Navigation software provider ALK Technologies' latest version of its PC*MILER routing, mileage and mapping software, PC*MILER 29, has been certified for use with a number of products from its sister Trimble company TMW Systems' transportation and fleet management portfolio.
"We have all these customers that are using ALK's PC*MILER solutions — some for many years — and they want to move up to the latest version, because each new version has dramatically improved data and features," said Dan Popkin, senior vice president of enterprise solutions. "But TMW Systems, for example, can't just 'throw in' something that hasn't been thoroughly and rigorously tested.
"There used to be a long lapse between our new product release and the certification announcement, but that's one of the things we're seeing is that that certification lapse has just been reduced, reduced, reduced" as the companies streamline their work together, Popkin told Fleet Owner.
The TMW software products that are tested and approved for operation with PC*MILER 29 are:
• ExpertFuel version 8.3;
• TMWSuite version 2016.15_07.0135;
• TMW Operations version 16.10; and
• TruckMate version 2015.
PC*MILER 29 includes an hours of service (HOS) manager that factors mandatory HOS break times into the route plan, which ALK says "can significantly improve asset utilization with clear understanding of actual travel times and estimated times of arrival."
ALK also notes that PC*MILER 29 allows users to search for and display points of interest along a route. Dispatchers can select from refueling locations with Pilot Flying J diesel fuel prices that are updated every half hour.
To protect goods from conditions that could potentially damage a shipment, PC*MILER 29 includes customized routing options like avoiding ferries and roads above a specified elevation. According to ALK, the latest PC*MILER product offers updated info on hazardous roadway restrictions, data enhancements, and routing improvements throughout North America.
For more information about ALK's and TMW Systems' products, visit www.pcmiler.com and www.tmwsystems.com.
