CINCINNATI. To help fleets stay in compliance with the vehicle maintenance requirements of the Compliance, Safety, Accountability (CSA) rules established by the by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) in December 2010, Qualcomm plans to roll out a new inspection report application.
Qualcomm also introduced a “trip manager” app for its Mobile Computing Platform 110 (MCP110) and MCP200 devices. Both items were introduced at the National Private Truck Council’s Annual Education Management Conference and Exhibition in Cincinnati.
The company’s vehicle inspection report (VIR) application will provide a closed-loop process to help fleets decrease operational costs, improve the accuracy of vehicle inspection reports and focus on the critical inspection elements and requirements identified, said Norm Ellis, vice president-sales, services and marketing for Qualcomm Enterprise Services.
He explained that VIR sends alerts when defects are identified in truck or trailer inspection reports, as well as recording feedback and remediation history on reports for previously identified defects. Each inspection report includes information on relevant time, location, driver and vehicle data, and the application records vehicle inspection report history for 90 days, noted Ellis.
VIR also allows fleets to control user access and editing capabilities for vehicle inspection reports, and provides search, edit, data export and printing capabilities. Drivers can access VIR through Qualcomm’s hours-of-service (QHOS) application, or as a stand-alone application, Ellis added.
By automating the vehicle inspection process with simple prompts and error detection, fleets can reduce errors, ensure complete reports and more efficiently manage the defect resolution process. The VIR application also can help fleets ensure that inspection reports and necessary maintenance are completed in a timely manner, Ellis noted.
The trip manager application is focused on private fleets. Set to be introduced this summer, the application is for those fleets that primarily operate within a local or regional geographic area. Trip manager is integrated with Qualcomm’s “circle-of-service” workflow application to improve the way fleet manager’s plan, view and manage routes and drivers in near real time.
“It allows our customers to increase driver and dispatcher productivity, improve customer service, enhance productivity and better manage costs,” said Ellis.
He added that the application will display key trip information to fleet managers and other back-office staff through maps, reports and queries. With this data, fleet managers can monitor planned versus actual routes taken, discern trends, identify under-performing stops and drivers and determine focus areas for improvement, which can help reduce overall fleet costs, Ellis explained.
Trip manager should also help private fleets enhance responsiveness to customer inquiries by delivering key information in easy-to-understand web screens and improve on-time service by providing notifications about trip status, delays and exceptions, allowing managers to update routes in near real-time.
