The Descartes Systems Group of Waterloo, Ont. recently introduced MobileLink: Tracker, for use with either the company’s Roadshow or Fleetwise line of routing and scheduling products. It’s a new wireless application that uses GPS technology to provide delivery operators with real-time visibility of their trucks and thus allow fast decision-making to meet customer commitments.

Capturing vital vehicle location information, the tracker provides dispatchers and customer service reps with real-time updates of driver progress against established route plans. It can drive down operating costs by better managing exceptions like excessive wait times, unscheduled driver breaks, and vehicles straying from designated delivery routes.

MobileLink: Tracker is said to be ideal for complex operations where drivers are just too busy to speak with dispatchers. Responding to the need for an easy-to-use, hands-free wireless application, it acts as a ‘black box’ and requires no driver interaction to operate. A small device containing a GPS receiver and radio modem is mounted within the truck and communicates across radio frequency networks with Roadshow and Fleetwise.

The system delivers functionality that includes up-to-the-minute arrive and depart status updates, and calculates estimated times of arrival and departure for both delivery and service operations.