LAS VEGAS — Mobile fleet software provider XRS Corp. said its Turnpike platform is now running on American Trucking Associations’ Interstate One truck, the first time that the educational tractor-trailer will use an electronic log.
XRS said it installed Turnpike on the truck during ATA’s Management Conference & Exhibition here this week.
“Interstate One is used to spread the word across the country about the trucking industry and the industry’s commitment to highway safety, so to have this mobile technology that’s devoted to safety and compliance for each of the drivers is significant,” said Elisabeth Barna, ATA’s vice president of image and outreach advocacy.The trailer features a mobile conference room, educational displays and a truck driving simulator.
Turnpike, which runs on drivers’ cell phones, smartphones and tablets, will operate on a Motorola Xyboard tablet in the Interstate One truck.
“Turnpike puts safety and compliance in the palms of drivers’ hands using mobile devices, and we’re excited that ATA’s public image and outreach program recognizes the importance of electronic logs in improving safety on the road,” said Christian Schenk, vice president of market development and product marketing at XRS.
XRS said it also demonstrated the technology to members of America’s Road Team – a public outreach program created by ATA and led by a small group of professional truck drivers who represent the trucking industry’s commitment to safety and act as ambassadors for the industry.
Road Team Captain Nate McCarty, an ABF Freight System driver based in Denver, described the electronic on-board recorder as “a great enhancement to safety.”
“I think all the new safety technologies have enhanced what we’ve already been doing as professional drivers,” he said. “I’m excited about how that’s going to help us evolve as drivers.”
“I think anything that’s going to improve highway safety is a plus,” said Willie Atkinson of Florence, S.C., a Road Team captain and driver for Con-way Inc.
However, even with the assistance of technology to improve safety and compliance, the driver behind the wheel remains the most important factor in the safe movement of freight, he said.
