CoPilot Truck Case Studies
Glenn Suprenard
Company Driver
Crete Carrier Corporation
“CoPilot Truck is the one constant I
can count on.”
Driving
a fully loaded tractor-trailer over 140,000 miles per year is a considerable
task for any driver. For Glenn Suprenard, who joined the
ranks of the nation’s truck drivers about one year ago, the challenges
of his newly-chosen profession are being eased by one piece of technology--
the advanced CoPilot Truck GPS-based navigation solution from ALK Technologies.
Hauling for Crete Carrier, a truckload motor carrier based in Lincoln,
NE, Suprenard drives one of the company’s 3,400 power units throughout
the US. “As a company driver,” he explains, “it’s
just as important to evaluate which trips are most profitable and productive.
With CoPilot Truck, I can compare different load offers and see which
trip is going to result in the most profitable use of my time.”
“
Copilot Truck allows me to select the best loads. Many drivers feel that
the longest trip is always the best load to take. This is not necessarily
the case,” Suprenard continues, “for example, it may be more
profitable to take three 600-mile loads instead of one 1,800-mile trip.
I use CoPilot Truck every day to decide what trips to accept. As a company
driver, I get paid by the mile, but I earn it by the hour,” Suprenard
relates. “With CoPilot Truck, I can maximize my paid time on the
road and minimize downtime and out-of-route miles.”
“
Optimizing routes with CoPilot Truck keeps me closest to the miles I
will get paid for. In addition, with the new Hours of Service regulations,
being on time for your appointments is critical. With CoPilot’s
technology, I’m able to plan the start of my day to ensure I arrive
within minutes of a scheduled appointment and not waste any on-duty hours
in the process. In this respect,” Suprenard continues, “CoPilot
Truck’s ETAs are exceptionally valuable. The program uses the GPS
data to monitor my actual speed and it always amazes me when, even from
200 miles out, it projects an arrival time that ultimately turns out
to be within 5 minutes of the time I pull up to the gate.”
By investing in ALK’s CoPilot Truck software for his laptop, Suprenard
says he is always operating as efficiently and profitably as he can. “For
every truck driver,” Suprenard points out, “getting to the
dock on time is the ultimate goal. Loading dock efficiency for the driver
and shipper or receiver is essential to keeping those wheels turning.
A driver sitting around is a driver losing money.”
"Even though I'm a company
driver, it's still my time,” he states. "CoPilot
Truck gives me the information I need to manage my time effectively
and get paid the most for the driving I do.”
On the road, according to Suprenard, CoPilot Truck’s dynamic route
guidance and GPS-based navigation capabilities are just as valuable as
its help in pre-planning and load analysis. “It knows the route
I’m taking to my destination and suggests stops along the way,” he
explains. “It thinks about my stops so I don't have to.” “Before
CoPilot Truck,” Suprenard adds, “there was no way to get
this valuable truck-specific data. Drivers who use other programs just aren’t getting the truck-specific
detail I have access to with CoPilot Truck. In addition, I firmly believe
that CoPilot Truck’s truck-specific navigation and directions are
far superior to anything else on the market.”
Along with everyday activity related to trucking, CoPilot truck has also
performed for him in extreme situations. “I was caught in a sudden
snowstorm West of Omaha on I-80,” he recalls. “It was a total
whiteout that put dozens of rigs in the ditches. Because of the heavy
traffic behind me I knew that pulling over was not an option. CoPilot
Truck got me through it unscathed with its spoken directions and constant
visual updates.”
"For truck drivers there are many
variables,” Suprenard concludes, “including
traffic, construction, accidents and dock schedules. CoPilot Truck
is the one constant I can count on.”
About CoPilot Truck
CoPilot Truck combines the industry-standard truck routing, mileage
and mapping capabilities of ALK’s PC*MILER Solutions with the award-winning
in-vehicle GPS navigation and route guidance of its CoPilot product line
to create the first on-board navigation system specifically designed
for owner-operators, leased-operators and company drivers. CoPilot Truck
turns a laptop into an in-vehicle navigation and route guidance system
that uses GPS to track progress, and provides spoken turn-by-turn directions
to any address.
Data in the newly released CoPilot Truck | Laptop 3 solution includes
over 7 million miles of U.S. roadways, 31,000 exit numbers and more than
100 million addresses. Canadian map data covers 830,000 road miles and
more than 10 million addresses. Also incorporated, are over 3 million
Points-of-Interest, including truck-specific POIs such as truck stops,
truck washes and weigh stations.
For more information, visit www.alk.com/cpt or call 1.800.377.MILE ext.
1.
ABOUT ALK TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
Since its founding in 1979, ALK Technologies, Inc., a Princeton, NJ
based company, has recognized the power of information technology
and its direct link to competitive
advantage and customer satisfaction. For over 20 years, ALK has helped companies
and individuals navigate the growth and transformation of transportation
technology through consulting, customized information systems and
packaged software solutions.
For more information on ALK visit www.alk.com.
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