First Choice Transport is equipping its entire fleet of trailers with Blue Tree Systems’ new R:COM Dot trailer-tracking solution and will be outfitting its tractor fleet with the company’s R:COM fleet-management solution in the near future.
According to Blue Tree, the Fort Worth, TX-based interstate truckload carrier will use the Blue Tree systems to monitor and control operations more efficiently and productively.
“We’ve been using tracking and asset management systems for over 15 years now,” said Carla Luig, president & CEO of First Choice Transport. “Blue Tree has a product unlike anything else we’ve used or have seen on the market. With R:COM we can manage assets in real-time, unlike the previous system we had that only provided location and status updates three time per day.”
She noted also R:COM’s ability to provide location and detailed tracking history as well as geo-fencing will allow the fleet to monitor untethered trailers.
First Choice Transport’s decision to upgrade all of its trailers from its current trailer tracking system coincided with the replacement of the entire fleet. The 175 new 53-ft. Great Dane dry freight vans are being equipped at the factory by the OEM with the R:COM Dot system.
The 85 tractors in the First Choice fleet will be outfitted with R:COM systems by a local vendor during routine maintenance intervals. Installation is expected to take about one hour per vehicle.
Integration between the Blue Tree Systems and First Choice Transport’s dispatch and enterprise management solutions is nearing completion, and Blue Tree has already completed training of fleet personnel on the R:COM systems. The carrier’s driver recruiter and safety director will train drivers.
According to Blue Tree, its R:COM Dot is a “next-generation dry van trailer solution offering capabilities that include vehicle tracking displays of the current location of any vehicle or group of vehicles with road, aerial and bird’s eye views, detailed trailer movement information with tracking history that can include trip, stop and time at location reports, live tethered trailer reports and scheduled reports on untethered units, the ability to name and geo-fence thousands of locations and provide exception-based alerts, cargo control alerts for monitoring door open and close events, and over-the-air programming and upgrades.”
The company said its The R:COM fleet-management solution provides vehicle tracking, in-cab communication and navigation, fuel, engine and driver performance monitoring, and automated IFTA fuel tax reporting capabilities. Blue Tree added that R:COM’s onboard communications and driver interface hardware has an advanced electronic Hours-of-Service functionality, including a user friendly touch screen combined with extensive features that enable drivers to easily manage hours, edit non-driving log entries, review and sign logs, and perform pre-and-post trip inspections. First Choice expects its drivers to eventually use the system’s electronic log capabilities to manage compliance with Hours-of-Service regulations.
“By choosing Blue Tree’s R:COM system First Choice Transport is adopting a highly reliable set of solutions for managing its fleet of tractors and trailers,” said Charlie Cahill, CEO of Blue Tree. “The R:COM system will provide a comprehensive range of features designed to maximize fleet efficiency, reduce costs and improve customer service. We are very pleased that First Choice Transport has chosen Blue Tree to address its fleet management requirements and we look forward to serving them.”
