Positioninn and Communications
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`CUE’s dispatch software, the dispatcher can send messages to drivers using an IBM-compatible PC and
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`modem.
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`In addition, some trucks have been retrofitted with a pager equipped with a light that signals
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`a message.
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`Telefind offers an alphanumeric pager that reaches almost 4,000 cities and towns nationwide.
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`The dispatcher can send a message of up to 511 characters using an IBM-compatible PC. A portable
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`printer in the cab provides a hard copy of the messages as they are received. Using a telephone
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`connection the driver can transmit back information from an optional keyboard. Psion, a U.K. company
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`manufacturing the Psion Organizer, offers a similar service:
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`a pager that can connect to the Organizer
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`so the user can receive messages. Motorola also plans to offer a store and forward system in the near
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`future (named EMBARC for Electronic Mail Broadcast to A Roaming Computer).
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`Finally,
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`Hewlett-Packard unveiled in April 1991 a checkbook-sized MS-DOS compatible PC with a built-in
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`spreadsheet program and the ability to receive messages of as many as 32,000 characters over pager
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`networks. Motorola will supply the pager that plugs into the hand-held PC before the end of 1991.
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`A recent development has been the use of pagers to transmit traffic information so that drivers
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`can avoid congestion. An experiment was recently completed in New York [22], and a California firm,
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`Way To G0, has plans to launch a similar service commercially before the end of 1991.
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`It will be based
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`on pager technology and will cover the San Francisco Bay Area .
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`Although wireless, a cellular phone is fimctionally similar to a wired phone. The growth of
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`cellular communications has been phenomenal in the past ten years (there are about 5.2 million
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`subscribers in the U.S., 60% of whom use mobile units rather than portables and transportables [21]).
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`A common problem with cellular radio systems is the extent of roaming they allow. Service agreements
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`between cellular service providers are addressing this. Another problem is capacity, but the advent of
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`digital cellular systems and new ways of multiplexing signals will significantly increase the efficiency of
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`frequency reuse between adjacent cells, as well as the capacity of a single charmel. Users have also
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`complained about the reliability of data transmission (the cellular system has been optimized for voice
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`not data), poor reception, sudden cut-offs, and limited reach.
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`Cellular phone use is penetrating to marginal users characterized as younger customers with less
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`money to spend. Industry sources say that the average customer usage is 180 to 200 minutes a month,
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`down 10 to 20 minutes a month from the previous year’s monthly figures. Accordingly, the average
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`monthly bill has fallen fiom $110 to $100 per month. To compensate, cellular phone carriers are trying
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`to increase their revenues by offering inducements to use the service more. This undoubtedly will benefit
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`heavy users such as trucking fleets more than the casual caller. Another development has been the
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`announcement by all three U.S. car makers of their decision to start selling and installing car phones
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`through their dealers who will act as agents for cellular service companies in their areas.
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`51.3 Voice Radios and Beyond
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`Let us turn our attention now to voice radios. Their range depends on the existence of repeaters
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`to achieve ground coverage. Therefore they are better suited for local operations (up to 200 miles,
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`depending on the system). Most of these systems are shared between many operators, although some
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`private systems exist where operators have the exclusive use of frequencies.
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`Motorola’s CoveragePLUS is functionally very similar to the satellite systems but it costs from
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`$2,500 to $1,000 less (depending on the configuration) and provides voice as well as data
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`communications. It makes use of Motorola’s Privacy Plus Trunked Specialized Mobile Radio (SMR)
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`system. The company has networked many SMR zones.
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`It is anticipated that transmission towers will
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`soon be installed in all major traffic corridors, thus offering near-nationwide coverage. Software on a
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`personal computer displays vehicles on a map in real time and facilitates communications. The system
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`can exchange data with popular dispatching computer packages.
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`In its simplest form CoveragePLUS is a specialized voice radio featuring a telephone interconnect
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`which allows the dispatcher to call the driver at any time. A CoveragePLUS duplex radio is a option
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`which resembles a telephone and allows users to talk and listen simultaneously. It provides access to
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`roaming and telephone interconnect services.
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`If dispatchers and drivers are in the same local area a
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`“local dispatch” service is offered in which the driver presses a push to talk button and can converse with
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`the dispatcher.
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`Talk groups can also be designated. A text terminal is used for optional data
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`communications between drivers and dispatch centers. Eight preset status messages (e.g., “At Site”, “On
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`Break”) can be sent or received. The terminal has a 69-key QWERTY keyboard and an 8—line by
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`40-character display for typing messages of up to 240 characters. Messages sent by the dispatcher can
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`be stored (up to 1,920 characters) for later retrieval.
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`Position information is obtained with either LORAN-C or zone location. The LORAN-C option
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`offers increased positional accuracy but it costs extra. Later, it may be replaced with a GPS receiver.
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`Zone location comes standard with all radios. When a vehicle enters any SMR system it automatically
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`registers itself with the network management facility. This information plus site location is relayed to
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`the dispatcher. The location of the truck is thus known to the nearest town or city.
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`Small fleets without the resources to establish their own communications center can use
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`Comdata’s. Comdata is a reseller of Motorola’s CoveragePLUS. Its system is called DriverLink/24 and
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`offers text messages, positioning and voice communications. Comdata has also initiated a “Load
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`Matcher” program. Carriers, shippers and brokers post daily data on freight and equipment. Company
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`officials assert that 15,000 loads are matched every month.
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`Motorola is not the only company trying to expand the use of SMR’s. Fleet Call, a radio
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`dispatch company, was granted authority by the FCC to build digital mobile communications systems in
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`six large metropolitan areas: Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, New York and San Francisco.
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`In these areas Fleet Call has already installed 150,000 units offering two-way radio services such as the
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`analog dispatch and mobile telephone. Eventually, the existing large transmitters will be replaced with
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`many small base stations. The company anticipates that large part of its fiiture business will be data and
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`document
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`transmissions.
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`Three other companies also offer systems that integrate two-way radios or other land mobile
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`communications systems with position finding hardware: Magnavox (known for its work on GPS), II
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`Morrow (a subsidiary of United Parcel Service) and METS, better known for its geographic mapping and
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`computer aided dispatch capabilities. Their systems are reviewed next.
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`The Automatic Vehicle Location System (AVLS) was introduced in 1986 by Magnavox and is
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`used by public safety and commercial truck fleets.
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`It integrates two-way radios with position finding
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`hardware. The dispatcher tracks the fleet on a high resolution color map computer display. The range
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`of the AVLS depends on the range of the radio system but two or more remotely operated base stations
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`can be linked together. Position is determined with dead reckoning and is fine tuned with periodic
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`reinitialization done by Transit satellites (a federally operated radionavigation system). Later, GPS
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`satellites will be used instead. The on-board unit has a small display screen (2-line by 16-character)
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`where the driver can review up to 10 previously received messages. Acknowledgement and panic buttons
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`are also provided and a full-text keyboard is offered as an extra option. The company claims that it can
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`integrate the system with any computer-assisted dispatching system.
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`II Morrow ("TwoMorrow") states it has installed over 40 of its LORAN-C based Vehicle
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`Tracking Systems (VTS). Any land mobile communications system may be used to transmit data or voice
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`(e.g., two-way radio, SMR, cellular telephones). As with Magnavox’s system a full-color display is used
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`to track the fleet’s vehicles. The on-board unit is a hand-held MS-DOS compatible computer with 63-key
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`keyboard and an S-line by 40—cha1'acter display. Data entered into the computer can be stored and later
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`transmitted to the dispatch center. Optionally, a Vehicle Information Status Terminal Accessory (VISTA)
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`is offered. VISTA is a non-portable, on-board unit with a 4-line by 20-character display and a 20-key
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`keyboard. It can be used to send predefined status messages to the dispatcher.
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`METS’s on-board device, called TRACKER CPU, acts as a powerful on-board recorder with an
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`unusual feature: it can be hooked up to two or three different communications transceivers. Display
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`terminals, keyboards and printers can be connected to the on-board unit. Positions are determined using
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`LORAN-C signals and are transmitted back to the dispatching center using a patented process to improve
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`accuracy. The TRACKER CPU also monitors vehicle data such as engine and trailer temperature, oil
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`pressure, speed, etc. METS offers a variety of customized programs, reporting, and geographic mapping
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`systems to facilitate dispatch.
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`Its systems appear to be geared towards the needs of police and other
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`emergency fleets.
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`5.1.4 On—Board Recorders
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`Another recent development has been the emergence of on-board recorders or on-board
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`computers. Vendors promote their products as Vehicle Management Systems or Driver Management
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`Systems. The significance of these systems is they collect real-time vehicle-related data and communicate
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`these data back to the dispatching center.
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`An on-board recorder (OBR) is a dashboard-mounted device that stores data such as engine rpm,
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`road speed, distance travelled, and time. Usually, a keyboard and a display are provided so the driver
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`can input log related information such as his or her ID, state line crossings, and trip expenses. The data
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`within the OBR are later transferred to a computer for analysis and report generation (e.g., on speeding
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`and excessive idling). The off-loading of the information is done using a variety of methods: the OBR
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`unit is physically removed from the cab and plugged into a computer;
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`an extraction cable is used to
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`connect the OBR and computer; the data are stored in an electronic device such as a data cartridge or an
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`“electronic key” which at the end of the trip is read by the computer; or the data are downloaded wireless
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`from a remote location.
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`Wireless downloading has been introduced recently and is most interesting.
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`In a typical set-up
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`an OBR has the necessary ports to connect with the central oft-ice computer via two-way radio or cellular
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`phones. One vendor is planning to offer the service using CoveragePLUS for the communications link.
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`Rockwell announced that its latest OBR will be integrated with the mobile satellite communications
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`services it will soon be offering. As more fleets adopt advanced communications, marketers of
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`communications systems may form more alliances with sellers of OBR’s.
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`As mentioned earlier, the DRIVE project PAMELA is also projecting the need to interface the
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`on—board unit with other dashboard equipment. Additionally, almost all European truck manufacturers
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`are investigating ways of transmitting information from OBR’s and other input devices to the central
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`office computers. DAF Trucks expects to market a system called Roadacom before the end of 1992.
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`The communications link will be either terrestrial or satellite-based (INMARSAT’s Standard-C).
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`5.2 SATELLITEBASED SYSTEMS
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`The field of satellite tracking and messages systems is very active and there are many
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`demonstrations and proposals. These systems are more expensive than ground based ones (typically they
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`cost at least $4,000). However, they provide extensive coverage with minimal ground infrastructure and
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`are ideal for rural or remote areas. The only potential problem is that the vehicle needs to maintain a
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`line of sight between itself and the satellite(s), and transmission may be blocked in urban areas.
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`The equipment consists of a keyboard, an alphanumeric display (say, 40 characters by 4 lines)
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`and the hardware necessary to calculate position and communicate with a main control facility (Figure
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`4 shows an example system, and Figure 5, a sample keyboard and display unit). It is through this
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`vendor-operated network control center that non-verbal messages from vehicles go to fleet dispatchers
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`and vice versa. The units usually come with a series of pre-forrnatted messages stored in memory.
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`ositionin andCo u 'c ’
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`Alternatively, the driver may compose a free-form message which is later transmitted by pressing a
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`“send” button. The transmission is almost instantaneous. While the driver is away from the vehicle, the
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`unit acts as an answering machine, storing the messages it receives. A pager may also be provided to
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`alert the driver that a me 5 5 age is waiting in the cab.
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`‘ ‘
`
`-Hung: I Penman hem Truel ‘
`- Muuqu tum olunmn
`
`'
`
`.
`
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`a\-.
`
`rigure 4:
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`ns [23]
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`Besides simple messages and positioning, value-adding services include: trailer monitoring
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`(position, status, and activity log); remote engine monitoring; anti-theft systems;
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`temperature
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`monitoring for refrigerated units;
`
`and wireless downloading of information about driver logs,
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`on/off-loaded freight, and other data stored in on-board recorders. Software supplied by the vendors
`
`handles communications with the vehicles while computerized maps show the status of the fleet at any
`
`time.
`
`Currently, Qualcomm is the only major player left in satellite-based communications systems after
`
`Geostar’s failure. A new service, however, is being launched by the American Mobile Satellite
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`Corporation (AMSC). In addition, INMARSAT, the London based international organization, is pushing
`
`its Standard-C terminals. These systems are described in the next sections.
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`P_ositijin.1z and Communications
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`KEV5
`
`5s"v"‘°‘"°'
`
`READY
`INDICATOR
`MENU KEY
`DELETE KEY
`INSERT KEY
`CLOCK KEY
`
`?..._.,._..._,,.
`-e_
`I sk c
`
`p
`1.;
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`.
`-
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`K.
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`.,
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`0
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`35:0
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`l
`
`DIRECTIONAL
`ARROWS
`
`HETLRN
`
`rlgure 3: Keyboard and Display Unit [40].
`
`52 . 1 Qualcomm’s OmniTRACS
`
`Qualcomm manufactures, markets and services the OmniTRACS system, the first to offer
`
`two-way communications and positioning services. This system began operational tests in 1988 and
`
`became commercially available in 1989. Instead of using L-band frequencies (designated for mobile
`
`satellite communications services), Qualcomm decided to use Ku-band fiequencies.
`
`Ku-band
`
`communications are used extensively for telephone, TV, and private data networks and many Ku-band
`
`satellites are in orbit. Ku-band components are mass-produced and their cost is relatively low. Although
`
`typical users are those involved in transportation with trucks, company officials state that about 13 percent
`
`of OmniTRACS units are sold to other transportation modes.
`
`The major technical problem in the design of OmniTRACS was the development of a specialized
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`proprietary antenna. Qualcomm had to develop “quieter” signals that would not interfere with the
`
`existing telephone or TV signals using the same Ku-band frequencies. The antenna needed to be small
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`Page 000042