HOUSTON. Quietly, Kenworth Truck Co. let attendees of Trimble's in.sight conference discover it on the T680 tractor here at the show. The truck has Kenworth's optional NAV+ HD high-res display, and there among the apps on the in-dash screen is PeopleNet, a gateway to the Trimble fleet management system.
Kenworth announced today that the PeopleNet app will be able to be installed on the NAV+ HD system as trucks are built, simplifying installation and cutting down the time needed to put together and update the systems on the truck. But before the announcement, the Kenworth folks let attendees check out the truck for themselves at a reception yesterday evening to see if they'd notice.
"Some attendees got into the truck and were looking at the [in-dash] display. They saw the PeopleNet app on it and they lit up," said Jamin Swazo, on-highway marketing manager at Kenworth. "They said, 'Is that the app right on there? We've been asking for this for a long time.'"
Swazo added that this new option is expected to be rolled out at the factory in early 2019 and will be available on Kenworth's T680 and T880 trucks, its flagship on-highway and vocational offerings, respectively. "It has all the PeopleNet apps and runs them just as they would on the tablet display, integrating them into one system in the factory-installed display," he explained. The PeopleNet app and navigation can be updated via the truck's modem.
Fleets have been able to spec Kenworth trucks pre-wired for PeopleNet tablets and hardware for years, and that'll still be an option, but this removes the extra box and setup. "It's one touch; it'll be ELD-compliant when paired with a phone app so you'll be able to show that to a state trooper or enforcement officer," Swazo noted.
Electronic logging devices are required to have specific information transfer methods, and one of those is basically a fail-safe: the devices have to be able to be handed to an enforcement officer and display particular information. That's why the PeopleNet app installed on in-dash display will need an additional smartphone or mobile device app if ELD functionality is included.
"You can go into your messaging, your driver logs, and other PeopleNet functions, and there's also navigation that gets updated with all their information" separate from Kenworth's navigation, Swazo told Fleet Owner. The PeopleNet app also uses the Kenworth TruckTech+ remote diagnostics platform.
The NAV+ HD system includes a 7-in. high-definition touch screen and controls built into the Kenworth SmartWheel steering wheel. The system offers hands-free Bluetooth phone capability, voice-command access to truck-specific navigation, vehicle data, audio controls, blind-spot camera input, digital music integration, integrated SiriusXM satellite radio, WiFi capability, roadside assistance, virtual gauges, camera inputs, and Internet connectivity.
