PeopleNet to Continue McLeod Integration Despite TMW Purchase by Firm’s Owner

This story appears in the Sept. 24 print edition of Transport Topics.

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — In-cab communications provider PeopleNet Inc. said it will continue integrating its products with enterprise software maker McLeod Software, despite the recent purchase by PeopleNet’s owner of McLeod’s primary competitor.

In an interview during McLeod’s user conference here, Brian McLaughlin, president of PeopleNet, said that there was a “clear line” between his company and TMW Systems, which PeopleNet’s owner, Trimble Navigation Ltd., bought last month.

“The market expects us to continue integration with partners that are also competitors,” McLaughlin told Transport Topics. “We have no intention to force PeopleNet customers to use TMW, or TMW customers to use PeopleNet.”

McLeod and TMW are the principal suppliers of trucking industry enterprise software, and each company has relationships with many providers of subsystems that include in-cab driver communications, electronic onboard recorders, navigation and fuel optimization software, truck and trailer tracking and maintenance applications.

“We’re going to keep integration points [with McLeod] very open,” McLaughlin said.

He told TT that he had met with Tom McLeod, the company’s CEO, “to convey that it’s my commitment to continue building that integration with McLeod into the future.”

McLeod separately confirmed speaking with McLaughlin and said he wants to “make sure they put the firewall in place that Brian assured me will be there.”

During the McLeod conference, PeopleNet announced a new program that inserts fuel stops into a driver’s route plan generated through McLeod’s Loadmaster application.The fueling optimization program “is an industry first. TMW doesn’t have this,” McLaughlin said.

The fuel plan minimizes out-of-route miles by monitoring the truck’s fuel level, the driver’s planned deliveries and number of remaining hours, and directs the driver to the best place to buy fuel when it’s needed.

“It takes out the guesswork for the driver,” McLaughlin said.

McLeod’s products also are integrated with cab-communications market leader Qualcomm Enterprise Services.

Qualcomm Vice President Norman Ellis, in an interview here last week, said he had spoken with David Wangler, TMW’s president, “and he assures me that he needs Qualcomm as much as he needs PeopleNet.”

Qualcomm announced two new features during the McLeod conference, enhancements of in-cab routing capabilities for the LoadMaster dispatch software, and of LoadMaster’s less-than-truckload system.

The new routing application provides automatic stop-by-stop routing through Qualcomm’s navigation system, eliminating the need for drivers to enter route information by manually keying-in the next stop.

The LTL driver work flow application automates many driver functions and integrates near real-time data with fleet management software. Qualcomm said it also reduces driver training time, increases fleet visibility and improves regulatory compliance.

McLeod introduced two new products, a company-performance evaluation program called Navigator and a visual work flow product, in addition to rolling out several upgrades and new features for its existing LoadMaster, LoadMaster LTL and Power Broker products.

Among several LoadMaster enhancements are a “driver feasibility” tool that helps fleet dispatchers and route planners to find the best driver for a planned load, based on available drivers’ locations, time to complete their current assignment, and remaining on-duty hours.

“Juggling all the variables is very complicated to do at once,” Robert Brothers, a McLeod manager of product development, said at a conference session.

He said the program would indicate the best driver for the planned load, and whether that driver would be able to get to the pick-up point, with time to load and deliver within the shipper’s requirements.

Another enhancement integrates a carrier’s telephone system with the enterprise software, identifying a caller and calling up relevant information for the system user to have available in talking with the caller, whether it is a shipper, carrier, or driver.

Other vendors announcing new products or upgrades during the McLeod user conference included Spireon and ALK Technologies.

Spireon, which provides trailer-tracking services, announced its FleetLocate real-time trailer data would be integrated with McLeod LoadMaster, enabling fleets to identify underutilized trailers, or where there is a need for more trailers.

ALK said it would soon finish testing a map visualization product tailored to transportation that features truck-specific routing, mapping and geocoding that representatives said “is like Google Maps, but for commercial vehicles.”

The product is due to be released in early October.