Penske Truck Leasing has announced it is the top-ranked company on the 2006 InformationWeek 500 for technological innovation in the category of transportation and logistics. Penske said that this marks its sixth consecutive year on the list.
Penske had worked on several IT and systems integration projects that, according to the company, improved its customer service while saving millions of dollars annually through process improvements, overall cost reductions, and employee productivity gains at both Penske Truck Leasing and its subsidiary Penske Logistics.
Penske is working on upgrading its "smart cell phones" that are equipped with GPS technology and wireless software that can track driver progress and validate where a driver needs to go. Penske said its enhancement will allow customers to audit driver routes and ping the cell phone against a map. Currently about 1,700 of these smart cell phones are in use, the company said.
“We are very pleased to receive this recognition and it is an honor to be regarded so highly among the many fine companies on the list,” said William Stobbart, senior vp—information technology for Penske Truck Leasing.
While unrelated to the InformationWeek award, last June, Penske’s proprietary cellular and satellite-based Fleet I.Q. asset management solution led to the recovery of a stolen delivery van and the capture of the thief. The primary function of Fleet I.Q. is to monitor vehicle location and fuel economy, providing Penske’s customer with time-stamped location data that shows the routes the vehicle takes and where it makes its stops.
Penske also provides a low-cost vehicle tracking system called Fleet InSite, combining a GPS receiver with a cellular data modem to capture and transmit vehicle locations histories that include date, time, speed, latitude/longitude, travel direction and address. Fleets can request current locations and view maps of all vehicle movements through a Fleet InSite website on-demand.
Penske operates more than 216,000 vehicles and serves customers from over 1,000 locations in North America, South America, Europe and Asia.
For more information, go to www.pensketruckleasing.com
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