ALK, Nextel, Motorola Announce New Mobile Phone-Based Service
System Will Provide Spoken Directions For Drivers
hree mobile communications companies Tuesday announced a new service that will deliver turn-by-turn spoken information to truck drivers via mobile phones.
The system, ALK Technologies’ PC*Miler|Mobile, will be available with a subscription on select Nextel Communications’ Java- and global positioning system-enabled handsets that provide specific routing information.
The service also will provide fleets and customers a real-time view of truck and shipment location, using Motorola’s Viamoto technology.
“It's a major development in the convergence of transportation technologies and mobile phones,” said Craig Fiander, ALK’s director of marketing.
The system can be mounted in trucks for hands-free operation, the companies said. If the driver misses a turn, it will immediately recalculate directions to the destination.
Drivers will hear spoken turn-by-turn directions on the phone's speaker, and users will be able to select routes compliant with hazardous materials regulations and trailer-size restrictions, the companies said.