Shaw introduces the MCP50 platform

Shaw Tracking is about to launch the new Mobile Computing Platform 50 (MCP50), allowing fleets of all sizes increased accessibility to fleet-management sophistication. Priced at around C$900, users will be able to manage hours of service and CSA compliance, while also using ALK's PC*Miler and CoPilot Truck in-cab navigation, among other third-party apps, plus Shaw's own Performance Monitoring with Fuel Manager, Analytics Manager, and other applications. It will handle all likely EOBR rules, Shaw says. The company is working with third parties on an oilfield HOS manager.

Already in use in the U.S. via Qualcomm, as of this past April, the MCP50 will hit its full Canadian launch in September, though it can be ordered now. On a 5-year lease, explains Shaw Tracking chief Mike Ham, it will cost $18 a month plus messaging and services, the latter offered in bundles or a la carte. Typical monthly cost would be $35-$50, he adds. Subscription fees are the same as other Shaw full-service products, the MCP200 and 110. Geo services and geo fence are included, but printing and scanning are not available.

Shaw says it's ideally suited to regional operations, because it relies exclusively on cell connections, not wi-fi, adding that its value-focused pricing means that fleets of any size -- including those with class 6 and 7 trucks -- can benefit from it. Put another way, Shaw says it's designed to give fleets who don't require a satellite system a more affordable option.

The MCP50 is said to be easy for fleets to adopt given a simple, one-hour in-cab installation process. The intuitive user interface ensures that minimal driver and back-office training is required. There's no built-in keyboard, rather a touch-screen type, though a third-party keyboard could be connected by way of the unit's usb port.

The MCP50's Performance Monitoring tool allows operators to watch driver habits such as idling, speeding, time in top gear, cruise control, shifting patterns, and hard braking, among others. Shaw says that coaching based on such monitoring can save significant money, offering evidence by way of an actual case that shows a 0.5 mpg improvement in fuel economy. That wo0uld represent several thousand dollars for many operations, making payback on the MCP50 pretty fast, the company says.