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Case Study 

GSatTrack brings fleet management solutions to the forestry sector

The American transportation research institute lists compliance, safety and accountability as some the greatest concerns facing the trucking industry today. One of the major compliance concerns is the max weight that can be moved over the road. The weight being hauled by trucks can be used as an indicator of efficiency but also as a meter for safety by regulatory agencies.

The challenge facing most companies when meeting the weight regulations is that they vary from state to state and even more so if your trucks are traveling internationally. States and countries can impose hefty fines and even criminal charges associated with overloading vehicles. If your fleet has multiple types of vehicles with differing quantities of axles, managing weights can be even more daunting.

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About GSatTrack



Asset tracking in remote locations

The Customer Situation

One of the largest forestry companies in Canada had an older fleet management system that needed updating. While there were several fleet products available, the forestry company needed a solution that would be able to operate in the remote areas they worked in. This same system would also need to monitor the weight of lumber being placed on their trucks to comply with new government regulations. Lastly this information needed to be accessible by several sources as well as pushed back to an internal server.

Fleet management for forestry assets

The Challenge

The forestry company had great success fulfilling their basic needs using older model hardware and software for monitoring their fleet. Because of this success they were reluctant to change to a new solution not knowing the outcome. The company also had new requirements due to regulations related to weight that they hadn’t previously encountered. Finding a new solution would require time, testing and the right partner to work with them to ensure their fleet solution could be found.

Orbcomm IDP-782 with GSatTrack to provide forestry fleet solution

The Solution

GSatTrack software was developed by engineers who believed that customization and the freedom to utilize any hardware in the market would set them apart. Because of this approach to an open ended solution, GSatTrack provides the very best results for gaining information about any asset.

For this instance GSatTrack needed to gauge weight for efficiency and regulation consistency. This would require specialized sensors and the right hardware to gather this information and send the information regardless of location.

Understanding that the hardware previously used worked very well for the client’s needs, we wanted to find a hardware solution that was close to the previous version. Because GSatTrack is hardware agnostic and able to interface with any device, we were able to utilize the newest hardware unit: the IDP-782, from the same manufacturer as their previous units, Orbcomm M2M. The IDP-782 unit is an even more powerful and robust version of the hardware they had come to know and rely upon in the past.

This new hardware interfaced with the sensors and reported the information to GSatTrack through both cellular and satellite communications. This provided the necessary weight information that the forestry client was seeking while also producing insight as to how their drivers were performing in the field.

The combined technology of GSatTrack and the IDP-782 unit from Orbcomm M2M allowed the forestry client to monitor how many hours drivers were working, create custom reports, and even monitor fuel usage. The achieved results even allowed the forestry client to monitor maintenance requirements for vehicles; reducing costs for leased vehicles and increase production as fewer vehicles saw time in the shop and more time transporting goods.

GSatTrack manages information to provide cost efficiency, savings, safety, & compliance

The Result

The forestry company’s upgrade investment allowed them to increase efficiency; both ensuring their vehicles were on the road for the maximum amount of time and moving goods safely and within compliance of government regulations. Their new hybrid hardware from Orbcomm M2M allowed the company to gather more information about their personnel’s performance and vehicles. Finally, GSatTrack brought all the information together in an easy to understand interface that was able to be accessed on any device that could connect to an internet browser. What started out as upgrading old hardware to stay compliant, turned into a new solution that exceeded their original expectations allowing them to save money, expand safety for their workers and increase efficiency.

About the Author
Scott Walters
Senior Account Manager


Contact Scott Walters at scott@gsat.us

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