FEATURE TRUCKS & COMPONENTS
comfortable with the system in less than an hour. The Android-based devices also use Google Maps for turn-by-turn direc- tions rather than a costly customized mapping program. "The GeoTrax team has concentrated on
delivering convenience, productivity, cost- effectiveness, improved customer satisfac- tion, and competitive advantage to ready-mix companies," says Fincher. "Being ready-mix people, they understand a pro- ducer's needs in a way that [those] outside the industry never will. We are a conserva- tive industry, given the huge capital expen-
ditures necessary to run a concrete com- pany, we typically shy away from the lead- ing edge of technology. We can't afford to make the mistakes other industries can. TruckTrax has been able to marry the two worlds in a way that makes sense for us." When asked what's next, Fain notes, "Ver- bal communications with drivers in the field seems to be a common problem. We
are working on providing push-to-talk ca- pabilities into our dispatch system as well as GeoTrax. Imagine in the dispatch screen the ability to right-click on a truck and speak to the driver. We are also working on using the tablet as a display for a back-up camera. There is no shortage of good ideas,
we just need more time to get to them all." — www.trucktrax.net
Current (top) and Time tabs log order profile, plus scheduled versus actual times, the latter formerly tracked by GPS-enabled statusing equipment.
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