Integrated GPS, wireless data, and microchip technology systems are expected to make high-tech tracking and real-time driver and vehicle performance data affordable for all fleet sizes.

Ryder System, Inc. teamed with Teletrac and Cingular Wireless to launch RydeSmart, an advanced onboard telematics technology designed to improve vehicle uptime, driver efficiency, highway safety and cargo security, and provide real-time tracking of customer fleet operations.

Following an initial pilot in a limited geographic area, RydeSmart is expected to expand to customers across North America in multiple phases through 2007. The pilot included more than 5,000 vehicles assigned to specific customers in a range of industries including food and beverage, textiles, and building and construction materials.

Leveraging 73 Years of Experience
RydeSmart leverages Ryder’s 73 years of experience, industry-buying power and fleet size of more than 160,000 vehicles with Teletrac’s integrated global positioning system (GPS), wireless data, and microchip technologies, and Cingular’s extensive nationwide wireless data coverage area. Cingular’s nationwide digital wireless data network is available in 13,000 cities and towns, and along some 40,000 miles of major highways.

“We have developed extensive intellectual capital and highly refined processes around maximizing the efficiency of our customers’ transportation functions,” said Tony Tegnelia, president of Ryder’s U.S. Fleet Management Solutions. “Since the 1980s, we have utilized onboard telematics to achieve high levels of transportation precision and tracking, primarily for customers whose high-value shipments necessitated a significant onboard technology investment.”

A compact hardware and software unit, RydeSmart is installed into a truck and connected to the vehicle’s existing computer and diagnostics systems. The unit continuously monitors the vehicle’s location, mileage, and speed, as well as other performance and diagnostic data. That information is communicated every 15 minutes and on demand, as necessary, via a dedicated and secure connection with the Cingular network to fleet operators’ desktops. Wireless data solution experts from Cingular’s business-to-business organization, the Business Markets Group, worked closely with Ryder in assisting with the RydeSmart design and deployment.

Accessing Online Data
Customers utilize RydeSmart to access real-time online vehicle fleet data and business performance-enhancing features including view of vehicle location at all times, view of driver routes and performance, and continuous vehicle data monitoring, including automated transmittal of odometer readings to replace trip records for fuel tax and vehicle licensing regulatory compliance.

Integrated GPS capabilities also enable RydeSmart to help customers locate vehicles in case of emergency and provide central dispatch capabilities enabling customers to assign pick-ups and deliveries using the closest available vehicles.

RydeSmart features and benefits provide a built-in improvement program for fleet operators, enabling them to continuously monitor and refine route design, enhance efficiency, and increase customer satisfaction.