Enterprise Information Solutions Inc., which calls itself EIS, has developed and deployed a mobile phone-based solution to help Sodrel Truck Lines fulfill its contract to haul U.S. mail.

EIS equipped Sodrel drivers with mobile phones running applications in the Java programming language. Sodrel has been able to collect better information from the field, better manage workers using GPS tracking and enable remote data entry without the cost of proprietary on-board systems.
Route and drive time improvements are expected, but Sodrel’s prime goal was to streamline the time required to get trucks their assignments and process the results of daily trips.
Deployment began in early June and quickly expanded to more than 300 units, saving an estimated 60 to 75 man-hours per week in Sodrel’s back office, according to the company.
“Drivers have less paperwork and the added security of constant contact with the terminal,” said Jeff Canada, Sodrel’s director of Information Systems.
The Motorola i58sr phones, which can run Java applications, cost approximately $150 each.
“Because Java technology is an open standard, it gives the device the flexibility and programmability equivalent to a desktop PC,” said Marc Mitchell, EIS’s transportation practice director.
With most goals already met, EIS and Sodrel are looking at additional functionality, including automated logging of drivers’ hours. The two companies are also working together to bring this technology to other contract mail-hauling operations.
EIS is located in Downers Grove, Ill. Sodrel Truck Lines is headquartered in Jeffersonville, Ind.