Concrete Products covers the issues that attract producers of ready mixed and manufactured concrete focusing on equipment and material technology, market development and management topics.
Issue link: http://concrete.epubxp.com/i/442865
www.concreteproducts.com January 2015 • 75 INNOVATIONS REPORT BY DANIEL VALENTINE ROUTE OPTIMIZATION, SCHEDULING Construction delays, traffic, and congestion can throw off a business' schedule for an entire workday. When drivers are transporting con- crete, it is vital that they are equipped with the most efficient route possible to get from point A to point B. ClearPath optimized routing is an easy-to-use feature in NexTraq that takes locations and stops in a driver's itinerary and orders them to create the shortest route. If a delay pops up, it is important employees have other route options available. Via the GPS fleet tracking solution, dispatchers at the home office can quickly send optimized routes to a driver's in-vehicle Garmin device or mobile device. Mixer drivers can then fol- low voice-guided, turn-by-turn directions to maneuver around road delays, helping them travel to job sites on time. In addition, having an efficient job-scheduling process is import- ant when operating a business that requires employees to be in the field, on job sites and on the go. NexTraq offers an intuitive Job Schedule Board, which provides simple drag-and-drop scheduling and employee assignments. As an added benefit for dispatchers, such a solution allows for all scheduled jobs to appear on one screen. Dis- patchers can see the status of all current jobs and view employee availability for any incoming jobs. This saves the dispatcher time and improves scheduling accuracy. NAVIGATION DEVICES, MOBILE APPS From a driver's perspective, a solution that automatically pushes job schedules, routes and detailed job information to an in-vehicle per- sonal navigation device or a mobile device is key. With NexTraq's Fleet Dispatch, drivers can view these updates instantly on a Garmin PND or with the NexTraq Connect app directly on their smartphones or tablets. By having these updates readily available, drivers save time trying to figure out where they should be going. Additionally, they can quickly and easily update job status, helping to keep dispatchers informed of activity in the field. As an added benefit to drivers, mobile applications such as Nex- Traq Connect, can improve communication as workers can automat- ically assign themselves to vehicles, report maintenance issues, and update odometer readings. Employees can also record start, break and end work times via the mobile app, improving managers' insights into operations. DRIVER SAFETY According to the Occupational Health and Safety Administration, dis- tracted driving is a factor in 25 to 30 percent of all traffic crashes. Employees in ready mixed concrete production are often driving to and from sites, spending a great deal of time operating a vehicle. As they are often on the go, a GPS fleet tracking solution that automat- ically pushes optimized routes and gives voice-guided turn-by-turn directions, keeps drivers' eyes on the road and reduces the chances that they will be involved in an accident. Concrete producers can use a GPS fleet tracking solution, specif- ically dispatching features, to increase communication and improve operations. In addition, businesses that implement fleet tracking typ- ically realized return on investment in as little as one month. Compa- nies will find that productivity is increased, as employees are able to get more work done in a day thanks to optimized routes and improved job scheduling, while also improving employee safety. Daniel Valentin is director of Marketing at Atlanta-based NexTraq, whose Fleet Dispatch, Fleet Metrics, and NexTraq Connect applications deliver real-time data needed to optimize trucking operations. — Nex- Traq, Atlanta, 800/358-6178 or 678/762-6804; www.nextraq.com