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The TruckStops routing and scheduling system, supplied in Britain by Kingswood MapMechanics, is now both easier to use and more powerful. The new version 2.8 of the system has an enhanced user interface, the choice of using road based journey calculation and more options to link easily into corporate systems such as sales order processing and warehouse management.
TruckStops 2.8 rolls together a number of interim improvements that have been in the pipeline in recent months. In particular, TruckStops now bases its calculations on digitised road network maps as well as on its own well- |
established time and distance method; or it can combine both methods in whatever way best suits each application. TruckStops can now also interact directly with vehicles in the field via real-time communication systems, taking account of actual performance and passing updated scheduling instructions directly to drivers.
The new user interface in version 2.8 introduces customisable toolbars, which give users freedom to access regularly-used functions with a single mouse click. All the existing functionality of menu systems and shortcut keys is retained, as well as the batch option (where no user interaction is required), so users now have a wider range of methods of using TruckStops at their disposal.
The addition of ODBC functionality gives TruckStops direct access to virtually any kind of open database, allowing it to integrate much more easily with external software. For instance, where previously, users might have had to export lists of call points from their sales order processing system as ASCII files in order to pass them to TruckStops, now TruckStops can access that data directly. This is particularly relevant for corporate systems using products such as Oracle, Access, SQL Server and SAP.
A further new development in version 2.8 involves TruckStops’ ability to handle collections and deliveries of the same product on a single journey. The system is already gaining a strong reputation in this field in applications such as waste collection and disposal and bulk milk collection and delivery. Now further refinements have been introduced to reflect real-life situations more closely – for instance, in improving the methods for splitting very large loads.
The introduction of scheduling using road networks is seen as particularly significant for TruckStops. Until now it has used an alternative approach, which involves breaking journeys down into their main elements (local, long distance and so on), and Kingswood MapMecahnics has provided a postcode based call point classification according to the relative congestion (inner city, city, urban, rural etc) so users can specify the speed of travel around each type of call point, adding a range of user-definable correction factors to reflect real-life journey times and distances more precisely. Now it can also base its calculations on distances calculated from a digitised vector map database.
“We constantly monitor user feed back with both road networks and the TruckStops internal method in the UK”, says Mary Short, Managing Director of Kingswood MapMechancis. “ It is certainly the case that users are re-assured by seeing a solution based on a road network. So now users can chose whichever approach they prefer, or combine the two. In addition, users can also still set up TruckStops to use known road distances or inter-call times for specific journey segments, so that its results reflect any work-study or other pre-agreed figures precisely.”
As standard, Kingswood MapMechanics now supplies UK TruckStops customers with NavTech road map data of Britain for displaying calculated routes. For applications such as home delivery and operations covering dense urban areas users can choose the more detailed NavTech street level map.
Taking further advantage of its expertise in digital mapping, Kingswood MapMechanics has now also enhanced the capabilities of TruckStops with improved driver information by providing line of route reports showing times and distances to each stop; and additionally, it generates thumbnail maps of the environs of each call point, helping drivers find the exact location more easily.
The new road network and map display technology are generated entirely from within the TruckStops desktop environment, but are actually performed by a runtime version of GeoConcept, the leading GIS product, which Kingswood MapMechanics also supplies and supports in Britain.
And if the user wishes to vary speeds in road-network maps and undertake a wide range of logistics analysis including depot boundary revisions, a TruckStops Expert upgrade is now available with the full version of GeoConcept including drive time isochrone calculation functionality and a postcode sector boundary dataset for territory management.
With this new 2.8 release TruckStops has taken a significant leap forward providing extended functionality, improved connectivity and more options to ensure each user obtains the best options for their specific needs. |
