Omnitracs announces tire pressure monitoring applications, enhancements to integrated solutions

Oct. 21, 2013

ORLANDO, FL. Omnitracs announced new products, collaborations and enhancements yesterday at the American Trucking Assns. (ATA) Management Conference & Exhibition here.

Omnitracs has introduced new tire pressure monitoring and inflation alerts applications, virtual load view for more visibility into the supply chain, updates to its critical event reporting application and enhancements to its integrations with TMW Systems.

The new tire pressure monitoring and trailer tire inflation alerts applications, along with the fault monitoring application, make up Omnitracs’ Vehicle Diagnostics suite.

The applications display information, which is pulled directly from integrated, third-party tire pressure monitoring and tire inflation systems, to help ensure that fleets can take prompt and necessary actions to repair or replace tires before a safety issue arises.

Tire pressure monitoring (TPM) delivers easy-to-understand graphical data on tire conditions, such as under inflation, over inflation and normal, to back-office staff and drivers. TPM also provides customer configurable alerts that can be sent to back-office staff, allowing them to determine appropriate remediation steps.

Trailer tire inflation alerts send notifications of tire airing events whether the tractor is moving or stationary. Data delivered with the alerts include vehicle ID, time, location, and vehicle speed.

“For many fleets today, the absence of timely, critical data can make monitoring and managing tire conditions for safety a challenge,” said Vikas Jain, vice president of product management and software as a service at Omnitracs. “Omnitracs’ tire pressure monitoring and trailer tire inflation alerts applications are delivering on a very real need—to bring added tools and information to customers who are committed to preventative safety measures. Both applications address critical tire maintenance needs, helping fleets extend the life of their tires, reduce expenses and prevent accidents caused by improper tire care.”

Both applications will be available starting November 2013 for customers who are currently using an Omnitracs Mobile Computing Platform 110 or 200 (MCP110 or MCP200).

Omnitracs’ new virtual load view delivers position and message data from authorized Omnitracs Mobile Computing Platform-equipped vehicles to approved third parties, enabling greater visibility into vehicles’ arrivals, departures and load status.

“Today, more and more fleets are looking to increase capacity without purchasing additional vehicles and hiring more drivers. Rather than turn away good business, many have created a brokering business for freight, but have found it presents new management challenges,” said Jain. “Due to the very large and diverse network of fleets that we count as customers, we’re uniquely positioned to provide unprecedented visibility into loads across carriers with our first-of-its-kind virtual load view application.”

 Virtual load view delivers one consolidated view of a fleet’s proprietary, brokered or subcontracted loads, eliminating the need to call contracted or third-party drivers regarding load status and location. It automatically updates positions, load status, and delivery confirmations in real-time to further streamline the supply chain.

The application also compares actual versus planned routes, stops and load activity duration to allow fleets to further evaluate performance and enforce consistent high-quality delivery standards.

Enhancements to the company’s critical event reporting (CER) application have added overspeed events and additional provider of integrated following time violation (FTV) and forward collision warning (FCW) sensors.

The enhancements to the CER application deliver additional options to fleets that seek tools that help to proactively manage safety and prevent accidents. By providing multiple safety-related metrics in a single user-friendly interface, CER helps fleets more efficiently and effectively monitor and manage safe driving.

The over speed events add-on is designed to alert fleet managers when an over-speeding event occurs, enabling them to correct a driver’s performance before the issue escalates into a serious safety incident. Fleets can set driver speed thresholds and the CER application relays details about the duration and nature of the event via near-real-time alerts, recording driver activity five minutes before and two minutes after an over-speeding event occurs.

Omnitracs also is expanding the choices available to fleets using its Mobile Computing Platforms by introducing an additional third-party provider of forward collision warning and following time violations sensors. The integrated solution provides real-time notification to the back office of FCW and FTV events, eliminating the need to physically download the information from the truck.

Finally, Omnitracs and TMW Systems have announced a number of integration enhancements to its offerings.

As a result of new product improvements, fleets using integrated TMW Systems and Omnitracs solutions gain operational efficiency through increased data delivery speed, reduced manual data entry and greater automation, Omnitracs said.

“Together with TMW, we are committed to delivering seamlessly integrated solutions that provide enhanced visibility and intelligence to address the industry’s emerging safety needs,” said Norm Ellis, vice president of sales and marketing at Omnitracs. “We remain dedicated to continually enhancing our end-to-end fleet management solutions to ensure optimal productivity and profitability for our shared customer base.”

Enhancements include:

  • Omnitracs High Volume Dequeue—portal integration with TMWSuite for Text and Messaging provides increased performance and volume messaging throughput, enabling higher volumes of message data to be collected in a single request;
  • Driver Tractor Synchronization—tractor and driver information is now seamlessly delivered and synchronized between Omnitracs’ Services Portal and TMWSuite, eliminating the time-intensive need to manually maintain data in multiple locations;
  • Hours of Service (HOS)—now more tightly integrated with TMWSuite to provide near-real-time insight into available driver hours, improve reporting accuracy and mitigate roadside inspection infractions; and 
  • Vehicle Inspection Report (VIR)—previously integrated with the TMT Fleet Maintenance— a SQL product – VIR is now available through the Omnitracs Mobile Communication integration module with TMT Fleet Maintenance—IBM i software for streamlined access to vehicle inspection data and enhanced recording and compliance.

Sponsored Recommendations

Tackling the Tech Shortage: Lessons in Recruiting Talent and Reducing Turnover

Discover innovative strategies for recruiting and retaining tech talent in the trucking industry at our April 16th webinar, where experts will share insights on competitive pay...

Stop Sweating Temperature Excursions

Advanced chemical indicators give you the peace of mind that comes from reliable insights into your supply chains. Compromised shipments can be identified the moment they arrive...

Stop Sweating Temperature Excursions

Advanced chemical indicators give you the peace of mind that comes from reliable insights into your supply chains. Compromised shipments can be identified the moment they arrive...

How Electric Vehicles Help You Prolong the Life of Your Fleet

Before adopting electric vehicles for commercial/government fleets, prioritize cost inquiries. Maintenance is essential; understand the upkeep of EV fleets. Here’s what you need...

Voice your opinion!

To join the conversation, and become an exclusive member of FleetOwner, create an account today!