Map maker Rand McNally introduced a new device this week at the American Truck Association’s (ATA) annual meeting in Las Vegas called the HD 100 capable of turning GPS units, tablet computers and smart phones into electronic onboard recorders (EOBRs) for tallying driver hours of service (HOS) information, while also announcing price cuts for its TND 760 onboard computer system.
Dave Muscatel, CEO of Rand McNally, noted that the new HD 100 will provide electronic HOS recording, text- and dispatch-integrated messaging, plus driver performance monitoring capabilities – while allowing data integration with more than twenty third-party dispatch and fuel tax applications via Rand McNally Connect software.
He point out that the HD 100 – measuring roughly 3.5 in. by 5 in. – can be installed in less than 10 minutes and plugs into a truck’s on-board diagnostics port and records the truck’s GPS position along with critical vehicle-specific information such as engine diagnostics and driving behavior.
“Our goal is to be hardware agnostic in order to provide a cost effective EOBR solution for owner operators who already own a smart phone, tablet, or one of our GPS devices and the HD 100 accomplishes this objective,” Muscatel said. “The HD 100 will help fleets and drivers alike with meeting the upcoming EOBR implementation mandated by MAP 21.”
He added that the HD 100 will initially commercially available in April of 2013 for use with Android tablets as well as the company’s IntelliRoute TND 720 truck GPS device. Later in 2013, the HD 100 will integrate with other platforms including Android smart phones and iOS tablets and smart phones, Muscatel said.
Rand McNally also announced a $100 price drop for its TND 760 onboard computer at the ATA meeting this week, lowering cost of its “one-box, one cable” solution to roughly $549.99 without navigation service and $19.95 per month for service.The price is $699.99 if onboard navigation is included, the company noted.
The price drop is the result of cost reductions spurred by rising demand for the solution, as well as ongoing engineering improvements and efficiencies, pointed out Jim Rodi, senior vp of mobile communication at Rand McNally.
“We are committed to ongoing innovation, driving down the costs of our hardware and passing along those savings to our customers so they can realize their return on investment even sooner,” he added.
