitors the position and operation of fleet vehicles, offering fleet managers unprecedented visibility into operations. It delivers cost-saving efficiencies such as real-time vehicle monitoring and tracking from the desktop, automatic route optimization and detailed reporting for advanced decision support and efficient regulatory compliance.

Fleet Director combines SmartNav™ turn by turn navigation, satellite mapping, real-time traffic information, stolen vehicle tracking and comprehensive reporting tools used to monitor mileage, vehicle use and alert managers to unauthorized use and unsafe driving behavior.

The latest release, Fleet Director 8, extends core capabilities in numerous ways:

Advanced mapping for tracking mobile assets

Fleet Director 8 vehicle tracking system uses the latest BING Mapping technology, aggregating the best maps and data from an array of leading suppliers. Mapping is extremely powerful and layers location-relevant data on top of imagery taken from satellite sensors, aerial cameras, Streetside imagery, 3D city models and terrain, providing vivid photorealistic images. Satellite mapping with conventional roadmaps in 2D and 3D views plus live traffic data gives dispatchers more realistic and detailed maps on which to base complex decisions.

Determining nearest vehicle for more effective response

Fleet Director 8 provides unique “nearest vehicle” locating, based on Teletrac’s computed combination of actual drive time, actual distance and current traffic conditions ? far more accurate than as-the-crow-flies estimates. Dispatchers can also apply this process to multiple vehicles, enabling them to converge on a destination.

By entering a street address or an unlimited number of landmarked locations, dispatchers are presented with maps showing all vehicles within the map area plus crucial information such as speed, actual distance and estimated time of arrival.

Fuel-saver routing and turn-by-turn navigation

Teletrac’s powerful SmartNav vehicle navigation software seamlessly integrates with Fleet Director GPS vehicle tracking to provide automated, turn-by-turn verbal driving directions. Drivers are guided along the most time-saving routes while full-color displays map routes for clearest understanding.

SmartNav automatically finds the most fuel- and time-efficient routes using minute-by-minute traffic data to avoid tie-ups. If a driver goes off route by turning in the wrong direction or missing a turn, Fleet Director automatically revises directions to get the driver back on track.

Live traffic information also alerts dispatchers to potential delays so they can rearrange route priorities and coordinate vehicles on the fly. Meanwhile, Fleet Director lets dispatchers view all vehicles within the map area plus crucial information such as speed, actual distance and estimated time of arrival—a substantial step forward in serving customers with accurate information for enhancing the service experience. Further, the ability to send routes to vehicles by cross streets, points of interest  and zip codes as well as address and landmarked locations, is extremely useful in situations where dispatchers only have cross street and address information, a common occurrence for many businesses such as in the vehicle towing sector.

Integrated two-way messaging boosts productivity

In Fleet Director 8, Teletrac integrates the latest color touch screen technology with two-way messaging and voice prompted navigation. The result: communications with drivers become more efficient and effective than ever before. Drivers can instantly notify dispatchers regarding key information. All messages are archived.

Dynamic dispatch simplifies workforce management

Fleet Director 8 now integrates with third-party job ticket software products. This combination dramatically simplifies job ticket management and coordination between dispatchers and driver/technicians making site visits. New, unprecedented features include live traffic data and estimated time of arrival (ETA) integrated with job ticketing. Driver/technicians receive job tickets and checklists customized to specific types of jobs. Further, dispatchers can quickly rearrange the day’s itinerary.

At-a-glance dashboards support decision making

Dispatchers and managers can view real-time information and summary data in Fleet Director’s at-a-glance “dashboard” displays to support rapid, optimal decision making for most productive use of vehicles and drivers. For more detailed information, users can get periodic reports via email.

Automated compliance lowers costs

Fleet Director’s Hours Of Service (HOS) allows users to fully automate the entry, recording, completion and storage of all required information needed for logbooks —automating compliance from the cab. Time-consuming and error-prone manual logbook entries and manual audits can be eliminated. With Fleet Director 8, a total of 16 standard reports are available and eight HOS-specific reports ensuring complete compliance.

About Fleet Director and Teletrac

Already proven and trusted by more than 10,000 fleets in the US alone, Fleet Director saves fleet owners time, money, and reduces their carbon footprint. Teletrac customers report up to 30% lower fuel usage, an average of 15% less driver overtime, 12% higher productivity and less unauthorized vehicle use.

Fleet Director has been recognized by Fleet News Magazine winning its prestigious 2009 Fleet Van Technology Initiative of the Year Award as well as the Fleet Van Award for 2008 Technology of The Year. Additionally, Fleet Director is the recipient of the 2009 Green Business Award from Management Today and 2009 IT and Communications Product of The Year from Green Fleet Magazine. These are particularly significant as they recognize pioneers of environmental fleet management.

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