Qualcomm Inc. chose the Truckload Carriers Assn. annual convention in Orlando to debut its Mobile Computing Platform 200 Series, the MCP200. The new platform does not replace the company’s current in-cab platform, which has reached an installed base of some 33,000 active units in the two and a half years since its introduction in September 2006.
The MCP200 is designed to deliver even greater functionality to the cab with an expanded set of OmniVisionSM Transportation Services, including WiFi, in-cab training, Internet access, and video and multimode capability. According to Qualcomm, the premium capabilities of the MCP200 will enable fleets to transform their cabs into mobile operations centers, moving office data such as targeted customer information, payroll information or even training lessons to the field.
“The MCP200 Series is part of an end-to-end solution that enables transportation companies to migrate functions previously confined to an office to the mobile environment of the cab,” said Norm Ellis, vp-transportation and logistics sales and service for Qualcomm Enterprise Services, a division of Qualcomm Inc. “Drivers can now access a wide range of information when they need it.” Ellis sees a generally expanded role for in-cab communications, especially WiFi and video in the future.
One of the first things Qualcomm will be offering on the new WiFi-capable MCP200 is in-cab driver training from Instructional Technologies Inc. (ITI), developer of the Pro-TREAD series of interactive, multimedia driver-training lessons. In the case of Pro-TREAD, the lessons will be loaded right onto the computer at the factory, according to ITI CEO Jim Voorhees. An access code will turn the lessons on for those who want to activate the training. “Once a driver completes a lesson, the test results can be sent back to ITI via WiFi 802.11 [if the truck is in a hot spot] or by cellphone,” said Voorhees.
ITI’s Pro-TREAD training uses a “mastery-based” approach (first developed for military use in advanced pilot training), which requires students to demonstrate an understanding of each point in a lesson before advancing to the next, providing fleets with a level of verification and accountability for their training efforts. “You are a lot better off in court if you can prove a driver satisfactorily completed a specific training lesson,” Voorhees noted.
“The Qualcomm/Pro-TREAD collaboration allows a company’s drivers to receive safety training in a timely manner, which could help to prevent accidents before they happen and decrease the company’s liability,” said Ellis. “By collaborating with industry leader ITI to include their solution on the MCP200, we can now offer our customers a more efficient training solution.”
Pro-TREAD will be available on the MCP200 when the platform is released in the summer.