roadmap monthly newsletter - october 2013

Roadmap Monthly Newsletter | [email protected] | Tel + 351 214 135 670 | www.frotcom.com

Frotcom - Vehicle Tracking . Fleet Intelligence

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Roadmap monthly newsletter

Editorial

et me ask you: is your company using Frotcom’s API?

I can hear you asking “What is an API and why would we use it?” Fair enough, I obviously started on the wrong foot. Let me explain it then.

An API (Application Programming Interface) is a way for two or more computer applications to “talk” between them. In other words, it’s a way of extracting data from an application and use it in another application. Once programmed, the process of data transfer requires no human intervention, it’s completely automatic.

A typical example involving Frotcom’s API (we also call it web services) is to have an external application extracting from Frotcom the total mileage of a vehicle in a certain time period, in order to use that information to compute a trip cost and charge it to a client; or another programme extracting the number of driving hours of a driver, in order to calculate the driver’s variable component of a wage.

“That’s great, but why should that interest me?”

Well, it depends. If your company has software applications which could benefit from reading data from Frotcom – such as in the examples above – you could automatize some of your back office operations.

But other typical cases of the use of Frotcom’s API involve sending your vehicle’s tracking data to major clients, forwarding companies or business partners.

For example, LKW Walter, a big transportation organisation based in Austria, asks their transportation partners for authorization to use Frotcom’s API to know their vehicles whereabouts.

A second example is Timocom, a large freight exchange player in Europe. Transportation partners equipped with Frotcom will be able to authorize their vehicle’s positions to be available for their customers through Timocom’s site. When entering vehicle offers, companies can highlight that their vehicles can be tracked by clients – a big advantage when it comes to getting orders.

Plenty of reasons why you should consider Frotcom’s API.

Valério Marques, CEO - Frotcom International

A note from the editor – If you would like to have your own say in the next edition of this newsletter please do not hesitate to get in touch at [email protected].

L

October

2013

In this issue

Case Study

Inter-Adaks most satisfied with Frotcom’s support and

constant innovation

New features

Eco-driving ranking enhancements

Information about other Frotcom options - Teasers

News and Events

Frotcom East Africa and Airtel Kenya implement Road Safety Initiative

rewarding good driving behaviour

This and much more…

mailto:[email protected]

http://www.linkedin.com/company/frotcom-international

http://twitter.com/

http://frotcom.wordpress.com/

http://www.facebook.com/frotcom.international




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Case Study

Inter-Adaks most satisfied with Frotcom’s support and constant innovation

Inter-Adaks, d.o.o. is a family owned business with more than 3 decades of

history. Based in Kočevje, 50km south from the Slovenian capital, the company

started the road transportation business with only one vehicle, travelling at the

time in former Yugoslavia.

The solid reputation established over the years, has been built thanks to a

trustworthy relationship with its customers. Adaptation, dynamism,

responsibility and competence have also led them to an inevitable growth.

Nowadays, the company owns a fleet of ten vehicles travelling not only in

Slovenia but also throughout Europe (mostly in Germany and Austria).

“In 2010 we decided for Frotcom after consulting

several GPS vehicle tracking providers in Slovenia.

Frotcom offers a quick and simple web interface and

has a wide range of reports / statistics that we use on

a daily basis. What we appreciate the most is the

continuous level of service and the excellent support

provided, which is literally always available”, said Mr.

Andrej Štajdohar, CEO and founder of Inter-Adaks.

“The system is constantly improving and responding to

our needs. Since we started using Frotcom we reduced

the need to contact drivers, decreased communication

fees and increased drivers’ security. We are able to see

where our vehicles are and dispatch jobs in a more

effective way“.

Roadmap congratulates Frotcom Slovenia’s team for this successful project!

Did you know?

Traffic laws map in all EU countries

Check the new interactive map

listing traffic laws in all European

countries.

The European Commission

Directorate General for Mobility

and Transport has launched an

interesting and useful interactive

map collecting all the traffic

regulation in each European

country.

The map includes information on

speed limits, traffic lights and

forbidden lanes in different roads

valid for each transport category. It

also has the rules on the usage of

seat belts or the mobile phone

while driving.

Before travelling abroad, or just to

refresh your memory on the rules

in your own country, have a look at

the map and make sure to travel

safe!

Source: European Road Safety Charter

Mr. Andrej Štajdohar CEO and founder of Inter-Adaks

http://ec.europa.eu/transport/road_safety/going_abroad/index_en.htm

http://www.erscharter.eu/news/24824




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New features

Eco-driving ranking enhancements

Frotcom includes now a set of enhancements to the ranking page in the Eco-

driving folder. In order to give a better view over each vehicle’s performance,

some columns were added to the Eco-driving ranking page, making possible to

sort the information by mileage, driving time, total consumption, average

consumption, average speed, percentage of time under max RPM and

percentage of idling time over driving time.

In addition to these columns, a filter was also added to allow viewing only

CANBus equipped vehicles.

Information about other Frotcom options - Teasers

Frotcom includes a new small clickable button on the left of the screen, similar

to what already exists for the useful links. The purpose of this button is to show

you a set of extra features available in Frotcom which you have not activated for

your account yet. From there you can request more information about each

feature.

Tip of the month

Configuring the remote download of tachograph files

If your trucks travel in Europe, you will be interested in knowing this.

All the features of the tachograph remote download can be found in Administration > Tachograph downloads.

If you mark one or several vehicles

on the leftmost column of the list,

under the Tachographs folder, you

will be able to configure them.

Click on the Configure (marked)

button. You will be able to choose

between the following two

possibilities:

Every 80 days - Frotcom will

download the tachograph data

files from the selected vehicles,

every 80 days. By European law,

you must ensure that you will

have such files in your computers,

available for inspection by the

authorities, up to 90 days after the

corresponding recordings.

Never - In this case you instruct

Frotcom not to proceed with the

automatic downloading of the

tachograph data files.

Click Save to save your changes or

Cancel to leave the dialog without

saving any changes.

Remote download structure and components




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News and Events

Frotcom East Africa and Airtel Kenya implement a Road Safety Initiative rewarding good driving behaviour

Kenya’s National Traffic Commandant joined Frotcom East Africa and Airtel Kenya in

a new road safety initiative by rewarding responsible drivers from 2NK Matatu

SACCO (cooperative) identified by Frotcom’s web tracking and fleet management

system.

This new initiative came as a follow

up of the “Dereva Chonjo Initiative”,

launched early this year by the two

organizations, in a bid to encourage

safe driving speed in public service

vehicles and to reduce road carnage

on Kenyan roads. Through the

initiative, the National Traffic

Commandant, Samuel Kimaru, will

identify and reward drivers from

2NK SACCO along a number of busy

highways in Kenya.

Frotcom’s vehicle tracking system helps to monitor driving behaviour minute-by-

minute regardless of where vehicles are in the country and uses the same data

generated by the system to identify drivers who need extra training so as to achieve

a change of attitude as they handle passengers.

The rewarding program will go a long way enforcing compliance to traffic rules

rather than evasion.

According to Jackson Karisa Fagio, Commercial Director at Frotcom East Africa

“Frotcom East Africa, Airtel Kenya and the Traffic Commandant have taken a

proactive role to reward the drivers for their good driving behaviour. This initiative is

meant to depart from the old traditional practice which has always focused on

punishing wrongdoers and totally turning a blind eye on those who are doing right. It

is common experience that when you positively recognize good efforts, the end result

is motivation. With this initiative, we want to demonstrate that it pays to be good

and try to win more investors in the industry to take the initiative of making their

drivers recognized.”

Airtel and Frotcom have already fitted GPS-tracking systems in more than 550 vehicles in the SACCO’s fleet. Estimated financial benefits show that the SACCO members could save up to Ksh 40 million (US$461,000) annually by sealing revenue leakage loopholes with the use of this solution. This will come along with reduced accident claims to the

insurers significantly reducing the cost of risk management.

Sources: Business Ghana; Humanipo

Roadmap congratulates Frotcom East Africa for this successful initiative!

Next, on Roadmap

News and events,

more new Frotcom features

and tips will be presented.

This and more, so don’t miss

the next issue of Roadmap.

The National Traffic Commandant rewarding one 2NK SACCO driver with a reflector jacket for observing the recommended speed limits.

http://www.businessghana.com/portal/news/index.php?op=getNews&id=191447

http://www.humanipo.com/news/33502/frotcom-east-africa-and-airtel-kenya-implement-vehicle-tracking-system/

roadmap monthly newsletter - october 2013

Automotive