The 75-year old company broadens its mobile fleet management solutions; TransCor America signs on as flagship account
Rand McNally has served as one the country’s most trusted source for maps, navigation, and travel content. Continuing with its extension into commercial transportation, Rand McNally recently expanded on its mobile fleet management tools and solutions to now include E-Logs compliant with Hours of Service regulations specific to the passenger-carrier market. This is according to the press announcement from Los Angeles, CA, during the UMA Motorcoach EXPO in February.
The company says the Motorcoach HOS is available on the Rand McNally TPC 7600, a full featured in-cab mobile computing device, as well as the TND™ 760, a revolutionary one-box, one-cable mobile fleet management device and the HD 100, a small black box that pairs with tablets, phones and the Rand McNally IntelliRoute® TND™ 720 GPS device.
“The bus and motorcoach transportation industry faces regulatory and operational challenges similar to over-the-road commercial transportation fleets,” says Rand McNally CEO Steve Fletcher. “It was a natural extension to develop a solution that meets the specific requirements for passenger-carrying drivers as well.”
He says the time-honored company now offers motorcoach companies access to the compliance and safety benefits of mobile fleet management, cost reduction due to automation of tasks, navigation specific to larger vehicles, and monitoring of vehicle and driver behavior for maintenance and training.
Rand McNally also announced that TransCor America, LLC (TCA), the most experienced detainee/prisoner transportation company in the country, is in the process of installing the TND™ 760 throughout its organization. TCA, a subsidiary of Corrections Corporation of America, has transported more than 1.2 million detainees/prisoners at all security levels over the past 23 years throughout the United States. The company says its previous provider of mobile fleet management was unable to support the new HOS regulations and the anticipated E-log mandate with multi-seat functionality, which is a necessity for long- haul prison transport. The automation of HOS for TCA will provide a simpler and more efficient way to manage reporting.
“We reviewed a variety of solutions for 18 months before selecting Rand McNally as our partner for mobile fleet management,” says David Spence, managing director, Fleet Management and DOT Compliance for Transcor. “We wanted to be ahead of the game with E-Logs and HOS specifically related to our industry. Rand McNally’s unique feature for multi-seat recording supports our reality.”
TCA says it is one of the first detainee/prisoner transportation companies to run in full compliance with the Federal Transportation of Dangerous Criminals Act of 2000, known as Jeanna’s Act, establishes specific regulations for private entities that transport prisoners across state lines.
The company anticipates reducing the seven to 10 days typically spent compiling and auditing paper logs to nearly all automatic reports. In addition, the all-in-one TND™ 760 device provides bus locations visible via the Rand McNally Connect web portal, allowing the TCA operations group to manage its entire fleet and anticipate necessary adjustments to the routing plan for each vehicle.
Spence says an added benefit of the TND™ 760 device is the driver experience. The ease-of-use reduces the stress on drivers to keep track of and calculate hours, allowing them to focus on driving.
“Another great thing is that the device allows us to review driver behavior,” he says. “We reward our drivers for their commitment to safe driving, as evidenced through benchmarks provided by the TND™.”
Spence reported that drivers currently using the device also appreciate the advance warnings for steep grades, sharp curves and speed limit changes provided by the TND™ 760 devices.
TCA says it has already installed the TND™ 760 across its fleet of passenger motorcoaches and intends to install them in prisoner vans as well.