ORLANDO -- Two announcements this week demonstrate how PeopleNet is going after the growing oil and natural gas business.

Former CH Robinson executive David Buhl has joined the company to lead PeopleNet Energy Services, "further strengthening the company’s commitment to this sector’s evolving importance in the transportation industry," the company said in an announcement made at the American Trucking Associations' Management Conference & Exhibition.

“David’s successful track record in delivering innovative solutions and organizing teams in multiple business areas across diverse industries is a tremendous asset in leading our Energy Services initiatives," said Senior Vice President Rick Ochsendorf. PeopleNet says these initiatives increase fleet efficiency, reduce fleet liabilities, and mitigate environmental damage by improving the safety of hauling crude oil and fracking fluids.

PeopleNet also announced that MBI Energy Services is using its Precision Mobility Platform to strengthen customer service, driver efficiency, and safety for MBI’s 1,000-plus fleet. MBI transports oil, sand, water and other oilfield products, and owns and maintains the majority of salt-water disposals and fresh water wells for oil well drilling and the production process. The company offers most of these services in North and South Dakota, Wyoming, Texas, Pennsylvania, Colorado and Montana.

"Keeping up with explosive growth requires moving data quickly, reliably and efficiently," explained MBI Integrated Dispatch Project Manager Dave Guthmiller. "PeopleNet provides immediate access to critical data on several fronts, inluding load data that lets us meet customer demand for immediate billing. Vehicle tracking provides customers visibility into where and when their loads have been dropped and picked up. Integration between Crude Oil Workflow and TMWSuite dispatch has automated driver-dispatch communication and skyrocketed driver efficiency."

PeopleNet's Ochsendorf explained that the Energy Services area combines PeopleNet fleet mobility solutions with technologies from other Trimble companies, including GeoTrac, a technology supplier to Canada's energy services transportation sector, and ALK Technologies, maker of transportation technology and navigation software.

"In fact, MBI is testing a version of CoPilot Truck’s in-cab navigation application that integrates GEOTrac’s unique content including private leased roads, to provide voice-guided, turn-by-turn directions directly to the well-site head to increase safety and efficiency.”