New Connectivity Platform Takes Road Ready Beyond Smart Trailers

Road Ready said its new connectivity platform is a “reimagined productivity tool for the fleet manager.” Designed from the ground up as a cloud-based, “true Internet of Things solution,” Fus1on by Road Ready will serve as the new foundation for Road Ready connectivity solutions and take the brand beyond smart trailers.

The Clarience company unveiled Fus1on by Road Ready at the 2022 American Trucking Associations Management Conference and Exhibition in San Diego.

Making Fleet Managers More Productive

Nada Jiddou, executive vice president of Clarience Technologies and general manager of Road Ready, explained to reporters that the platform was developed to make a day in the life of a fleet manager more productive. “It’s not enough to just gather data,” she said. “It has to create value so they can use it effectively.”

Road Ready imagined a scenario where a typical fleet manager could rely on a single source of data that could be analyzed and acted upon in different ways throughout the day, from a critical item checklist that prioritizes overnight issues that would be reviewed at home, to a comprehensive fleet performance dashboard that could be shared in real time with the entire fleet operations team to drive key performance indicators. Every scenario included a “single pane of glass” approach showing trailers, tractors, drivers, and all other fleet information in one place.

“This is not technology for technology’s sake,” said Mark Johnson, Clarience executive vice president and chief marketing officer. Instead, it was designed around the question, ‘What problems can we solve for the fleet manager?’

“From the moment they wake up in the morning, the nature of their business requires them to continue to prioritize and reprioritize their day to complete what’s important — urgent priorities impacting today, operational priorities impacting performance this month, and strategic priorities impacting whether or not the company outperforms competitors long term,” he explained. “Fus1on offers a single source of data that can be analyzed and acted on in different ways.”

Integrating More Data Using IoT and the Cloud

To integrate data more easily from a growing number of data sources, Road Ready Fus1on is built as a true IoT platform, according to the company. The platform is designed to accept and integrate API feeds (a standardized approach that allows disparate apps to exchange data), without the extensive programming time required with custom integration.

This approach means there is no limit to the number of devices that can be added to the platform, according to company officials.

It also allows the company to scale more quickly, Johnson told HDT. “Technology is changing the industry rapidly. Fleets need to invest in a flatform that can change with the trends and change with them.”

Road Ready partnered with Amazon Web Services, leveraging a cloud computing system that offers significant built-in features, including leading data security protocols. Artificial intelligence and robotic process automation functions will ultimately make Fus1on a safer, more reliable and more advanced connectivity platform, according to the company.

Initially, Fus1on will be introduced as a replacement platform for the current Road Ready and Fleetilla platforms. Soon after launch, Road Ready plans to integrate increased functionality into the platform, including the ability for fleets to see the data from all their assets — trailers, tractors, trucks, containers, and other equipment — all on a single fleet dashboard.

Fus1on will also let fleets customize the platform, including the ability to incorporate any data feed they deem necessary, from electronic logging devices (ELDs) to repair service platforms to even enterprise resource planning (ERP) system data.

Starting early next year, Johnson told HDT, truck data will be brought in to the platform as well.

Road Ready is owned by Michigan-based Clarience Technologies, which also owns brands such as Truck-Lite, Davco, Ecco, and Pressure Systems International.