It has to be a bit embarrassing to have a contract recommended unanimously and then be soundly defeated. TDU has a petition on their site asking for a new negotiating committee. Of course there are two sides to every story and truth be told it has been a long time since times have been this tough for the big three that are the carhaul teamsters main customers. This means the customers are holding the rate down and in turn the union carriers are finding it hard to turn a profit. Allied ,PTS, Active, and Unimark are examples that come to mind. The union carriers have in the past set the standard, but as I travel around it has become apparent that the scales are tipping. I see more good jobs with decent benefits in non-union trucks than ever before. I see more cutting-edge technology like vin scanners and GPS navigation in the non-union trucks! As a matter of fact some of the union drivers have been asked to use some pretty sorry equipment!

I first reported on this technology in Feb and now that AuctionTrac has expanded into other Manheim auctions we are looking at the different possibilities to have an interface with EZDispatch so that finding lost cars can be as simple as the touch of a button. We are excited about the time savings that this technology will give to transporters and hope that drivers and dispatchers will make sure that the dealers realize that prompt deliveries of their vehicles will be more consistent at the auctions that use car-locater systems. If auctions see the added customer satisfaction benefit of these systems we will see more systems put in place. As we are currently assessing our alternatives we are encouraging input from all auto transporters. We would like to invite you to do some test searches from both auctions and email your opinions and ideas to dave@EZDispatch.com . To search at Dallas Auto Auction Click here and to search at Florida Auto Auction Orlando click here.

There is a link to an instructional video if you need help using the search functions.

Would you guys like to see the locations flagged for all of the cars on your load or would a button to just find the problem cars be more useful?

This is off of Business Wire

ADESA, Inc. today announced that it plans to acquire Live Global Bid, Inc. (“LGB”), a leading provider of Internet-based auction software and services, on June 30, 2008. The LGB technology allows auction houses to broadcast their auctions through simultaneous audio and video feeds to all participating Internet users from any location.

As we see our market change with the influence of technology it affects the transporters because right now a dealer can buy a few cars at every sale instead of traveling to the sale twice a month so your average cars per stop is lowered. Of course adding stops to your route lowers profits as well. If we see this trend continue, (and I think we will), then the next logical step will be to sell the cars on the internet without actually shipping them to the auction facility. It seems efficient to skip the extra shipping, but with the logistics nightmare it creates I think using the auction lot as the hub, in what basically becomes a hub and spoke distribution system, makes more sense to me.

Having just completed a successful test of a real time vehicle locater system at their facility in Mesquite, TX they have now signed a deal to build a new facility in Hutchins, TX. According to the Dallas Business Journal they will build 200,000 square feet of buildings at the new 170 acre site.

I drove down to their facility today to see first-hand how the MyDealerLot™ system worked in an auto auction evironment. This is one of the auctions where the auto transporters pull inside of the secure area to load. They have worked out procedures to make sure the RFID tags are removed before loading so they don’t lose tags. At the auctions where the cars are checked out of an exit gate before being loaded in the transport lot it will be a lot easier to control. When they lay out the new facility with the locator system in mind it will be a lot easier to put in all of the transmitters and exciters. In this installation they made extensive use of solar powered units to keep from needing to dig up the lot for power. Where they were mounting on buildings with power they used conventional units like this one

I had an opportunity over lunch to hear George Cresto explain not only about this current system but also some of their research into gps based systems. They have a transmitter that can last up to a year on one battery charge and are studying the feasability of being able to track vehicles anywhere. I think this could work well for vehicle transport brokers. The cost will be higher than the RFID tracking tags so it will probably not be a viable alternative for auctions that need to track several thousand vehicles at one time but for a broker that has maybe a 100 vehicles moving at any given time it would allow them to locate the vehicle anytime during the move. Since he is looking at this working on the same web-based design it will be very easy to let the consumer track his own vehicle as well.

I haven’t got to see it yet because I am just hitting Calif. and the test site was in Dallas.

From the press release and my short conversation with the folks at MyDealerLot™ the big difference is that instead of giving you the location of the car when it was last scanned you get the current location! I’ll add more info here as I get it. Read my feb 21st review of the manheim system

5-30-08 I just had an online meeting with George Cresto of MyDealerLot™ and I am really excited about the possibilities that his system has and the positive implications on the auto transport industry. What really caught my attention was that they have successfully tested at an Adesa auto auction and that this has the potential to roll out to all of the Adesa auctions. They also do dealerships but I think we will see much more benefit at the auctions. Since this is a web-based application and they have different login levels available they can have a login level for a dealer or his transporter to locate his cars on the lot by VIN number. The number of trucks that are computer equipped is rising rapidly and this system has the capability to allow the driver and/or his dispatcher to get real-time location of the vehicle they are trying to deliver even if it is moving! When a car is stationary it’s location is confirmed every 10 minutes but if it is moving it is updated every second. I think we have all left an auction more than once with an empty spot on our load because a car could not be located. Not only does that kill your profit on your load but that also hurts the dealer because he doesn’t get his vehicle in a timely manner. I hope that Adesa extends access to at least the transporters that are represented at the auctions.

Just think how much time and frustration could be saved if the driver could see at the touch of a button the location of his cars before he even pulls out his ramps. He will know instantly if his cars have been pulled or not.

My son sent me a link to an article on computerworld.com titled

IT hits the highway: Big rigs go high tech

There was a device in there that I have never heard of that sounded good to me. I have never been a fan ot “big brother” or tattle tale devices and this one has that possibility so to me there is that negative. However to give me an audible warning in the cab when I drift out of my lane would be good. How many times have you been distracted by something like an abnormally high pyro reading or maybe the blonde in the convertible and drifted dangerously out of your lane! Here is the section of the article on this particular device:

Lane departure warning systems

These systems, also called lateral drift warning systems, use a forward-facing, windshield-mounted camera that tracks the position of the vehicle in the lane by watching the painted lane markers on each side of the road; the system issues an alert when the vehicle starts to drift. It uses image processing to identify lane markers by detecting the contrast between the white painted line and the darker pavement.

Most systems issue a noise similar to what a driver would hear when crossing a grooved-pavement “rumble strip” on the highway. Speakers on either side of the cab alert the driver to which way the vehicle is drifting. The systems are smart enough to know not to alert the driver when a turn signal is on, and they don’t issue warnings at lower speeds, when a vehicle may be turning, according to Iteris Inc., which markets the systems.

The technology has limitations. Because it relies on machine vision technology, it won’t work in foggy conditions or on roads that don’t have clear lane markings. So far, the systems alert only the driver, not the carrier.

The systems cost about $1,000 per vehicle. But on the highway, Iteris claims, trucks equipped with the technology can reduce rollover accident rates by 68%.

As unbelievable as it may seem according to MSN Money it is possible to buy compressed natural gas for alternative fuel as low as 64 cents per gallon in Utah! Even at the Calif. prices of $2.50 per gallon most of you could swing a decent profit when competing with diesel rigs

Sterling has a press release announcing their new Natural Gas-Powered truck. It is powered by a Cummins Westport ISL G that is LNG or CNG capable. I’m only seeing horsepower ratings to 320 but they have a statement on their site that says the Westport LNG system is available with 400 and 450 horsepower ratings and up to 1,750 lb-ft torque.

I was looking at the statistics for this site and noticed that I get a lot of google and yahoo searches for “vin scanners” so I thought I would do a post on what I have learned about this up-and -coming development at least as it pertains to auto transporters. Although the scanners that have this capability have been around for a while we are now seeing the price get down where it is effective to equip individual trucks with them where we used to see them primarily at auction gates for check-in or exit. The problems with the most inexpensive units is two-fold. First many of them are attached to the device by a cord so you need to carry the laptop or notebook that receives the data out to the vehicle. Secondly some of the manufacturers placed the vin barcode under the glass of the windshield and the reflection stops many of them from retrieving the data. We have not figured out a way to tell if a particular model can penetrate the glass or not by looking at the specifications so before you buy you need to have it tested. I had a fellow that was looking at some refurbished scanners on ebay and the seller was happy to go out and scan the barcode on his chevrolet for us but not all sellers are that accommodating. Stepping up to the bluetooth connections fixes the portability problems especially if you get one that will store the data if you are out of range.

Another discovery was the extra digits stored in the vin barcodes for some vehicles. When I scan the barcode on my pickup I get “I1B7MF3361XJ503719″ And on my car I get “KLAVB69272B324911″. As you can see the pickup has 18 digits instead of 17 that you read when you look at it. The car however has a clean 17 digit vin in the barcode. We have found some with 19 digits. It isn’t a big deal unless you are trying to match it up with something in a database like a dealer stock or vin decoding software. In EZDispatch the vin gets run through a program that finds the valid vin and scrubs the excess digits so the decoding programs can determine year make model and weight.

I know some of you are using the new low profile bluetooth dongle from Kensington to connect your VIN scanners and I just recently purchased one myself only to discover that it didn’t work as good as my old clunky one. It often disconnected when not in use. I mentioned the situation to the technical dept at Baracoda and they said it is because the new dongle uses a Toshiba stack and the old style uses a Widcomm stack. They gave me an easy solution that worked well for me. Just uninstall both the drivers and plug in the new dongle and let windows recognize it and install its own driver. You may have to click on a button to allow it to do that. Then reinstall the driver for your VIN scanner and you should be good to go. At least for me it made it stay connected.

Now it works as good as my old one and I don’t have that dongle sticking out of the side of my laptop catching on things. If you have a scanner that isn’t staying connected well and this is not your problem call me on my cell 619-889-1589 and I will try and get a solution to your problem, These scanners are supposed to auto connect when you turn them on and stay connected as long as you leave it on and if that is not the case yours is working improperly. If you need help you can email me and I will help you get it working correctly.

Yahoo news just ran an article on the effect the high fuel prices are having on the independent trucker and I think that the effect is virtually the same for small family companies. I hear it all the time as I visit the smaller auto transporters that are feeling the squeeze. Flying j has diesel listed on their website costing $3.879 a gallon

I’m not sure at this point if it is good for my business or not. I install computer programs and one of the effects of this economy is that people tighten their belt and don’t spend on anything that is not absolutely necessary to try and make it through the tough times. That means that a set-up fee of $500 to $1000 that in the past would have been no big deal can squash or at least delay a set-up. The flip side of the coin is that in this economy everyone is looking for maximum efficiency and so some are realizing that the technology available can decrease stops and empty miles as well as decrease waste caused by missed exits and inaccurate routing so some see the computer as a tool to help them through this tough time. My big question is which effect will be stronger?

Saab pros has posted their rates including what the fuel surcharge will be at different fuel prices on their web site. We may see an upsurge of this type of pricing in the future.

I wonder if they ever imagined they might have to add another tier above $4.50 a gallon.