IoT Aggregator- Service Provider - Principal Gurtam VAR Partner

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How technology innovation impacts climate action – A Greener Solution

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The first Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) assessment report on climate mitigation was released early this month and it addressed a critical warning to the world. According to the report, greenhouse gases must peak before 2025 at the latest to prevent a potential 3.2 °C rise by the end of the century.

The report also warns that “considerable fossil fuel infrastructure” will need to be abandoned to sufficiently reduce emissions, including coal assets by 2030 and oil and gas by around 2050. Countries with plans to invest in new fossil fuel infrastructure are engaging in “moral and economic madness,” U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres said.

Without immediate action, it is expected that our planet is headed toward the warming of 3.2°C in less than 100 years and some experts say that would be catastrophic for the planet.

 

Countries react to greenhouse gas emissions

The United Nations called on governments to act immediately. In response to this report, some countries released a statement regarding greenhouse gas emission reduction targets.  “It is time to stop burning our planet and start investing in the abundant renewable energy all around us.” – US Secretary-General.

 

USA

Biden’s administration sets 2030 Greenhouse Gas Pollution Reduction that ensures the U.S. achieves a 100% clean energy economy and reaches net-zero emissions no later than 2050.

“It is time to stop burning our planet and start investing in the abundant renewable energy all around us.” – US Secretary-General.

 

Canada

Canada’s federal government will invest $780.9 million into medium- and heavy-duty zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs) over the next five years.

Over the next four years, $547.5 million will be invested in a new Transport Canada purchase incentive program for medium- and heavy-duty ZEVs.

Canada aims for zero-emission vehicles to account for 35% of new medium- and heavy-duty equipment sales by 2030.

 

How Astreon helps customers reduce their environmental impact and comply with emission regulations

Sustainable Fleet Management to lower environmental impact

Sustainability is a core value of Astreon, and our technology helps our customers, the community, and team members improve their environmental impact as we work together towards the same goal – zero emissions, reduced pollutants, and increased energy efficiencies.

Our sustainable fleet management approaches to

  • Reduce Fuel Cost

With Astreon you can analyze and improve driving behavior, such as acceleration, braking, speeding, and reckless driving saving on fuel consumption. Monitoring speed limits and driving patterns to help you educate drivers and improve their driving skills is also a major contributing factor.

This results in fleet-wide average savings of at least 15% on fuel costs and an increase of 30% or more on overall fleet efficiency.

 

  • Improve energy efficiency

Real-time performance reports of your equipment and machinery can help improve energy efficiency. Astreon provides better visibility into equipment energy efficiency to help improve the performance and reliability of equipment and machinery.

 

  • Reduce Environmental Pollutants

Air pollution is becoming a big issue in many of the world’s major cities and heavy-duty vehicles are a major contributor.

Astreon can provide optimized routing for your fleet. Your drivers benefit from real-time traffic avoidance with our routing tools. These enhancements drastically reduce travel time, engine idling, and the release of harmful pollutants into the air.

 

  • Eliminate Carbon emissions

GPS fleet tracking technology also can contribute to improvements in CO2 monitoring. You can track exactly which vehicle and how much a vehicle is contributing to poor air quality via collected data.

With this data and reports from Astreon, you can gain insight on vehicle utilization, carbon emissions and fuel consumption.

 

To learn more about how the Astreon Fleet management platform can help, visit our page here.

Contact us today!

Tel: +1 (888) 647-4730
Email: sales@astreon.com

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Full ELD enforcement delayed until Jan 1, 2023

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The June 2022 deadline for ELD compliance in Canada has been pushed back to January 1st, 2023.

CCMTA (Canadian Council of Motor Transport Administrators) announced the full ELD enforcement extension on March 7, 2022.

The ELD mandate enforcement was originally scheduled for June 12, 2021, however, the enforcement was delayed by a year due to the unprecedented challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, and other challenges related to certification.

With this current extension, the CCMTA decided to extend full ELD enforcement due to the small number of certified ELD providers.  At the time of writing this article, there are 14 out of approximately 700 ELD providers certified on the Transport Canada website.

“Jurisdictions have been monitoring progress and determined that an extension of the transition period is required. This will allow sufficient time for the industry to purchase and install certified ELD devices, and conduct training to be compliant. Based on these factors, jurisdictions will continue to support the mandate through a period of education and awareness through to January 1, 2023.” – Announcement by CCMTA.

This extension will ensure that carriers can have sufficient time to purchase, install ELDs and educate drivers to comply with the ELD mandate rules.

 

What should carriers do during this period?

While we hope that the delay in full enforcement would allow carriers to have sufficient time to prepare for the ELD mandate, the fact is you need to get started as soon as possible.

ELD price increases are expected due to the shortage of certified ELDs providers in Canada, and ongoing supply chain shortages, causing device costs to go up. The following factors pressure ELD providers and end up causing price increases.

 

Lengthy process of ELD registration & Certification

Unlike the USA, Canada takes a more systematic approach to ELD certification. In Canada, ELDs can only be third-party certified and can not be self-certified. In the process, 3 independent certifying bodies work with manufacturers to test and approve their devices. See the image of the process with duration figures.  It can take up to 1 year to get an ELD solution approved.

Certification costs

According to trucknews.com, ELD providers can submit only three models at a time, the certification fee is approximately $50,000 USD per device. This only includes 1 mobile OS (like Android or iOS). If an ELD provider wants to get both mobile operating systems approved for each device, then the cost doubles. Each year, 25% of the ELDs will have to be retested for which ELD providers will have to pay $12,000 to $25,000 per device model.

 

An answer to the question: What should carriers do during this period?

Get ready for ELD Compliance as soon as possible

Looking at the cost and the lengthy process, you can clearly see why so few providers are certified today, almost 1 year after the mandate has been implemented.

That being said, most or all ELD providers are expected to raise their rates by up to 40%. Essentially these high costs of certification and upkeep are being passed on to the consumer. If you already have an ELD today, there is a good chance it won’t get certified in Canada. If it does, expect a cost increase of your services along with it.

 

Astreon certified ELDs

Astreon has partnerships with fully certified ELD service providers in Canada and the USA, such as Apollo ELD (outlined in the link above), brought to you by Astreon, as well as Vistracks (in partnership with Omnitracs). These are industry-leading ELD products that are driver-friendly and well recognized in the USA and Canada.

In addition to certification, leverage our ELD solutions to provide continuity and risk mitigation for your business with HOS, IFTA reports, Driver Vehicle Inspection Reports, Engine Diagnostics, and many more powerful features.

Visit our ELD pages to learn more.

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Ways School Bus transit can benefit from GPS Tracking

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Innovations in telematics and technology are continuously shaping the world for the better. There is nothing you cannot track and monitor from your mobile phone. Using GPS Tracking becomes a standard in private fleets. A school bus is one of the vehicles that benefit from the features of GPS Tracking.

With school transportation, the protection of children is the biggest priority for their schools and parents alike. Especially, children on the way to school via a school bus. These are concerns for parents in terms of safety, like whether the bus is in good operating condition, the bus takes a safe route, or a driver is following the proper route. GPS tracking takes care of these concerns and also adds a ton of operational benefits for school boards and private bus operators. GPS tracking will help improve fleet efficiency and provide safety for children.

Let’s dive into the features of GPS tracking and how schools and parents can benefit from it.

 

How does it work?

The school bus GPS tracking system allows the school and parents to gain visibility, safety and manage the GPS location of the school buses along with arrival and departure times at every stop along the route, including route optimization, route history, and schedule.  Think of a parent who knows the Buses ETA to a stop and doesn’t have to wait in the cold with their child during inclement weather.

By connecting the GPS tracking system with fleet management software, the schools can monitor, track and manage all school buses to operate on time and safely. Parents, using a GPS Tracking app on their smartphone, can monitor and track the whereabouts of their children, the time and location they are picked up and dropped off, and which school bus they took.

 

Features of GPS tracking for school buses

Combination with fleet management software gives you full operational support;

  • Stops and ETA
  • Route adherence
  • Schedule management
  • Buses are visible to parents and school boards alike
  • Auto assignment of a bus to a route
  • Late, Early arrival notifications to parents and school boards
  • Detailed reporting
  • Real-time tracking on the map with scaling features

 

Benefits of using GPS tracking for school buses

The advancements in GPS tracking and cloud-based technology have made real-time tracking a necessary solution for schools today. A centralized GPS for school buses provides an opportunity for schools to keep an eye on the entire fleet that is in operation and for parents to only see the bus and ETA of their children’s route.

Let’s take a look at some benefits from everyone’s perspective, Schools and Parents.

 

Benefits for schools

Improve routing and scheduling

Instead of planning routes manually, the application helps you generate optimal travel routes more efficiently.

Based on service time commitments, route preferences, what kind of capacity the vehicle has, and traffic, the application provides planned routes with information on the estimated arrival time and mileage of each stop and route. Optimal routes will result in increasing commitment of operational schedule, increased customer & driver satisfaction, and cost savings.

 

Improve Fuel efficiency

Effective transportation management not only saves time by optimizing routes but also saves money.

Optimized routes and eliminated unauthorized trips allow school transportation to cut mileage, fuel, and maintenance expenses. Drivers spend less time on the road, along with optimized and improved routes, which results in reduced fuel consumption and reduced operation time.

Fleet management software also provides you with impactful reporting so that you can see precisely which areas need to be improved to lower costs and increase profits.

 

Monitor bus driver’s performance & behavior and assure the safety of children

Real-time monitoring and data enable a school to measure driver behavior and safety. The fleet management software allows school authorities to track the school bus operation in real-time. It improves planning accuracy, driver discipline, and children’s transportation quality.

 

Benefits for parents

Assuring safety

By letting children have an ID tracker or smartwatch tracker integrated with fleet management, parents can get real-time information about the children’s exact whereabouts.

In addition, parents can see real-time school bus location, where and when students board the bus, and receive real-time alerts if unusual events are happening.

Route history

Parents can check their children’s travel history so that they are not concerned about the safety of the vehicle and their children.

 

Astreon GPS Tracking and fleet management for school buses

Astreon offers GPS solutions tailored to your fleet. With our multiple solutions including scheduled transportation management, delivery monitoring service, maintenance management, driver behavior monitoring, transit agriculture, and much more, you will find the best solution with us.

Our application for school buses comprises the core functionality of satellite tracking software and specialized tools designed for route management. Use the service to create stops, optimize routes, distribute vehicles across routes, manage schedules, and track route performance in real-time. The application features intuitive navigation and a user-friendly interface, a handy timeline and event-based notifications for online tracking, a special ACL system and the proprietary API for third-party software integration and custom development.

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Increase Productivity of your Mobile Workforce

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Advanced technology has made it much easier to be a field worker. Mobile devices, mobile apps, SaaS, cloud-based solutions, and software integration have revolutionized how corporations manage their remote workforce to keep up with high demand. It is critical for managers to assist their field employees in performing their job more effectively, to track and complete all tasks on time.

Mobile Workforce Management solutions (MWM) provide visibility to field workers, optimize and control field operations, and mobile staff performance. How can your business benefit from a MWM solution?

What is Mobile Workforce Management (MWM) and Mobile Workforce Management Software(MWMS)?

Mobile Workforce Management (MWM) is the management of a mobile workforce with the help of tools such as apps, software, and processes or networks.

Mobile Workforce Management Software (MWMS) is a software solution integrated with MWM that enables businesses to manage their employees while they are on the go. For mobile workers, it’s a tool that assists them in performing their job more effectively and flexibly throughout their day. For a manager, it’s a visibility solution that helps them keep track of what their field workers are working on. This application gives managers and employees alike access to their work schedules, contact information, and other pertinent information from any location with Internet connectivity.

 

MWM Fact sheet: Why your business needs the power of Mobile Workforce Management

In today’s global workforce, 80 % are deskless workers. According to the survey from EMERGENE, the top deskless workforce industries are: Agriculture, Education, Healthcare, Retail, Hospitality, Manufacturing, Transportation, and Construction, employ 2.7B employees.

This survey also shows the fact that 82% of respondents from those top industries are planning to increase spending on technology for their deskless workforce. Transportation and Manufacturing are the two leading industries. In addition, these industries are willing to invest in new technologies to assist their employees with productivity and keep them happy.

 

mobile workforce fact sheet1

mobile workforce fact sheet2

Companies with deskless workers are beginning to see that great technology can be as important to this part of the workforce as it is to the rest of their employees.

 

Benefits of using Mobile Workforce Management

With compact mobile devices, combined with the extensive coverage of today’s wireless networks, it enables you to track and monitor virtually anything; not just where cellular service is available, but anywhere you can see the sky. The end result is improved security, productivity, and a superior customer experience.

When you integrate your MWM app with software, you can access all operational insights to make data-based decisions that help elevate your business strategy and improve productivity.

 

Cost-effective

MWM apps gather operational insights, such as fuel level, idling time, fleet maintenance, mileage, breakdown, driver’s behavior, etc. You can make better decisions by analyzing this data to reduce operational costs. Gain insight on the best time for an oil change, vehicle replacement, fuel costs, and so much more.

 

Enhance staff efficiency & productivity

With the telematics data & reports, you can analyze working processes, optimize and organize

the workers, and improve efficiency. Mobile Workforce Management streamlines scheduling, dispatching, and communicating through centralized tools. That result is reducing downtime, increasing efficiency & productivity.

 

Safety

Safety is always a priority, especially under mobile workforce conditions such as working remotely. Mobile workers often encounter unexpected events, such as inclement weather, accidents, traffic, environmental variables, etc.  MWM will assist mobile workers in maximizing their job performance and dealing with any unpredictable incidents. With MWM, the workers get the opportunity to send pictures, SOS messages, or location info. Their manager can assist them in real-time. You always know your worker’s location, speed, and status.

 

Improve customer satisfaction

Seamless work leads to job completion on time, which improves customer satisfaction. MWM provides a wide range of effective operating procedures for mobile workers to complete their job effectively. It provides optimized routes which will result in faster service times. It also provides advanced reports you can analyze which areas of improvement.

 

 

Astreon Mobile Workforce Management

Astreon Mobile is a fully-featured and effective mobile workforce management service. We capture accurate speed and detailed location throughout the day. Astreon mobile is designed to provide visibility to field workers, optimize and control field operations and mobile staff performance.

 

Astreon Mobile Features

latest data at hand_mobile app

  • Latest data at hand
    • View the main tracking parameters on the home screen for quick checks. Everything is automatically updated based on the latest message from the device.

 

data from workers_mobile app

  • Data from workers
    • Workers can send pictures, SOS messages, or location info. The back office is notified when personnel needs help or further instructions.

 

customer statuses_mobile app

  • Custom statuses
    • Tailor the app to business needs; set up the required statuses and get messages with custom events to know what’s happening in the field.

 

  • QR codes
    • Let workers log in with a QR code. Have them scan QR codes at certain points or status changes, for example, at the end of a route.

 

  • Remote control
    • Request actions such as a camera snapshot or a service stop and change settings of the app remotely to proactively guide the workers.

 

chat with employees_mobile app

  • Chat with employees
    • Send and receive various types of messages from the field workers for close and detailed day-to-day communication.

 

 

Turn your smartphone into a tracker and make sure that with the Astreon Mobile Workforce Management app! For more information about the app, check our mobile app page.

Contact us today!

Tel: +1 (888) 647-4730
Email: sales@astreon.com

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January 2022 Monthly Update

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Good day Astreon clients and partners!

2022 kicked off with a bang!  Let’s hope this year treats everyone well with renewed business success, good health, and general well-being!

Last year, the Developers significantly extended the functionality of Astreon hosting and add-on apps. Our services improve every month with new releases, features, and enhancements. This year we will continue improving the apps’ interface and user-friendliness. New branding options to white label Hecterra and Nimbus were added. Logistics added new lines and tabs, including more advanced routing for Google Maps licensees.

Logistics

Undistributed orders display

Due to resource availability, logistics users occasionally encounter situations where some orders are undistributed during daily delivery route planning. For example, if there is a shortage of vehicles, or the delivery destination is too far from the main route, the dispatcher can reassign the delivery.

When this happens, orders are not displayed in the last planning step and may go unnoticed.

To solve this issue, we added a new line for undistributed orders at the last planning step. The line is highlighted in red and is located at the top of the list. Once you click on the iconicon logistics, you’ll see the reason why the order is undistributed.

Undistributed orders are added to the route on the map and in the table. If you recalculate the route without considering route restrictions, these orders will be distributed to benefit for your customer.

 

Vehicle types and delivery requirements

Assigning a suitable vehicle depending on delivery characteristics: temperature conditions, large-sized vehicles for large loads, etc. is difficult and time-consuming for a dispatcher. It’s a lot easier if you can find it, we show you the best options without additional filtering. We added a Delivery requirements tab in settings to make it easier to find the best vehicle.

This new Logistics functionality displays appropriate vehicles to the dispatcher and automatically assigns selected orders to them.

logistics2 jan 2022 blog

After you select orders and suitable vehicles, the system automatically assigns the orders to the selected vehicles to maximize profitability and client SLA.

Need to transport perishable goods? We have you covered. The application will find a refrigerated truck. Is the item too large? Logistics will display vehicles with a suitable size and hide vehicles that are not a fit.

Visit the forum to read more about the new Logistics options. Please share your experience with the updated functionality.

 

Hecterra

Hecterra can now be white labeled!

Like with other Gurtam products, you can white label the Hecterra app including the app logo.

To change the logo, please contact your manager.

 

Saving maps with a related file name

When downloading files from Hecterra, the file names were automatically saved with the “mapImage” name as a default.  If you wanted to customize the file name, you needed to manually overite it.

Now if you save a PNG file with a map, its name contains basic information about what’s inside.

For example, you save a map with cultivation. The file name will indicate its interval (start and end date), field name, unit, and operation.

Users share their opinions and ideas about Hecterra on the forum – come and join us there.

 

Nimbus

Upgraded User Interface

We have recently improved the appearance of some elements and tabs to improve the overall user experience.

White Label Nimbus!

You can also change the logo in Nimbus, similar to Hecterra.

To use your logo in the app, please contact your manager.

Visit the forum and share your thoughts on what features you’d like to see in NimBus.

 

Contact us today!

Contact us today for more information, pricing, and specific case studies.

Tel: +1 (800) 647-4730

Email: sales@astreon.com

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Apollo ELD is ranked in the TOP 3 for Electronic Logging Devices

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One of the buzzwords in the commercial transport industry since last year is surely the ELD (Electronic Logging Device). It’s been in effect in the U.S. since 2017 and 2021 in Canada.  In Canada, ELD will be the topic of discussion frequently this year because the penalties for non-compliance will be enforced on June 12, 2022, and very few companies are certified by Transport Canada as of the time of publishing this article.

ELDs are ECU-connected devices combined with Android or iOS Phones, Tablets, or other hardware logging screens used in the commercial transport industry which provides an accurate and simple means of keeping HOS records.  For professional drivers and fleet operators, this is required by law.

 

Apollo ELD: TOP 3 Electronic Logging Device

Apollo ELD device and app

Apollo ELD provided by our partner Assured Techmatics, was selected TOP 3 Electronic Logging Devices by Verified Market Research.

Assured Techmatics was founded in 2004 and is based in Florida, United States. Its purpose is to develop a location-based solution to improve drivers’ travel experience. It has come a long way since the track and trace days. It has achieved unbelievable success with its ELD solution since it was launched back in 2016. Its flagship product apollo ELD is the powerful bundle of reliable hardware, state-of-the-art software and an ongoing commitment to support its customers and increase its satisfaction with the service it provides. – Verified Market Research

Apollo ELD is the second ELD provider listed by FMCSA and is now certified in Canada. With the ease of use and advanced features support of numerous ELD devices, DVIR, IFTA, and dispatch integration, Apollo ELD has been awarded TOP 3 ELDs.

 

What’s unique about Apollo ELD?

Apollo ELD is a certified and ELD-compliant product that fully conforms to both ELD and AOBRD standards. While being comprehensive, apollo ELD is developed with drivers in mind and thus is quite easy to use. In addition to an app for the driver, there is a feature-rich portal for use by the back-office personnel. Remote drivers and office staff are always in sync with key information, critical to operations, is available to all.

 

Integration with Dispatch

Another unique feature of apollo ELD is the integration with dispatch. Drivers or back-office personnel can initiate a dispatch, i.e., pickup or delivery, and can update information as required including ETA. Shippers or receivers can log into the portal and know where the truck is and note current ETA information. This significantly reduces the need to buy a separate Transportation Management System and manage additional products which are probably not integrated with ELD. Apollo ELD is integrated with dispatch and information such as remaining driving time flows seamlessly into dispatch decision-making to better schedule drivers and maximize dispatch effectiveness and efficiency.

 

Key features of Apollo ELDapollo desktop_mobile_tablet

  • Extremely easy to use and navigate
  • Fully ELD compliant in the United States and Canada and supports Mexican rules
  • Integrated with multiple hardware device types
  • Supports IFTA
  • Supports key intrastate driving rules
  • Available in English, Spanish, Canadian French
  • Integrated with dispatch
  • Supports Android and iOS devices

 

Applicable for diverse industries

  • Commercial fleet
    • In 2019, the commercial vehicle market stood at 13.8 million vehicles, 30% of which being GVW 8 general freight, rental/leasing services trucks. apollo ELD proved to be reliable for the commercial fleets which are the major market.

 

  • Public Transportation
    • As of December 2017, Precious Cargo has installed Electronic Logging Devices on all motor coaches and school buses in accordance with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) Part 395, 49 CFR 395.8(a). The ELD Rule is the latest safety initiative that was enacted by the FMCSA on December 15, 2015. apollo ELD is fully compliant with this rule and provides services to the bus operators.

 

  • Logistics & Supply Chain
    • During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 logistics and supply chain vehicles were essential in delivering vital supplies to the national supermarket chains and companies. Apollo ELD provides service to big food supply chains.

 

Get ready for ELD compliance with us and replace your current ELD!

If you are not compliant yet or you are looking for extensively advanced features, you can easily migrate your ELD providers to apollo ELD without buying new hardware. For more details about Apollo ELD, visit our Apollo ELD page.

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Summary of 2021 – What has changed in fleets and what change will we expect in 2022?

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This year has a log of changes in the world, especially regulations. In addition to Covid-19 regulations, there are many regulations we have to comply with. The term “changes” also applies to fleet and technology industries this year. In this article, we review critical changes that happened this year to those industries and how these changes will impact your business from next year.

Canada ELD Mandate

apollo eld banner

2021 is a big year for the Canadian ELD market. This year is the first year of enforcement of ELD regulation in Canada. The Canada ELD (Electronic Logging Devices) Mandate went into effect June 12th, 2021 with a “progressive” enforcement period due to the unprecedented challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and the complexity of obtaining certification in Canada.

With this measurement, the ELD implementation delay has been put on hold until June 12th, 2022 to elevate education and awareness of the implementation of ELD.

We’ve posted an ultimate ELD guide and regulation changes this year. Read full articles and comprehend how ELD regulation works and which ELD service providers you should choose.

 

  • Other related articles

Canada ELD Mandate Update: No ELD penalties until June 2022 – CCMTA

The ultimate guide to the ELD Mandate and how to choose the best ELD

 

Sustainability

electric vehicle charging station

Global warming is becoming a serious issue all over the world and there is no surprise that the fleet industry contributes to this situation. With this fact, efforts to boost sustainability in the transportation sector are increasing, as customers become more likely to weigh the environmental impacts of their purchases and government across the globe draw up more stringent regulations. In addition, the U.S administration had ordered federal agencies to develop tighter fuel efficiency, greenhouse gas, and oxides of nitrogen emissions standards for medium- and heavy-duty trucks in 2021.

More stringent regulations are expected to come next year in the world. Be prepared for any regulation impacting the fleet industry. It’s for sure that the truck industry will need to take the next leap in sustainability no later than 2030 because most countries set vehicle electrification targets by 2030. You can find the Vehicle electrification goals by country in the report from icct.

For emission regulations for medium- and heavy-duty trucks, read our blogs and be prepared for the changes:

How you can save money during the oil and diesel price surge

Biden Proposed Tighter Truck Emission Regulations

Truck industry embracing change due to the emission regulations and high demand for electric trucks

 

Smart Technology

smart technology

Connectivity and data management are now set to unleash the next renovation in the history of farming: Smart Farming / Precision agriculture. It enables farmers to collect vast quantities of data and control different equipment or monitor individual animals. Now, farmers are starting to adopt digital technology and data-driven innovations. See how Smart Farming can solve agricultural operational problems.

Smart Technology – Transformation in the Agriculture industry

 

What do 2022 and the future in the fleet industry look like?

Canada ELD regulation will be fully compliant

All Canadian trucking companies (there are some exemptions from the Canadian ELD mandate) must prepare for the ELD mandate by June 12th, 2022. Violating the regulation could charge you a fine or receive formal warnings. Being compliant doesn’t sound only complicated, but is also beneficial for your fleet operation financially and productively. Leveraging ELD brings many benefits, like more efficient route management, vehicle diagnostics, and minimizing administrative difficulties. Find more ELD benefits on our ELD page.

Our certified ELD providers:

Apollo ELD: https://www.lvmtrack.com/eld-compliance-apollo/

VisTracks: https://www.lvmtrack.com/eld-compliance-vistracks/

 

One in two vehicles sold is an electric vehicle

In the Executive Order by U.S. President Joe Biden, he states that “America must lead the world on clean and efficient cars and trucks. That means bolstering our domestic market by setting a goal that 50 percent of all new passenger cars and light trucks sold in 2030 be zero-emission vehicles, including battery-electric, plug-in hybrid electric, or fuel cell electric vehicles.”.

In 2021, we saw self-driving cars becoming more prevalent as well as carpooling services becoming increasingly popular with people who have car ownership but do not drive often enough to warrant owning a car themselves. Also, major auto manufacturers like Tesla, Volvo, Ford, and Mercedes-Benz manufacture EVs to meet the demand from consumers, contributing to a dramatic reduction in CO2 emissions. As an example, Volvo is committed to producing purely EV’s by 2030.

Not next year, but 2030 would be a milestone in the history of an electric vehicle.

To learn more about electric vehicles, check our blogs.

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November 2021 Monthly Update

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Good day Astreon clients and partners!

Can you believe it’s December 2nd?  Where did the year go?  Wow 2021 went fast.  We truly hope 2021 was a good year for you, better than 2020, and everyone is healthy and doing well!

This month, we have added new functionality to the video module and add-on applications. The new functionality in the video module allows users to watch video from multiple cameras simultaneously, fantastic! Add-on applications; Hecterra, users can now save a map with all the necessary layers as a PNG file on the Reports and Registrar pages. In addition, in Logistics, there are many changes and updates: new types of notifications, the design of some UX/UI elements, the list of orders and a map with their statuses. Read through and check out new updates.

Astreon New Features and Enhancements

Watching playback from several cameras with save function

The video module now allows you to watch playback from several cameras on a single screen and save it as a single file.

To request playback, go to the Playback tab in the Video tab, select cameras on a unit you need, and specify the period for which you request a video recording.

You get a single timeline where the presence or absence of a video for the selected period is highlighted in colour. Click on the time you need, and the videos will appear on the same screen.

 

Would you like to save the video playback as it is? Click on the Save to files icon, and the videos will be saved in a single file.

 

Logistics

Window redesign

The settings section has gotten a visual redesign to improve workflow and simplicity.  It now has a more modern design, improving user-friendliness and efficiency.

logistics_window redesign

New notification types

Notifications are critical for drivers and dispatchers alike.  Our new notification options expand our ability to improve field communications, helping avoid delivery delays.

  • Visiting an order. The driver receives this notification type when order is visited but its status hasn’t been indicated yet. For example, a vehicle enters a geofence and stops there, while the order isn’t fulfilled yet. The new notification type makes it easier for the driver and the dispatcher to track the order fulfillment.
  • Orders ready to be sent. Such notifications are used when the order has been picked from the warehouse but has not yet been passed to the driver. They are sent simultaneously to all clients whose orders are on the list. So the client is always aware of what is happening with their order.

Adding range selection and displaying order statuses on the map

Order status (Confirmed, Rejected, or The status is not specified) can be viewed on the map in the Routes page and in reports for planned and actual routes: tick boxes and cross icons. This allows you to quickly track changes in the number of orders and adjust the route.

logistics_order status on the map

You can now select several orders arranged one after another. To do this, you should select the first order of the range, hold down Shift, and select the last order. This way you won’t waste time processing each request separately.

logistics_range selection

Hecterra

Generating files for maps with cultivations

Last month we added a new feature allowing users to export a map with fields to a PNG file. This month, this feature was added to the Reports and Registrar pages for potential and registered cultivations as well.

You can now get a map for a group of cultivations (for example, for a week) or each cultivation separately, with the scalable ability. The map may contain several layers, previously selected in the properties of cultivation. Now it’s easier to track the volume of cultivations and provide this information to stakeholders.

Contact us today!

Contact us today for more information, pricing, and specific case studies.

Tel: +1 (800) 647-4730

Email: sales@astreon.com

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Why do rental companies use GPS Tracking? Why is telematics beneficial to the rental equipment business?

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When it comes to the profitability of the rental industry, it depends on efficiently renting out assets, keeping them in good condition, and managing the asset’s life cycle.

To maximize profitability, a rental company needs to know when and whether their assets will be returned in what condition so that they can be checked in, maintained, and quickly put back on the rental list again.

Most rental companies struggle with asset management. If your company has not installed an advanced asset management system, you will face many issues. For example, it is more complicated to monitor and organize which asset from which location is readily available to be rented out if a rental company has multiple branches. It will end up costing tens of thousands of dollars if you lose even one piece of equipment. They are often not in an ideal condition when your customer returns your rental assets.

According to the report from National Equipment Registry, about 1,000 pieces of commercial equipment are reported stolen every month, which is equivalent to anywhere from $300 million to $1 billion loss per year for business owners.

The lack of an advanced asset management system will result in inflated maintenance and management costs. In order to overcome these challenges, GPS tracking is a must-have for all rental industries to manage and mitigate operational risks.

 

How a GPS Tracking works for the rental equipment industry

Maximizing profitability in a rapidly growing market can be challenging. In fact, the equipment industry in the U.S. is growing. According to the statistics from statista, the size of the U.S. equipment rental market is projected to be sized at approximately $53 billion U.S. dollars in 2022, a 10% of increase from its in 2020.

Along with its increasing market, operators in the rental industry are concerned about the safety and maintenance of their equipment. It is not easy to know how their equipment is used by their customers, or whether they return their rental equipment at the right time in the right place.

To manage and monitor all challenges, GPS tracking solutions help locate your assets using a pre-installed transmitter that tracks the location of the specific object using signals from several satellites and calculating the delay between each one. Today, GPS tracking is more powerful, accurate, and comprehensive by integrating with an asset management system.

GPS tracking integrated with an asset management system provides you with insightful, real-time data and reports that support you to improve safety and productivity.

Let’s look at the benefits of installing GPS Tracking in the rental equipment industry.

5 benefits of GPS tracking for the rental equipment industry

  1. Tracking real-time location & geofencing

Renting your assets to others is risky unless you have full control of management and monitoring. Heavy equipment assets are highly valuable and difficult to replace. With GPS Tracking for heavy machinery, trailers, and other high-value assets, you can monitor your assets’ whereabouts in real-time. You can also set up geofencing, which is a virtual border drawn on the map, in an asset management system. These virtual boundaries or areas can be drawn like a single-lane street or shaped size as a specific yard to help you monitor and manage your valuable assets. These geofences are used as a trigger for alerts when your asset enters/exits in or from the geofenced area. As soon as the GPS tracking detects the movement, it will send an alert. This information is crucial in preventing contract breaches and ensuring that equipment is exactly where it is supposed to be.

 

  1. Monitor equipment condition

Another benefit of using GPS Tracking in the rental equipment industry is automated maintenance. GPS Tracking will allow you to schedule maintenance based on the equipment’s runtime. This will help make sure that maintenance is done on time and increase productivity by maintaining the rental cycle of each asset.  Maintenance notifications of upcoming work can enable you to go perform maintenance on a customer’s job site to prevent costly breakdowns and unnecessary repairs.

 

  1. Prevent theft

As we mentioned earlier, about 1,000 pieces of commercial equipment are reported stolen every month which is equivalent to anywhere from $300 million to $1 billion loss per year for business owners. This can happen to anyone.

What if your customer paid in cash or with a fraudulent credit card and disappeared without returning your rental equipment? When your equipment isn’t returned and you come to collect it, the site will be vacant or the address or person you lent your equipment doesn’t even exist. These unfortunate events could happen to you. How can you prevent this from happening?

You already know that a GPS Tracker allows you to monitor the exact location of your rental equipment. However, the right rental equipment tracking devices can do more than simply aid in locating lost or stolen rental equipment. It also can help you minimize the risk of damage to the assets if it is stolen by minimizing the time that thieves have them.

For example, if a GPS tracking device has geofencing or motion detection capabilities, it will instantly generate an alert if the device crosses the geofencing boundary or detects unauthorized movement. This alert system helps you to quickly identify a potential theft in progress and alert the authorities to the theft. Your quick action can reduce the possibility that the asset will be damaged or disposed of before the asset is found.

 

  1. Maximize equipment utilization

Keeping assets operating longer than they should and missing the right timing to replace them with new ones cause the cost to maintain them to skyrocket. With the right GPS Tracker, rental companies can see equipment usage and the GPS tracker helps them make more informed decisions about asset purchasing and selling.

 

A GPS Tracker integrated with an asset management system can help you stay on top of your asset replacement schedule and find the right time to replace your assets based on the maintenance milestones and their period of usage. The asset management system will provide you with crucial data and help you make the right asset management decisions to maximize equipment utilization.

 

  1. Improve invoice accuracy and billable time

Ditch the old manual tracking of run time and paper-based processes.

Using GPS tracking on your equipment improves your invoice accuracy and billable time. This feature is beneficial especially if you bill your customers based on the runtime of the equipment. You will know the exact amount of runtime from the data by GPS tracking and it will increase your invoicing accuracy.

In addition, monitoring runtime will eliminate human errors. It’s easy to bill your customer by the day, half-day, or by the hour with full and accurate data collected by an asset management system. Using GPS tracking and an asset management system automates everything and helps your work be more accurate and productive.

 

Need an advanced asset management system for your rental business? We are here to help you

Astreon provides a cloud-based system, seamlessly integrated into mobile applications featuring a wide range of IoT solutions. You can get real-time asset tracking visibility with detailed reports on their location. Astreon’s asset management system allows you to monitor your assets’ whereabouts with a click of a button to save time, reduce dwell time, with the added convenience of not having to physically look for your asset. It helps you reduce costs by ensuring that critical assets are available and identified quickly when you need them the most.

Contact us today for more information about our advanced asset management system.

Contact us today!

Tel: +1 (888) 647-4730
Email: sales@astreon.com

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