Update from ALK Technology Summit – technology advancing fast, economy moving slow

Last week I attended ALK’s annual Technology Summit in Princeton, NJ. Cadec was one of many industry leading sponsors the event. The standing room only crowd (120+) of technology vendors, fleet managers, press and industry experts gathered for what ALK calls its Thought Leadership Summit to share various trends and observations in the areas of transportation safety and efficiency in the trucking industry. While there was an obvious focus on navigation systems, the sessions also covered a wide variety of industry trends and other technologies.

An interesting, yet sobering keynote address by US Express’ President John White showed the concerning state of the for-hire trucking industry, particularly the large TL carriers, as a result of the economic slowdown. White also shared insights on a number of hot industry topics, including Card Check, HOS Regulations and EOBR Mandates.

Mr. White also shared his success using routing software in a presentation with TMW Systems, highlighting how they can compare planned to actual trip data to gain efficiencies.

The use of handheld computers was also a common topic, both to run turn-by-turn navigation software and proof of delivery applications.

Another observation was that most of the fleet attendees were in the for hire markets. While we are seeing significant growth in interest for turn-by-turn navigation among private fleets, and more stability in their financial situations, there were very few of these companies represented at the Summit.

In all, this was an interesting event that will likely increase in size next year as the use of navigation systems in trucking increases, particularly when integrated with on-board computers and fleet management software. I would recommend marking your calendar for this next year.

Author: Frank Moreno