Alamein - Experts in Mobile Solutions, Tracking Systems, Despatch logistics, tracking & transportation

TrackSave

TrakSave

Overview

TrakSave is an externally hosted mobile communications service, providing built-in resilience through a dual data centre managed infrastructure. It enables real-time information exchange between fleet controllers and drivers. TrakSave delivers job despatch & progress updating, field data capture, real-time 2-way messaging, vehicle tracking & integrated satellite navigation.

The TrakSave platform provides booking and despatch functionality or can integrate with a customer’s 3rd party booking system though a simple flat-file interface, providing real & immediate benefit to the fleet operation. Operating on the GPRS mobile network, TrakSave offers UK and international coverage on an affordable pay-as-you-go basis. A range of consumer or rugged mobile data terminals (MDTs) is supported, which may be vehicle fitted or hand-held. The office IT requirement is minimal: a Windows PC and a broadband Internet connection.

TrakSave is a comprehensive and flexible platform, based on fully customisable work-flows and user interface interactions.

Job Despatch & Updates

Job information is transmitted to the driver’s MDT directly from the booking system; this carries the details entered by the despatch staff. As the driver progresses the job he is able to return progress updates such as picked up, on-route, delivered etc. via the simple touch-screen interface. All updates are time- and geo-stamped, enabling full historic audit trail. These updates are displayed automatically in real-time on the despatch screen of the booking system.

Jobs may be managed as single or multiple entities, with concurrent work-flow, and can be recalled or modified as necessary via the booking system.

The driver’s terminal application is designed to be easy to use, simplifying training and providing context sensitive buttons clearly displaying the next required and allowed action or option.

Real-time 2-way Messaging

Ad-hoc messages may be exchanged between the fleet and office to deal with queries and exceptions; these can be sent to individuals or groups of drivers directly from the booking system, or generated as required by the driver and sent to the booking system. To save typing time, frequently used pre-defined canned messages can be configured on the driver’s MDT.

Where a hand-held MDT is used, the driver remains in contact for job and message exchange whenever he is outside of the vehicle carrying the MDT.

Field Data Capture

Information can be easily captured by the driver on the MDT via a number of methods including user-defined forms (text, numbers or hand-written), signature capture and bar-code reading, or through attached devices such as credit card readers.

Satellite Navigation

The TrakSave client application is integrated to the satellite navigation (Sat-Nav) software installed on the MDT, enabling an address included within the job to be selected by the driver; the Sat-Nav then automatically guides the driver to the destination with audible and visual prompts to the selected address.

The Sat-Nav product provided is commercially available software; Alamein’s current approved supplier is Sygic.

Tracking

GPS capability on the MDT allows tracking information (location, direction and speed) to be relayed via Alamein servers to two tracking interfaces; a PC-based operational view of the whole fleet for use by a fleet controller, and a web-based view accessed via the Alamein secure website.

Optionally Alamein can provide a fitted in-vehicle Blackbox unit, allowing high-performance tracking using fixed external antennas, and tracking of the vehicle  even when the ignition is switched off. The deployment of a fixed Blackbox unit enables additional functionality, including the collection and analysis of vehicle diagnostic and driver performance information.

Alarm events can be configured to capture data relating to speeding, out-of-hours use and entering or leaving defined areas.

The current job status of each vehicle is displayed on the mapping system by use of coloured icons along with speed, location and vehicle/driver identification. International maps are available for companies that operate beyond the UK.

The vehicle location information can also be relayed to the booking system to enable, for example, closest-vehicle despatch. All vehicle movements are archived allowing later analysis and playback of driven routes, location and speeds for management purposes.

Optionally, a website is available to view selected vehicles or assets, that may be offered to 3rd parties to track consignments or passengers by job reference number.

Captured data can be used to generate Management Reports including but not limited to Utilisation Reports (time and distance measures of vehicle usage), Speed Reports (maximum and average speed recorded against location), Geo-fence Reports (use of a vehicle outside of a defined authorised area).

Alamein’s tracking function includes the use of dynamically assigned location triggers, or geo-fences, enabling actions (alarms, customer notifications, job status updates etc.) to be automatically triggered as geographic areas are entered or exited.