Friday, October 10, 2003
What's New For October 10th, 2004
Some great new things have been happening on the Implementation and Tech Marketing side of things. Here are some highlights:
Messaging and Trailer Tracking
Aether
We are still working with PDQ on completing their Aether implementation. This may seem like an "endless" project but it is working very well and Joe Moore is very excited about it. The Trailer Tracking runs every 30 minutes and allows users to view the entire history of the trailer via a Customizer window from the Dispatch screen. Joe's even got it color-coded so that they never need to look at the web interface.
On the messaging side, there are a LOT of gotchas with the setup that I've added into our Procedures for review. Aether's File-based interface is very picky (much more so than Qualcomm's) but when it works it works well. Some features that are being supported include tracking read acknowledgements, state line crossing, vehicle faults and more. Hopefully, this will be nearing completion next week.
Aether is also interested in having us work on a "sockets" interface (which would use more invisible communication rather than File-based). We're still waiting for docs from them on it...
Terion Trailer Tracking
Ard has started once again making noises about Terion Trailer Tracking. They asked us to look into it back in June but they never followed back with Terion on it. The interface will work very similar to the Aether Trailer Tracking to the point where I'm thinking of having a single set of files for Trailer positions and history. None of these interfaces actually affect Trailer Transactions at this stage because they are not creating checkcalls at all.
QTRACS/Web Beta
The QTRACS/Web beta 4.1 has started. This version supports geo-fencing among other things. I will be running the software from my installation up here for more testing. If there is a way to mount the QC unit into the Van, that would be good... Look for a demo of the new software a bit later this month...
PeopleNet PACOS and More...
I was speaking with Mike Driggers of PeopleNet and he's eager to push forward. I'm waiting for a new unit that I will put into my vehicle here so we can actually see where things are going. The unit in the office does support PACOS but since it's a solitary unit, the only thing I'm be able to test out is "missed" deliveries.
Return of Old Customers...
Looks like 4 Truckers may be coming back...I've been doing some demos with Eric Clarke that pulls information from their Aurora Billing system (which also does some very cool imaging stuff) and creates loads in Dispatch on it. Apparently, they have STILL been using Dispatch for some of their loads (very old version - still has the old startup screen). 4 Truckers really like Aurora for its billing capabilities but prefer Horizon for Dispatching. The link pulls it using ODBC so the transfer can be done almost in real-time.
New Customers Coming Online...
Accurate Express is getting ready for their training. They are a basic Dispatch / Broker scenario that will be doing most of their accounting themselves (no SBT link there). They will be running reports and then entering single numbers into PeachTree (they didn't want the link). Of interest there is the use of WebFAQ for their "hot buttons". Accurate has subscribed to Webex.
Burke Parsons Bowlby is 99% there as well so be on the lookout for them re support. They have not purchased WebEx nor training, thinking they know how the system works. They are only using Dispatch and Settlements although their environment automatically rates their loads using Billing's rate files. I will be adding a procedure on their environment so you can see how it is setup - it uses a lot of form validation and automatic updates.
New Stuff for Vehicle Maintenance....
A very cool new enhancement for Vehicle Maintenance and Preventative Maintenance is almost complete. The PM Builder allows a company to pre-define what parts and labor is required for each type of PM. When a work order is created for a unit, the user can check off which items are automatically added to the work order. This is in response to some demos I've had with prospects who want to see more automation in creating the work orders. Look for procedures online early next week...
POCs into Dev...
Last week , I moved a bunch of prototype work over into development. More will be moving over in the coming weeks as well. Many of these are already deployed at customer sites so be sure to read over the docs and procs if you get asked about them. Current ones include Route Planner and Pay (two LTL tools great), E-Notification and more.
Andrew MacNeill
Technology Marketing Manager
Technology Marketing Manager
MTI Horizon Team
http://www.mtihorizon.com
Email: amacneill@mtihorizon.com
Wednesday, October 08, 2003
Terion Trailer Tracking
Working on the Terion Trailer Tracking Interface. It uses the standard TTIS Specification (which is XML based) with some exceptions. The interface will work generally the same as the Aether Trailer Tracking interface with a few exceptions.
This information is not the official position of MTI or Melton Technologies or its affiliates.
This information is not the official position of MTI or Melton Technologies or its affiliates.
