Truckload Carrier First in Nation To Train Drivers With Pro-TREAD In-Cab™

April 4, 2008 - Chattanooga, Tennessee-based U.S. Xpress (www.usxpress.com) has become the first fleet in the United States to begin training drivers for safety & regulatory issues with computer-based lessons right in their own cabs, having already trained drivers in over 4000 cabs.
U.S. Xpress has equipped over 4,700 cabs with the new DriverTech Fleet Management System units (www.drivertech.com), installed with all of Instructional Technologies’ (ITI’s) Pro-TREAD In-Cab™ interactive lessons.

U.S. Xpress began training drivers in-cab after months of testing and modifications, several of which were recommended by Co-Chairman & CEO Max Fuller after personally testing and working with Pro-TREAD In-Cab. U.S. Xpress is continuing its initiative to install DriverTech units into all of the fleet’s 7,500-plus cabs — providing high-end communications capabilities and Pro-TREAD and other safety- and performance-related applications to all drivers.
“Continuing education for drivers is an important part of our industry, and we have always taken great pride at U.S. Xpress in finding new ways to reach out to our drivers with information that can make a difference in their daily work and their lives,” says Mr. Fuller, whose company has an award-winning tradition of applying cutting-edge technology to the trucking industry. “The ability to place Pro-TREAD training modules within the cabs of our trucks through our DriverTech units is a true breakthrough. The team at ITI should be proud of their work: They helped us find the innovative answers that we needed to make on-board training a reality.”

The Lesson Completion data for the drivers is transmitted back to ITI using the most cost-effective mode possible: WiFi, cellular, or satellite. The data are immediately entered into ITI’s Driver Management System (DMS) for third-party recordkeeping and documentation. ITI provides a secure, private, flexible online database for each client.

Drivers seem to be appreciative of the easy and flexible access to the Pro-TREAD lessons. “Out here on the road, you are always called upon to learn and stay on top of what’s new, and the commitment to safety and training is one of the reasons I’ve stayed with U.S. Xpress,” says George Smith, a veteran U.S. Xpress driver who was recently inducted into the Company’s Million-Mile Safe Driving Club (pictured here in his U.S. Xpress cab). “Pro-TREAD is a big key for me in staying up to date on the latest information and best practices. While Pro-TREAD is available over the Internet around the clock, I really like having access to the lessons aboard my truck. Now, I don’t have to put off the training while on the road. I’m very impressed with the way the modules work on the DriverTech units. This has helped in my growth and development as a professional driver. We all have to work each day to get better at what we do, and Pro-TREAD is a great tool.”

ITI has additionally signed a Letter of Intent to provide Pro-TREAD In-Cab™ with PeopleNet (www.peoplenetonline) via its new BLU onboard system. Work on integration with BLU is underway and availability is expected during Q2 2008.

About Instructional Technologies, Inc.
ITI, of Vancouver, WA, is the preeminent provider of computer-based, interactive driver training in our industry, providing TREAD-1?, Pro-TREAD?, and Pro-TREAD In-Cab? truck-driver training to over 175 carriers, with from 15 to 44,000 drivers. Delivering effective and up-to-date training 24/7, ITI now trains over 35,000 drivers in the US and Canada every month. Carriers monitor and document their drivers’ training records on the private, secure, on-line database that ITI provides to each client. This documentation can be invaluable during litigation, providing powerful Risk Management.

Drivers can select from some 50 interactive lessons anywhere/anytime over the Internet, including via in-cab computers. Courses include such critical areas as Defensive Driving, Winter Driving, Backing, Accident Procedures, Hours-of-service and Log-Books, OSHA and Workplace Safety, Tanker lessons, and all of the federally-required Entry Level courses.

About U.S. Xpress
U.S. Xpress Enterprises, Inc. is the nation’s third-largest, privately-owned truckload carrier, with a fleet of 7,500 tractors and 22,000 trailers. U.S. Xpress Enterprises, Inc. provides dedicated, regional, and expedited team truckload services throughout North America, with regional capabilities in the West, Midwest, and Southeastern United States. The Company is one of the largest providers of expedited and time-definite services in the truckload industry and is a leader in providing expedited intermodal rail services. Xpress Global Systems, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary, is a provider of transportation, warehousing, and distribution services to the floor covering industry. The Company participates in logistics services through its joint ownership of Transplace, an Internet-based global transportation logistics company. Additionally, U.S. Xpress has an 90% ownership interest in Arnold Transportation Services, Inc., which provides regional, dedicated, and medium length-of-haul services with a fleet of approximately 1,650 trucks, and Total Transportation of Mississippi and affiliated companies, a truckload carrier that provides medium length of haul and dedicated dry-van service with a fleet of approximately 650 trucks primarily in the Eastern United States. Additionally, U.S. Xpress has an ownership interest in Abilene Motor Express, Inc., a truckload carrier that provides medium length of haul and dedicated dry van truck services, primarily in the eastern United States with a fleet of approximately 170 trucks and C&C Transportation of Duncan SC, a truckload carrier providing transportation services along the Mid-Atlantic, Northeast and Southeast corridor with a fleet of 150 trucks.

Better Customer Service Drives Adoption

SALT LAKE CITY–(BUSINESS WIRE) — DriverTech, the leading provider of advanced onboard solutions for the transportation industry, announced today that Watsontown Trucking Company has adopted the DriverTech DT4000 TruckPC for fleet wide rollout. Steve Patton, president stated, “We saw immediate improvements in our ability to provide customer service,” The DriverTech DT4000 TruckPC, running WindowsXP, is designed specifically for in-cab use in the transportation industry. “The DriverTech system is delivering real-time engine data and driver performance information at a fraction of the cost of other mobile communications vendors,” added Patton.

The DT4000 TruckPC provides a long-awaited innovation in on-board communications for trucks. Leveraging true Tri-Mode communications system (Satellite, Cellular, and Wi-Fi) to deliver intelligent least-cost communications between the driver and dispatch, the DT4000 provides data communications at a fraction of the traditional fees associated with over-the-road communications. Because the DT4000 runs WindowsXP Embedded, a broad spectrum of applications, from GPS navigation and automated hours of service, to real-time fuel tax reporting, can now run simultaneously in the cab.

“We’re excited about expanding services to our customers and continuing to grow the fleet,” said Chad Mensch, regional operations director, Watsontown. “The more connected we are in the cab, the better our fleet performs.”

“We’re very pleased that Watsontown chose DriverTech as its first ever mobile communications solution,” said Mark Haslam, DriverTech’s president and CEO. “In effect, Watsontown has ‘leap frogged’ their competition by moving well beyond traditional in-cab communications equipment. We’re excited to be a partner in their continued growth.”

About Watsontown Trucking Company
Started in 1941 as a coal and brick hauling company with three trucks and three trailers, Watsontown Trucking Company has grown to a successful company employing 265 people today. The fleet now totals 215 trucks and 600 trailers headquartered in their newly constructed operations and maintenance center located on 25 acres in Milton, PA. Watsontown Trucking Company is a 100% asset based trucking company providing transportation services to all 48 states and Canada. Please visit the Company’s website at www.watsontowntrucking.com.

About DriverTech
DriverTech is the next generation mobile communication system with a full range of services and state of the art applications for the transportation industry. The DriverTech system provides intelligent links to key information that improves driver quality of life and trucking efficiency metrics. The DriverTech system is a true ‘Tri-Mode’ system (Satellite, Cellular and Wi-Fi) that automatically routes data via the lowest cost communication option. DriverTech is committed to enabling customers to improve their operational efficiency through mobile applications, while leveraging the lower cost, wireless networks that are available and continually expanding.

L-3 Ruggedized Command and Control Solutions (RCCS) and DriverTech, located in Salt Lake City, Utah, have entered into an agreement to bundle RCCS’ Adaptive Vehicle Command System (AVCS) software into the DriverTech DT3000A military vehicle computer.

RCCS’ AVCS software integrates electronic onboard diagnostics, maintenance, troubleshooting procedures, and a video sensor display with a driver’s full-featured virtual instrument cluster display. Using open standards, the AVCS software is an adaptable, configurable, extensible system that provides local or remote access to operational and logistics data.

These data are either displayed on a dash-mounted display or viewed through standard web interfaces. The system also provides situational awareness and driver vision enhancement on the same displays.

The DT3000A ruggedized Vehicle Computer System (VCS) is a fully qualified military truck computer capable of handling the rigors of the modern battlefield, while providing the processing and interface capabilities for combat systems well into the future.

L-3 and DriverTech have also agreed to pursue similar opportunities in the commercial market for class 6, 7 and 8 trucks. According to Mark Haslam, DriverTech’s founder and CEO, “The possibility that DriverTech and L-3 can take 20 combined years of embedded diagnostic development for the U.S. Army and provide similar capabilities to large trucking fleets through our commercial DT4000 commercial truck computer is very exciting. Imagine the possibility that significant mechanical issues can be determined and accurately reported by a stranded truck driver using the AVCS toolkit and DriverTech’s DT4000 onboard computer.”

“The combined capability of DriverTech’s DT3000A and L-3’s AVCS software will propel the logistical and reporting capability of the tracked and wheeled vehicle into areas only theorized to this point,” said Dr. James Winchester, Vice-President and General Manager of L-3 RCCS. “This is definitely a leap forward for the warfighter and logistics community. The system brings the combination of health management, diagnostics, logistics chain management, driver sensor visualization, and situational awareness directly to the crew for the first time in a way that is more cost-effective than ever before.”

L-3’s AVCS software works by retrieving system information from control modules embedded in the engine, transmission and other systems using the SAE J1708 and/or SAE J1939 data buses. The information is accumulated into an internal database on the DriverTech computer and made available to other components of the AVCS software that, on demand, will display specific gauges on the DriverTech Truck-PC. The same data are also made available to the web-based decision-tree component of the AVCS software. This AVCS component displays to the vehicle crew an illustrated and interactive troubleshooting guide.

DriverTech’s DT3000A (military) and DT4000 (commercial) Truck-PC products are Windows XP-based computers with multiple interfaces to a truck’s internal diagnostic networks and sensors. DriverTech Truck-PC products also include multiple communication pathways (cellular, satellite, WiFi). The video-processing component of the DT3000A and DT4000 computers can also accept video imaging from L-3’s night vision camera systems and display a thermal image to the vehicle operator.

DriverTech is a next-generation mobile communication system with a full range of services and applications for the transportation industry. The DriverTech system provides intelligent links to key information that improves driver quality of life and trucking efficiency metrics, the company says. The DriverTech system is a “Tri-Mode” system that automatically routes data via the lowest cost communication option.

L-3 RCCS specializes in the design, development, production, and life-cycle support of ruggedized computer display systems for the DoD’s most demanding applications. The RCCS product line includes a wide variety of displays and computer processor system solutions supporting multiple system architectures for shipboard, airborne and wheeled and tracked vehicle applications.