6.21.04 - PeopleNet to Serve Bridgestone/Firestone North American Tire

World's Largest Tire and Rubber Company Upgrades to PeopleNet System

MINNEAPOLIS - June 21, 2004 - PeopleNet, the leading provider of onboard computing and mobile communications systems to North American transportation operations, today announced that Bridgestone/Firestone North American Tire LLC is equipping its private fleet with PeopleNet's onboard computing and mobile communications technology.

Bridgestone/Firestone is the world's largest tire and rubber company and the 1,000th North American truck fleet to select the PeopleNet system.

With headquarters in Nashville, Tenn., Bridgestone/Firestone operates seven U.S. distribution centers. The company's 300-tractor and 600-trailer fleet supplies tires and automotive parts to more than 4,000 customers nationwide, including company stores, independent tire dealers, mass merchandisers and wholesale clubs. The fleet also hauls tires from company plants to distribution centers and raw materials to manufacturing locations as well as carries loads for other shippers under its for-hire operating authority.

The PeopleNet g2x system at Bridgestone/Firestone, according to Ron Tartt, General Manager, Private Fleet, was adopted to replace an existing system. "We saw our former supplier struggling to keep its system updated so we knew we needed to make a change," he said. "We began to look at alternatives because we need a tracking and communications capability. While our fleet runs mostly fixed routes and we plan backhauls in advance, this capability is essential for providing enhanced customer service. We want to be able to tell the customer when a load will arrive or if we have a delay."

Operating from the seven company distribution centers, the Bridgestone/Firestone fleet covers assigned territories. The ability to pinpoint delivery times, Tartt noted, is especially important because many of the routes are less-than-truckload, with tractor-trailers making as many as ten stops per day. Accurate delivery times for full truckload deliveries are also essential, he added, as customers have to prepare to unload when the vehicle arrives.

"We put the project to find a new tracking and communications system supplier on the fast track," Tartt stated. "We looked at systems from several suppliers at trade shows and then tested some systems and units. Among the criteria we considered were cost and value, and ease of use. In that respect we wanted a web-based system. Not only would that feature allow us to monitor the fleet from wherever we are, it also reduced hardware complexity and eliminated the expense of servers and other in-house hardware.

"While we found that many systems on the market do similar things, including GPS tracking and driver communications," Tartt continued, "PeopleNet clearly offered the most value for what they brought to the table. The g2x system did everything we were looking to do. It is Internet-based so there are no added in-house hardware costs. The cost of the system and its operation are also lower, so the return on our investment is faster."

Another feature of the PeopleNet system that was viewed by Bridgestone/Firestone as highly favorable is its OTAP (over-the-air programming) capability. "OTAP was a major selling point," Tartt said. "In the past, updating the mobile units required bringing each truck in and connecting the mobile unit to a laptop. That was not only hard to do, it was time consuming and cost prohibitive, and as a result we often didn't update the systems. By comparison, OTAP is wonderful."

Full integration of the PeopleNet system data with its operations and management information systems is a clear goal for Bridgestone/Firestone. "With a fixed routing schedule," Tartt related, "we don't have the need for a traditional dispatching system. The downside to that is that we don't have a way to transfer information easily. With the PeopleNet system, however, we can integrate many functions, including document transfer, and in the future electronic signature capture for proof of delivery. We also plan to automate our driver payroll process using PeopleNet's GPS data.

"Another decision we made recently involves using PeopleNet's onboard computing capability to be in compliance with new driver hours-of-service regulations and reduce paperwork volume," Tartt continued. "To accomplish that, we've taken the lead and began testing the company's eDriver Logs program to enable a paperless process for managing the driver hours of service process. In addition, we are now evaluating sending the same GPS data to our provider of fuel tax services."

In use as well at Bridgestone/Firestone is PeopleNet's PerformX vehicle performance monitoring and reporting tool to generate reports on fuel mileage and idle time. "That information helps us learn where we need to address vehicle or driver issues," Tartt stated. "At the same time, we are very interested in the new activity standards reporting tool that PeopleNet recently introduced. It will be especially effective in our operation because we run recurring routes. By measuring efficiency, we'll have a benchmark for improving driver and fleet productivity."

PeopleNet Activity Standards is an exception management tool that uses learned data to track and measure the efficiency of recurring routes and/or dedicated lanes. Using this tool, fleet managers can quickly become aware of exceptions to normal or standard processes and proactively manage operations for greatest efficiency. Activities that are compared to learned standards include travel times, stop times, average miles per hour, planned vs. unplanned stops and total trip times. This information is displayed in comparative reports that highlight exceptions.

"PeopleNet's willingness to listen to us about how we operate as well as our goals, and to incorporate changes and features in its onboard computing technology to help us accomplish those objectives continues to be a major benefit," Tartt concluded. "The company's concentration on tractor systems rather than trying to do everything at once, and its aggressive, innovative approach to new ideas are some of the reasons we selected PeopleNet as our supplier of tracking, communications and onboard computing systems."

The PeopleNet g2x system has become the standard for GPS-based location tracking, two-way voice and data communications, and Internet-based fleet business tools to provide consistent, reliable communication between business owners, dispatchers, drivers and shippers. A key feature of the system is OTAP (over-the-air programming), which allows PeopleNet to make system upgrades without taking vehicles off the road.

Headquartered in Minneapolis, PeopleNet is the fastest-growing provider of Internet-based onboard computing and mobile communications systems to the long-haul transportation and metro-based fleet industries. The company serves carriers throughout the U.S. and Canada. For more information about PeopleNet, call 888-346-3486, e-mail info@peoplenetonline.com, or visit www.peoplenetonline.com.