Fall 2009 - Trailcon

TECH TALKA simple solution for yard managementBy Stuart Innes, I.T. Manager, Trailcon Leasing Inc.I have been in the transportation businessfor 17 years, and one of the most demandingtasks I have encountered is managingand maintaining the fleet, accurately andconsistently.We have all attended seminars on thelatest and greatest technology, from GPStracking to RFID, but often find thatthe solutions don’t meet our current businessrequirements.I often wondered: why couldn’t there be asolution that’s as easy as “drag and drop?”Fortunately, that’s no longer just wishfulthinking – we now have a yard-managementenvironment that uses “drag and drop” technologypowered by G&C Software SolutionsCorp.’s Unit Management System (UMS).Trailcon Leasing piloted UMS Basic twoyears ago, using a ruggedized mobile tablet(F5) from Motion Computing.The marriage between Trailcon’s existingmaintenance decision software (EMDECS)and UMS reaped immediate benefits, andwas further enhanced by the multiple peripheralsof the Motion F5 tablet. UMS wasquickly and smoothly integrated into ourdaily operations and reporting structures.The transition from Trailcon’s manualsystem to UMS was so advantageous to theFleet and Service personnel that they addedPrzemek Chmielewski, Trailcon’s shunt driver, creates a shunt order using the mobile tablet.the UMS shunting module last fall to bettercontrol yard moves. Trailcon took it a stepfurther earlier this year with the rollout ofthe UMS Smart Yard Check (SYC) to furtherautomate our yard processes.G&C will be piloting its latest solution,Real Time Mobile Inspection (RTMI), atTrailcon later this year. This new softwarewill automate the manual inspectionprocess of trailer release and return.By integrating G&C products withEMDECS, Trailcon knows the what, where,and when – in real time – of all of its assetsfor any of its locations.As a result, turnaround times have beenshortened considerably, and preventativemaintenance scheduling can be flagged bythe system in real time, allowing the fleetmanager to coordinate the mobile repairorder via the wireless solution.G&C realizes that quick returnon investment is a mustwhen a company is choosinga yard-management solution.Consequently, it develops systemsthat are simple to use,have self-explanatory screens,and show only what the userneeds to see at each point of theprocess. G&C can achieve thisbecause it understands thetrucking business, and makesuse of the best technology available.Drag and drop, tip of theday, color-coding statuses, andscheduled reports are just a fewexamples of the user-friendlyand time-saving features builtinto its yard-management solutions.Another feature thatmakes the systems so effectiveis their ability to provide fieldinformation online to any userwith access to a browserenableddevice.After a full day of moves inthe yard, fully customizablemanagement and operationalreports can be generated on demandor on a scheduled basis, and deliveredvia e-mail in PDF, Excel, Word, and otherformats.The G&C solution integrates with yourcurrent system. Integration methods vary,but can be via web services, file loads, orother formats compatible with your operatingsystem. For more information, visitwww.gcso2.com.4 REPORT on TRANSPORTATION