MOBILE MANAGEMENT

Rand McNally’s new TruckPC

Rand McNally has unveiled a new hardware design and upgrades for its top-end mobile communication fleet management system, the TruckPC, model TPC 7600. It cut the system’s price to just under US$1200 and significantly reduced the size of the mounted box.

At the same time, the company has also previewed the new Rand McNally Connect web portal that provides a single access point for fleet tracking, mapping, performance reporting, e-mail communication, as well as providing access to third-party applications. See more below.

The new TPC 7600 box, measuring one-third the size of the prior-generation mounted device, packs the same computing power and Windows 7 operating system. The reduced size and high-sensitivity in-cab antenna design allows the unit to be installed in numerous locations in the front or back of the cab.

The TPC 7600 is the sixth major revision of the TruckPC platform. It’s said to be a fully compliant electronic on-board recorder that tracks and manages hours of service, with back-end monitoring via a web portal, two-way communication with the ability to send e-mail attachments, on-board scanning and printing, in-cab video playback plus connectivity via cellular and Wi-Fi communications. The TPC7600 also supports satellite communications via an optional module.

The new TPC 7600 sells for just under $1,200 – with the antennas, cable and display mount components included. Note: taxes and monthly service fees not included.

The TPC 7600, which comes with a three-year warranty, will be available for shipment in August.

The Rand McNally Connect web portal is accessible for all customers of the company’s mobile communication fleet-management products, including the TND 760 and TPC 7600 system. All are integrated with products from TMW, McLeod, and other transportation management systems.

The new portal allows fleets to quickly access new features such as geofencing, allowing for complex polygon shapes to be identified as alert areas. When a vehicle enters or exits the polygon, an e-mail or SMS text message can be sent back to the company. Geofencing can be used to track entry and exit to analyze wait time at a customer location or to report vehicle detention time.

The ‘Landmarks’ feature provides an easy way to upload a custom list of locations onto the map. As well, ‘Dashboards’ and trending charts give fleet managers instant visibility into fleet-wide activities and issues. Dashboards include data on fuel consumption, fuel economy, idle time, hard braking, miles driven and speeding.

The improved notification feature allows for alerts to be communicated via an SMS text message or e-mail, identifying an important task in the process, such as arrival and departure, a potential safety issue such as a hard-braking incident, or a cost-saving opportunity such as extended idling.


Have your say


This is a moderated forum. Comments will no longer be published unless they are accompanied by a first and last name and a verifiable email address. (Today's Trucking will not publish or share the email address.) Profane language and content deemed to be libelous, racist, or threatening in nature will not be published under any circumstances.

*