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Global service platform introduces e-sorting technology to benefit businesses.

Serve has announced the official launch of Serve Sortation, a groundbreaking tool to help businesses simplify and facilitate inventory control, product distribution, and delivery completion processes. As part of the Serve ecosystem, Serve Sortation complements the company’s existing platform by expediting the arrangement and coordination of goods, food, pharmaceuticals, consumer products and beyond.  This enables companies of all sizes to better participate in the ever-expanding on-demand and e-commerce market by improving efficiency in the last-mile delivery processes.

 

“We have taken a complex, chaotic labyrinth and converted it into a profit center for enterprises on our platform,” says Shahan Ohanessian, CEO of Serve. “By developing an advanced system that optimizes delivery performance on every level, Serve cuts costs for logistics companies while opening up opportunities for all vendors and independent service providers.”

 

By enabling access to drivers, restaurants, and just about any product or service with lower costs, greater value and more convenience, Serve Sortation removes barriers that restrict the growth of businesses.

Serve has announced the addition of Las Vegas to its list of cities now offering Serve’s service platform based on blockchain technology.

Piloting its software, business processes and transaction protocols, Serve will bring residents, visitors, and businesses more options by increasing access to the products and services, the firms says.

"We are excited to pilot the Serve platform in Las Vegas, Nevada’s most populated city and globally renowned tourist destination,” said Serve’s CEO Shahan Ohanessian. “By showcasing the potential of our unique technology, which increases transparency and decentralizes the on-demand economy, Serve aims to empower users, service providers, and enterprises of all sizes to conduct business on one cohesive platform in a manner that benefits all participants.”

Verizon Connect has partnered with Iveco to provide customers with its comprehensive telematics and mobile workforce management software platform.

The Verizon Connect Fleet and Workforce offerings will provide vehicle and driver information that businesses of any size can use to optimize their mobile business. Iveco fleet management by Verizon Connect is available now in new Iveco Daily light commercial vehicles.

Iveco customers can select among three Verizon Connect plans at the time of purchase - Fleet Essential without tachograph driver hours, Fleet Essential with tachograph driver hours, and Fleet Enhanced with tachograph driver hours and tachograph remote download, which enables the timely download of driver cards and tachograph data according to legal requirements.

Verizon Connect Tachograph helps fleet managers stay informed of driver activity with weekly reports detailing driver and vehicle performance, fuel use and helps manage European tachograph regulation compliance. Verizon Connect’s mobile workforce management solution, Workforce Essential, is also available as an extension on all plans. 

“Integration of the Verizon Connect platform will extend value and benefits to Iveco customers beyond delivering an outstanding vehicle,” said Fabio Santiago, TCO services director at Iveco.  “By fitting Verizon Connect solutions in select new vehicles, we are able to help our customers run their businesses with better control of their operations.” “This level of customer services and benefits can only come with the deep integration that now exists between Verizon Connect and Iveco vehicles,” said Dan Levy, OEM business at Verizon Connect. “With Iveco fleet management by Verizon Connect, our common customers now have the solutions they require to help enhance the safety, productivity and efficiency of their fleets.”

Contract with GSA will see telematics tech rolled out to 217,000 US Government vehicles.

IoT and connected transport firm Geotab has announced a deal with General Service Administration (GSA) to equip over 200,000 of its vehicles with its fleet management technology.

The deal, which is the largest single-source telematics contract to date, will see the technology implemented into GSA Fleet, a division of GSA that provides vehicles to US Federal agencies.

Established in 1954, GSA Fleet conduct vehicle acquisition, leasing and disposal, maintenance control, accident management and loss prevention services and is one of the largest non-tactical fleets in America.

Commenting, Geotab CEO, Neil Cawse praised the US Government for taking the lead in fleet technology. "With GSA paving the way, we believe the U.S. government leads the world in the adoption of telematics in the public sector. Particularly within local, state and federal agencies where fleet vehicles typically account for a large portion of their annual budget, our intelligent integrated solutions have the potential to protect capital assets, reduce associated risk, improve accountability and decrease operating costs,” he said.

Application will enable Fleet Managers to monitor driver activity helping with tachograph compliance.

Verizon Connect has announced the launch of a digital tachograph tool that shares information with fleet managers including driving times and rest periods.

A digital tachograph is a device that records speed, distance and driver activity; data, which when used correctly, can ensure European Tachograph regulation is adhered to.When this data is used with Verizon Connect's fleet management platform users can save time, improve processes and remain compliant, the firm says.

“One of the biggest challenges for fleet managers is helping drivers understand their tacho status so customers aren’t losing time and money by pulling drivers off the road to manually download tachograph files from trucks,” said Derek Bryan, EMEA vice president, Verizon Connect. “Digital Tacho Live View provides the visibility necessary to access driver data quickly and easily, helping managers make quick and informed decisions, produce more accurate plans and receive advanced warning of infringements.”

Chris Ruff is the President and CEO of location-based technology outfit Glympse and was a recent a guest on The Field Service podcast. Here Deputy Editor Mark Glover cherry-picks some highlights from the interview including automotive technology, machine learning and a misty-eyed look at the hardware that inspired him.


Let’s travel back to 1999, the year of the Palm VII, seen as the first truly wireless handheld device. Chris was (and still is) a fan. “It was why I got into wireless,” he says with nostalgia. “The idea that we run little applications on mobile devices was hugely inspiring to me. It was amazing because, until that moment, most of our experiences were from a dial-up modem in hour homes and we’d sit in front of our PCs, and that was how we got content and communicated with people.

“Now all of a sudden with this mobile device we were able to view content and share things with people. It really became the beginning of mobility and mobile applications. Starbucks had an app where you could find stores. It was really amazing, you could find coffee on your Palm VII.”

Is it collecting dust in Chris’ loft? “I might have it in a box somewhere,” he says laughing. “I tend to keep all my devices. I know I have seven generations of BlackBerries up there. They soon became my addiction."

“Mobile device improvements have been modest ones,” he says when I ask him about the evolution of mobility hardware. “They are mostly around cameras and screens but the underlying tech has been pretty stagnant for several years and generations now. It means it’s becoming a pretty mature market, just like the PC,” he suggested.

Chris has been with Glympse just over a year now, prior, he spent a significant chunk of time – 18 years – at connected car technology and automotive telematics provider Xevo where he joined in its infancy, overseeing various executive positions and becoming its President, CEO and Chairman. He remains on the board.

"Starbucks had an app where you could find stores. It was amazing, you could find coffee on your Palm VII...” 

The potential of automotive technology, therefore, forms a good part of our conversation, most notably when I ask where he sees the next big disruption in field service. “I believe that in the big Iot space that autonomous driving will create a huge change in field service,” he says. “It’s going to make everything more productive, it will improve communications with consumers and it’s going to make it safer. I think this will re-shape the industry more than any tech enhancement than we have today.

He also cites machine learning as a significant enabler in the sector, providing service in real-time and pre-empting faults but he thinks another pinch point could be the way a product is delivered, syncing with the arrival of the technician.

“We’re currently looking at way of tracking two or more things simultaneously, in a healthcare scenario, for example,” he explains. “Here a skilled nurse and the drugs they need to administer need to be at the patient’s house at the same time.

“You could see that in some of the advanced field services and even big machinery cases; where the part and tech show up at the same time, assisted by machine learning that alerts the service company when the asset is about to break.”

I ended the podcast by asking what motivates Chris in his work. His answer is wide-ranging that touches on potential of technology as well as making a difference in society. “I’m motivated by two things,” he says. One is being able to continually push the envelope of what’s available using technology. Two is making a difference in the world.

Can he cite an example? “During the hurricane season, while the search and rescue operations were taking place, teams were using Glympse to keep track of each other, ensuring they wouldn’t lose touch while they carried out the task.

“That to me is super inspiring. That I can work on technology that actually makes a difference in people’s lives.”

The future of field service will see location based services play a dominant role as autonomous vehicles take to the road says Chris Ruff CEO at Location-based technology firm Glympse, who is the latest guest on The Field Service Podcast.

 

The future of field service will see location based services play a dominant role as autonomous vehicles take to the road...In this episode of the Field Service Podcast, fieldservicenews.com Deputy Editor Mark Glover sits down to talk with Chris Ruff, CEO at Glympse, about why he sees autonomous vehicles as playing a significant role in the future of field service delivery and how all of this needs to be underpinned by robust and efficient location based services focused technology. 

Synovia publishes new version of mobile app which includes tracking inoperable and lost/stolen vehicles and enhanced mapping functionality.

The fleet tracking technology company has launched the latest upgrade to its free mobile application designed for fleet managers to manage their fleet from anywhere with a smart device.

The latest version released to the Apple app store and Google Play will allow users to see multiple vehicles on simultaneously as well as filter vehicles shown on the map by groups. It will also allow for quick and easy navigation to broken-down vehicles to help personnel in the field get up and running more quickly.

Users will also be able to toggle between satellite views to provide greater understanding when vehicles may be off road or situated in a large parking facility.

“We continue to listen to our customers and invest significantly in our technology to better deliver the features and functionality they need to operate smarter and safer fleets, save money and provide improved customer service,” said Jon King, CEO, Synovia. “We recognise fleet managers require more information in a mobile application and will continue to innovate to enhance the mobile experience and deliver a more sophisticated user experience.”

The effects of the record-breaking temperatures in the US, specifically the  Midwest have had a significant economic impact on all fleet activity. Commercial fleets including UPS and USPS were forced to suspend their operations to ensure driver safety.

 

Geotab launched time-lapse maps showing how the polar vortex is impacting commercial fleet activity, based on a data analysis of connected vehicles.

Analysing data derived from an average of 7,500 vehicles equipped with devices (between 1/23 and 1/30), they quantified the impact this weather is causing on commercial activity and proven just how significant of an influencing factor the weather can be to our economy.

When Geotab looked at traffic on January 30, compared to the previous Wednesday, January 23, they saw a 51% reduction in total miles driven by all fleets, according to the data.

There was an overall drop in volume throughout the entire day, which translated into a drop in deliveries and other services in neighbourhoods away from the main roads.

Full Report: Polar vortex halts fleet activity in U.S.