- Integrated GPS, Wireless Data and Micro-Chip Technology System Expected
to Make High Tech Tracking and Real-time Driver and Vehicle Performance
Data Affordable for all Fleet Sizes -
MIAMI, July 5 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Ryder System, Inc. (NYSE: R), a
global leader in transportation and supply chain management solutions,
today announced it has entered into an alliance with Teletrac and Cingular
Wireless to launch RydeSmart(R), an advanced onboard telematics technology
designed to improve vehicle uptime, driver efficiency, highway safety and
cargo security, and real-time tracking of customer fleet operations.
Following an initial pilot now underway in a limited geographic area,
RydeSmart(R) is expected to be expanded to customers across North America
in multiple phases through 2007. The pilot includes more than 5,000
vehicles assigned to specific customers in a range of industries including:
food & beverage, textiles, and building and construction materials.
RydeSmart(R) leverages Ryder's 73 years of experience, industry buying
power and fleet size of more than 160,000 vehicles with Teletrac's
integrated global positioning system (GPS), wireless data and micro-chip
technologies, and Cingular's extensive, nationwide* wireless data coverage
area. Cingular has the nation's largest digital wireless data network with
availability in 13,000 cities and towns, and along some 40,000 miles of
major highways. The result delivers a practical, affordable solution to
improve the business performance of fleet operators of all sizes.
"We have developed extensive intellectual capital and highly refined
processes around maximizing the efficiency of our customers' transportation
functions," said Tony Tegnelia, President of Ryder's U.S. Fleet Management
Solutions. "Since the 1980s, we have utilized onboard telematics to achieve
high levels of transportation precision and tracking, primarily for
customers whose high-value shipments necessitated a significant onboard
technology investment. This new alliance brings together three world-class
providers to make state-of the-art RydeSmart(R) technology affordable to
improve the performance of businesses of all sizes in every industry."
RydeSmart(R) is a compact hardware and software unit that is installed
into a truck and connected to the vehicle's existing computer and
diagnostics systems. The unit continuously monitors the vehicle's location,
mileage and speed, as well as other performance and diagnostic data. That
information is communicated every 15 minutes and on-demand, as necessary,
via a dedicated and secure connection with the Cingular network to fleet
operators' desktops. Using this depth of real-time fleet information and
visibility down to individual vehicles, fleet operators can make a quantum
leap in saving labor, time and money, while improving productivity and
customer satisfaction. Wireless data solution experts from Cingular's
business-to-business organization, the Business Markets Group, worked
closely with Ryder in assisting with the design and deployment of
RydeSmart(R).
Customers utilize RydeSmart(R) to access real-time online vehicle fleet
data and business performance enhancing features including: view of vehicle
location at all times; view of driver routes and performance; and
continuous monitoring of vehicle data, including automated transmittal of
odometer readings to replace trip records for fuel tax and vehicle
licensing regulatory compliance.
Integrated GPS capabilities also enable RydeSmart(R) to help customers
locate vehicles in case of emergency and provide central dispatch
capabilities enabling customers to assign pick-ups and deliveries using the
closest available vehicles. Collectively, its features and benefits provide
a built- in continuous improvement program for fleet operators, which
enables them to continuously monitor and refine route design, enhance
efficiency and increase the satisfaction of their customers.
About Teletrac
Teletrac, Inc., headquartered in Garden Grove, CA, is a leading
supplier of fleet management and vehicle diagnostic solutions serving over
3000 fleet customers. Teletrac, Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of
UK-based Trafficmaster, Plc. Founded in 1988, Trafficmaster Plc is based in
Cranfield. Trafficmaster provides advanced satellite navigation, vehicle
tracking and diagnostics, fleet management solutions and real-time traffic
information. For additional information, contact Teletrac at
1-800-835-3872, via e-mail at sales@teletrac.net or the web at
http://www.teletrac.net .
About Cingular Wireless
Cingular Wireless is the largest wireless carrier in the United States,
serving 55.8 million customers. Cingular, a joint venture between AT&T
Inc., formerly SBC Communications Inc., (NYSE: T), and BellSouth
Corporation (NYSE: BLS), has the largest digital voice and data network in
the nation -- the ALLOVER(TM) network -- and the largest mobile-to-mobile
community of any national wireless carrier. Cingular is a leader in third
generation wireless technology. Its 3G network is the first widely
available service in the world to use HSDPA (High Speed Downlink Packet
Access) technology. Cingular is the only U.S. wireless carrier to offer
Rollover(R), the wireless plan that lets customers keep their unused
monthly minutes. Details of the company are available at
http://www.cingular.com/. Get Cingular Wireless press releases e-mailed to
you automatically. Sign up at http://cingular.mediaroom.com/.
About Ryder
Ryder is a Fortune 500 company providing leading-edge transportation,
logistics and supply chain management solutions worldwide. Ryder's stock
(NYSE: R) is a component of the Dow Jones Transportation Average and the
Standard & Poor's 500 Index. For more information about Ryder System, Inc.,
visit http://www.ryder.com .
* Not available in all areas
Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements: Certain statements and
information included in this press release are "forward-looking statements"
under the Federal Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.
Accordingly, these forward-looking statements should be evaluated with
consideration given to the many risks and uncertainties inherent in our
business that could cause actual results and events to differ materially
from those in the forward-looking statements. Important factors that could
cause such differences include, among others, our ability to obtain
adequate profit margins for our services, our inability to maintain current
pricing levels due to customer acceptance or competition, customer
retention levels, unexpected volume declines, loss of key customers in the
Supply Chain Solutions (SCS) business segment, our failure to successfully
implement new growth initiatives in our FMS business segment, unexpected
reserves or write-offs due to the deterioration of the credit worthiness or
bankruptcy of certain customers in our SCS business segment, changes in
financial, tax or regulatory requirements or changes in customers' business
environments that will limit their ability to commit to long-term vehicle
leases, changes in market conditions affecting the commercial rental market
or the sale of used vehicles, labor strikes or work stoppages affecting our
or our customers' business operations, adequacy of accounting estimates and
accruals, changes in general economic conditions, sudden changes in fuel
prices, availability of qualified drivers, our ability to manage our cost
structure, changes in government regulations including regulations
regarding vehicle emissions and the risks described in our filings with the
Securities and Exchange Commission. The risks included here are not
exhaustive. New risks emerge from time to time and it is not possible for
management to predict all such risk factors or to assess the impact of such
risks on our business. Accordingly, we undertake no obligation to publicly
update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new
information, future events, or otherwise.
SOURCE Ryder System, Inc.
 back to top
Related links:
http://www.ryder.com
http://www.teletrac.net http://www.cingular.com
http://cingular.mediaroom.com
CONTACT:
Lisa Brumfield, +1-305-500-3668, or
Lisa_Brumfield@Ryder.com, or David Bruce, +1-305-500-4999, or
David_Bruce@Ryder.com, both of Ryder System, Inc.
|
