ELD, Driver Safety & Wellness Among ATA Announcements
ORLANDO – An electronic logging device, a driver security system and a new driver wellness app were among a series of brief trucking product and service announcements Saturday ahead of the official start of the American Trucking Associations’ annual Management Conference and Exhibition.
Evan Lockridge・Former Business Contributing Editor
October 22, 2017
Acuity Insurance's Cliff Johnson talks trucking insurance to reporters.Photo: Evan Lockridge
3 min to read
Cab-Mate One is a plug-and-play electronic logging device.
ORLANDO – An electronic logging device, a driver security system and a new driver wellness app were among a series of brief trucking product and service announcements Saturday ahead of the official start of the American Trucking Associations’ annual Management Conference and Exhibition at the Orange County Convention Center.
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Plug-and-play ELD
Pedigree Technologies introduced a third electronic logging device for its Chrome Solution product line, known as Cab-Mate One. The plug-and-play device takes 10-minutes or less to install, according to the company, and is built on the company’s propriety Chrome Solution platform. It is targeted toward both large and small fleets.
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The two other ELDs in the product line are Cab-Mate Open and Cab Mate Connect.
Driver wellness app
On the technology/driver health side, Rolling Strong, a provider of driver wellness programs for transportation companies and their drivers, as well as owner-operators, announced a new mobile app that enables commercial drivers to focus on making healthy lifestyle choices on the road.
Rolling Strong's new driver wellness app
“The subject of the health and wellness of truck drivers is always being discussed but until now no one has truly come up with a solution that is readily available and fun to use,” said Steve Kane, president of Rolling Strong. “Our new mobile app is designed to help drivers take control of their health, encourage them to adopt healthy lifestyle habits and connect with other health minded drivers for support. It is also designed so fleets can support drivers in their health and wellness efforts.”
The app is available in both iOS and Android formats.
Tom Richardson, business development manager for SafeKey, says its technology improves driver recruitment while helping prevent cargo theft. Photo: Evan Lockridge
Driver personal safety system
Another service of benefit to both drivers and fleets was also introduced by SafeKey Corp. The provider of professional driver and cargo safety systems, introduced SafeKey Protector, its new driver personal safety system.
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It features around-the-clock public safety agency response to driver security, medical and safety emergencies with just the push of a button on a special device that’s about the size of a key fob.
“Fleet and operations managers know they are taking a proactive step to help protect their drivers from some of the known and unknown security and safety issues their drivers may encounter every day,“ said Tom Richardson, business development manager for SafeKey. “Our technology also improves recruitment of and retention of professional drivers while helping prevent cargo theft.”
Expanded insurance
Acuity Insurance's Cliff Johnson talks trucking insurance to reporters. Photo: Evan Lockridge
Acuity Insurance announced it is now writing policies for motor carriers in Texas.
The Wisconsin-based provider that operates in 26 states said it writes a wide array of coverages for trucking including commercial auto, cargo, workers compensation, general liability and more, in addition to more than two dozen insurance enhancement endorsements. Their services also include the Motor Carrier Toolbox, designed to assist fleets in the areas of human resources, safety, compliance, maintenance and driver training.
“Acuity’s Motor Carrier Toolbox simplifies the process of compliance by helping motor carriers understand requirements they face and offering tools needed to assist in meeting those requirements,” said Cliff Johnson, trucking specialist at Acuity.
Speaking at the TMC Annual Meeting in Nashville, ATA President Chris Spear said trucking faces mounting pressure from rising fuel prices, geopolitical instability, and uncertainty around trade policy.
More than 100,000 new trucking companies enter the industry each year, but regulators manage to audit only a fraction of them. That churn creates opportunities for inexperienced startups — and for “chameleon carriers” that shut down after safety violations and reappear under new identities. Read more from Deborah Lockridge in this commentary.
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