DOT regulations require all commercial vehicle carriers to complete a Driver Vehicle Inspection Report (DVIR). Inspection reports must be completed both pre-trip as well as post-trip.  For more information on Federal Motor Carrier regulations  click here.

Our inspections module is setup to enable electronic vehicle inspections so drivers can complete and print DVIR’s from handheld mobile devices such as Intermec CN3’s and Motorola MC55’s.  Vehicle inspection reports are wirelessly sent to the goRoam.Mobilehub server so fleet maintenance can see all reports in near real-time. 

More importantly, we can enable post-save events so you can specify actions upon receiving electronic vehicle inspections.  For example, you can receive an email anytime an inspection is completed with a defect, or you could receive an email and automatically create a work order for that vehicle.

goRoam.Inspections allows you to easily tailor the vehicle inspection for your specific needs and questions.  The following flow shows a typical vehicle inspection flow for a driver.

Step 1 – Login in and view list of available forms. 

Select vehicle inspection from the list of available electronic forms.

Step 2 – Barcode scan or enter vehicle information

Step 3 – Check any defects on the Truck (Tractor)

Step 4 – Check Trailer for defects

Step 5 – Mechanic corrects and signs

Step 6 – Enter optional pictures, GPS or drawings

You can take a picture directly in the inspection form and mark on the picture to show where the problem areas are.  Forms can be GPS stamped in the background so you know exactly where the inspection took place.

Step 7 – Driver certifies and signs

Step 8 – Save and Close

Once completed, the inspection report is automatically sent to the server via cellular or wifi.  The driver can print a copy to a local printer such as the Zebra RW420 or email a copy.  Note that the start and stop time were automatically set, so you know exactly when the driver started and stopped.

Step 9 – View results

All inspections are automatically sent to the server where you can view, report or export results.  The submit process can be configured to automatically send an email when certain inspection fields are set or have a value (such as low oil or air pressure).

Step 10 – Print and email

The following standard report is available for all surveys. Report templates can be easily setup for your forms to condense the report to one page.  Note the report contains the full electronic signature, picture of the vehicle with markup from the driver on the defect and GPS location.  Reports can be saved as PDF’s for easy emailing.

Newsletter 1Q2010

Mobile meter integration – wireless with LCR-II meters

If you deliver bulk products and use metered delivery, you’ll want to see our handheld updates for meters.  We’ve worked closely with Liquid Controls to design a robust, reliable and easy to maintain wireless meter solution.

Your fleet maintenance can quickly install and easily maintain the truck components.  Your customers will appreciate the confidence in knowing you are fully electronic with no errors from hand entry or re-keying.  Customers can get metered Proof of Delivery by asset in near real-time.

Your drivers will appreciate easy and fast barcode scanning for fleet fueling or tank filling.  They can view the register counter on the handheld at the end of the hose reel so they know how much is delivered.   Register data is automatically recorded for truly paperless delivery.

As an owner/manager, you’ll appreciate real-time wireless delivery updates, inventory control and reliable operational data to manage your business.

This is a simple, straight-forward upgrade for existing goRoam customers or an easy installation for new customers.

We’re in the process of installing videos on the website to demonstrate metered delivery. If you want to be notified when they are available, please contact us.

Mapping and geographic enhancements

A key step in managing service and delivery organizations is knowing where your customers are.  In addition to our batch customer geocoding tools, MobileHub can geocode individual customers, view them on a map or view groups of customers on a map.

goRoam.MobileHub users  can simply load the customer edit form and click the ‘geocode me’ button to geocode a  customer’s address.  As always, you can enter detailed routing and tags for a customer. You can then use these attributes to view groups of customers on a map.  Read more…

Inspections and surveys updates

Vehicle inspections, asset inspections, customer surveys, smart meter installations, safety audits – are all examples of our how our customers use the inspections and surveys module.  We’ve added features to address some important demands:

• Completely new dispatch board that allows simultaneously showing dispatch schedules for users, roles/groups, assets (ex. trucks) and trips.
• Integration with other mobile modules to dynamically populate surveys from current forms.  For example, if you are making a delivery and the driver needs to create a survey for that order, the survey can be pre-populated with fields from that order such as customer name, address, order number, etc.
• Easy batching of dispatches. For customers who create 100’s of dispatches at a time for users, you can specify that only the next X number will be auto-sync’d. For AMR installations, customer canvassing or other large scale inspections, this is a huge benefit to mobile users as well as dispatchers.
• Survey printing using HTML templates to any supported printer such as the Zebra RW420 or Intermec PB41, PB42 or PB52. You can easily add and edit your own print templates.
• Improved barcode scanning support with customer specified lookups such as assets.
• Execute server tasks when surveys are saved so you can selectively take actions such as creating work orders or sending emails with survey results.Read more…

Training – developing reports in SQL Server Reporting Services

Whether you are a hosted customer or an on-site installation, you may have wondered how you can add your own reports.  We recently developed a training class for customers to learn how to build SSRS (SQL Server Reporting Services) reports, add them to the reporting server and use the MobileHub data model.

This is a great class for report development and shows how you can use SSRS to report against other databases too, such Oracle, MySQL or SQL Server instances.  We can tailor the class to your needs and include reporting against multiple databases at once, so you can integrate things like GEOTAB GPS with MobileHub delivery data.  For more information, contact us.

How to – customer comments and backorder notification emails

There are a number of notification options for pickup and delivery customers, including automatically sending emails when orders are completed in the field. The most common scenario is to automatically send an email to a bulk distribution group if a driver enters a customer comment.

An example would be the driver entering ‘tank ok no delivery per dave’ when a customer did not take a delivery. This would alert dispatch and accounting to handle the order appropriately without having to track down the driver or wait for paperwork.

To setup email notifications, use the following Company config setup parameters.

Wireless Tank Monitoring – fast payback, low cost pilot

Tank monitoring is something everyone should do for customer service (to prevent run outs) as well as distribution management (reduce unnecessary trips).  We understand that many customers don’t fully implement tank monitoring due to cost.

We have been working with i3G, a wireless tank monitoring company,  to integrate tank monitoring into our forecasting and dispatch.  i3G has a low cost, high quality tank monitoring solution. Depending on your configuration, i3G may be 1/3 to 1/2 as much to monitor tanks. This means you can monitor more tanks, including lower volume units. i3G provides inventory updates via cellular or on-site wireless. With on-site wireless, you can specify tank readings at frequent intervals during the day, which is especially helpful with high volume tanks.

We’ve worked with i3G to offer a low cost pilot so our customers can test tank monitoring quickly and easily on a small set of tanks.  Pick your toughest tanks and let’s pilot! For more information, contact us.

Vehicle inspections, asset inspections, customer surveys, smart meter installations, safety audits – are all examples of how our customers use the inspections and surveys module.  We’ve added features to address some important demands:

• Completely new dispatch board that allows simultaneously showing dispatch schedules for users, roles/groups, assets (ex. trucks) and trips.  From one scheduling screen you can see, track and manage inspections, orders, loads or anything that can be scheduled. (server)
• Integration with other mobile modules to dynamically populate surveys from current forms.  For example, if you are making a delivery and the driver needs to create a survey for that order, the survey can be pre-populated with fields from that order such as customer name, address, order number, etc.  This eliminates drivers rekeying info on surveys. (mobile)
• Easy batching of dispatches. For customers who create 100’s of dispatches at a time for users, you can specify that only the next X number will be auto-sync’d. For AMR installations, customer canvassing or other large scale inspections, this is a huge benefit to mobile users as well as dispatchers. (server)
• Survey printing using HTML templates to any supported printer such as the Zebra RW420 or Intermec PB41, PB42 or PB52. You can easily add and edit your own print templates. The printing template makes it super easy for you to print well formatted receipts of surveys in the field. Template updates are automatically synchronized without having to package for deployment. (mobile and server)
• Improved barcode scanning support with customer specified lookups such as assets.  (mobile)
• Execute server tasks when surveys are saved so you can selectively take actions such as creating work orders or sending emails with survey results.  This is very powerful and a number of customers are using it to automatically handle post-save actions.  We have an API for adding your own extensions. (server)
• Bulk dispatch importing – you can import dispatches from comma separated value (CSV/Excel) files to automatically create dispatches and assign them to a user. For example, if you have an Excel file containing customers, addresses, etc., you can map the CSV columns to survey fields, automatically assign to a user or group and create the dispatches.  You can save the import template for quickly repeating the import. (server)
• GPS timestamping in the background – surveys can be set to automatically try to get a GPS stamp in the background so you can track where surveys are completed. (mobile)

For a demo of new features, please contact us.

Choosing a barcode scanner can be a challenging task if you don’t have a lot of experience.  This is a quick overview of what you should know when selecting barcode scanners.

1D or 2D?

The first question you need to ask is what type of barcode you will be scanning:  1D or 2D.  This is important because a 1D scanner cannot scan 2D barcodes, although 2D scanners can scan 1D barcodes.  A 1D barcode has black vertical lines and looks like:

1D barcodes have a range of symbologies:  code39, code128 and UPC are typical.  UPC (Universal Product Codes) barcodes are what is found on merchandise and store products, whereas the other symbologies are typically used for internal tracking such as manufacturer serial numbers, inventory locations, etc.  Most scanners are configurable to filter out and read only the symbologies you specify.  If you don’t know the symbology you are using, you should check to confirm that the scanner can read it if you elect to use a 1D scanner.

2D barcodes store more information than 1D, but they require a 2D reader.  Common examples of 2D include drivers license, FedEx and UPS package tracking.  Benefits of 2D include being able to read the barcode even if a portion of the label is damaged or obscured.

Most people need 1D barcode scanners.

Imager or Laser Barcode Scanner?

Laser barcode scanners read 1D barcodes. Most new handheld, PDA or mobile scanners have converted and use an imager. An imager allows you to read 1D or 2D, although when you purchase the scanner you should be careful to specify that you need to read 2D barcodes even if it says in includes an imager.

Laser scanners emit a thin red line of light (the laser) which reads the barcode. Many imagers also emit a red line of light to help the user target what they are scanning.  Imagers tend to read broken or dirty barcodes better than laser scanners.

Mobile, Handheld or Fixed?

The form factor for scanners varies by the type of application. Most of our customers use handheld scanners built into rugged mobile devices like Intermec CN3, CN50 or Motorola MC55 or MC75 devices.  These scanners are built into mobile computers and mobile software application talks directly to the scanner using the scanner API.  Examples of mobile computer scanner applications include:

• Inventory counts
• Proof of Delivery
• Asset tracking and audits
• Inspections
• Operator rounds

Motorola MC55	Intermec CN3

Mobile computer scanners range in price from $1250 to $3000+.

Handheld barcode scanners are dedicated devices that usually are connected to a PC or terminal.  With handheld scanners, it is up to the PC to handle the application and processing of the barcode. These are usually seen in retail environments at the Point of Sale (POS) or mounted on forklifts where an operator has a terminal on the forklift and uses the scanner to confirm what they load. 

Handheld scanners usually connect via the serial port and can work wirelessly (e.g. Bluetooth or proprietary) or tethered.  If wireless, they can scan anywhere from 2 – 30 feet away from the host computer.

Most handheld scanners have an option to take whatever is scanned and put it in the keyboard buffer, which makes it appear that someone typed the barcode value. When operating in this mode, it is simple to use with existing applications. You should check with each type of scanner to ensure it supports this, otherwise you will need to ensure it has drivers to support your operating system. Most support Window; however, that does not mean they support Windows CE which is usually the OS on forklift terminals. 

If you elect to use a BlueTooth scanner, you need to ensure it supports your device. For instance, if you want to scan to a phone or PDA, you need to ensure the scanner has drivers. Just because you have a Blackberry device with Bluetooth, do not assume at Bluetooth scanner will work.

Handheld scanners like the Motorola LS 2208 are around $200. Tethered scanners can be less than $100.  Bluetooth scanners like the Baracoda or Socket scanner are $400-$600.

 Motorola LS 2208

A third option is a fixed mount scanners. These scanners are usually installed on conveyor belts.  Self-serve grocery checkout stands and store price lookups also have fixed mount scanners. With fixed mount scanners, you have to ensure the barcode will pass within a readable distance and at a suitable angle. Grocery store checkout stands have multiple scanners to address this. In applications like conveyor belts, fixed mount scanners can be tied to light-activated sensors so the scanner is activated when the light beam is broken. This enables you to 1) know when you should expect to read a barcode 2) control the time to read a barcode.

Fixed mount scanners for industrial type use can range in price from $500 – $1500. 

Keyence  BL-1300

If you have questions on scanners, please enter a comment or submit a question.  We work with a number of companies and can assist in scanner selection as well as barcode label generation.

We often get basic questions from prospective customers who are interested in handheld data collection software on mobile devices.  We just published a brief presentation that should help you to understand what your options are with handheld data collection software, whether you should use a mobile forms application like goRoam.Inspections or if you should use a Line of Business Application like our goRoam.Delivery, goRoam.BulkDelivery, goRoam.Service for Work Orders.

You may also be interested in the presentation on Handheld Data Collection – Device Selection.

A key step in managing service and delivery organizations is knowing where your customers are.  In addition to our batch customer geocoding tools, we can geocode individual customers, view them on a map, and view groups of customers on a map.

goRoam.MobileHub users  can simply load the customer edit form and click the ‘geocode me’ button to get a geocode based on the customer’s address.  As always, you can enter detailed routing as well as tags. One or many tags can be assigned to a user to allow grouping and sorting according to your business rules.

We have also added a new ‘Customer Map’ control that takes advantage of geocoding to select groups of customers and view them on a map.  The typical use would be to view and confirm customers by route, delivery sequence, tag, city, etc.

Notice that you can select one or many customers to view. When you move your mouse over a customer, the customer details are shown.  Note that the customer map can be printed.

For customers who need more accurate geocodes than street maps provide, we have added the ability to synchronize goRoam mobile deliveries with vehicle GPS systems such as GEOTAB. This is important when you have a customer’s  geocode at the street address, but in fact deliveries and service are away from the street. For instance, with customers such as Wal-Mart or HomeDepot, the typical geocode is at the street but service and deliveries are at the back dock which may be 400+ yards away. If you set a geofence alert at the street, you will not have accurate alerts or time on site reports.  

We now support this in batch for large scale GPS geocode updates/corrections.  Customer GPS coordinates can be updated in batch or exported to a CSV file for other applications.

5 technologies have proven to drive reductions of 30% of total distribution costs versus manual systems for bulk companies, resulting in less trucks,  less labor hours, and fewer miles.  Your competitors have used these technologies to get more stops per day, optimize keep-full delivery and increase gross margins 2-4%.  

BizSpeed, Compsee and Zebra sponsored a webinar through Bulk Transporter on Dec 16, 2009.  You can hear about these technologies and –

• Where they have been successfully implemented in your industry 
• When applying these technologies what works and just as important, what doesn’t work
• What are the costs are involved in a deployment and how they can be justified

The webinar is online at

http://w.on24.com/r.htm?e=178735&s=1&k=182F60D3883FAA4092BDCC9B38752093