PHOENIX. Omnitracs launched an integrated Routing, Dispatching and Compliance (RDC) solution here at the company's third annual Outlook user conference. According to the company, RDC seamlessly combines routing, dispatching, trip management, proof of delivery, Hours of Service and Driver-Vehicle Inspection Report (DVIR) compliance.
"One of the big things we really looked to do is to build and acquire complementary technologies and capabilities," Kevin Haugh, chief strategy and product officer at Omnitracs, told Fleet Owner. That included Roadnet Technologies Inc.'s products providing routing, dispatch and mobile capabilities aimed at private, last-mile delivery fleets, he noted, "but one of the pieces that was missing in there was the whole compliance and telematics aspect."
"A customer can now buy a completely integrated, non-overlapping product that combines all those things," Haugh explained. "This is really integrating and unifying capabilities between Roadnet and XRS [Corp.]," he said, with that latter company an Omnitracs acquisition in 2014. Combining Omnitracs' Roadnet Anywhere and XRS solutions, the new RDC product is available on mobile devices for drivers and through a single management portal to fleet operators.
RDC is designed to address a challenge that distributors face when managing their transportation assets. Companies typically rely on multiple disjointed systems to handle routing, driver performance management, mobile delivery management, and compliance, according to Omnitracs. The new RDC product "seamlessly integrates these capabilities, thereby improving ease of use for the driver while simplifying data management and reporting for fleet management operators."
Fleets might think of Omnitracs' RDC as something like a greatest hits album. "It's easier to implement," Haugh noted, "and it's easier to deal with your vendor, which is us. What we've done is we've taken our best-in-class products and integrated them."
RDC provides fleets with real-time information about routing efficiency, tracking, safety and compliance. Features include route planning/optimization, telematics to monitor driver and vehicle behaviors, a driver mobile platform that includes electronic logs, trip management and proof of delivery. It also includes a web-based management platform that tackles dispatching, Hours of Service and DVIR compliance, and driver score-carding.
"With RDC, managers and drivers can easily balance their business needs by having a comprehensive perspective on all aspects and the ability to quickly make adjustments as needed," according to Haugh. For example, a driver that encounters congestion and is running behind schedule might be dynamically rerouted to avert potential hours of service issues.
