Technology Briefs
The Latest Headlines:
- U.S. Xpress to Outfit Fleet with Aether’s MobileMax
- FedEx to Use Fuel Cell Vehicles in Japan
- N.J. Extends Most Suspended E-ZPass Enforcement Operations
- Xata Reports Lower Sales in Fiscal 2002
- FedEx to Use Fuel Cell Vehicles in Japan
U.S. Xpress to Outfit Fleet with Aether’s MobileMax
Truckload carrier U.S. Xpress Enterprises Inc. said recently that it is going to install Aether Systems Inc. MobileMax wireless communications system on all of its 5,500 trucks.The Chattanooga, Tenn.-based company has been testing the MobileMax system in 100 of its trucks, and said that the system’s performance in that testing period prompted U.S. Xpress’ decision.
The change to the MobileMax system will take place during 2003, the company said.
( for the full press release.)
FedEx to Use Fuel Cell Vehicles in Japan
FedEx Corp. said last week that it will use fuel cell vehicles manufactured by General Motors Corp. to deliver mail in Tokyo in order to test the vehicle under genuine conditions, Bloomberg reported.The world’s largest overnight delivery company said it will use GM’s HydroGen3 car starting in June 2003. FedEx and GM said that the Memphis, Tenn.-based company would not receive compensation for the yearlong test, Bloomberg reported.
Truck and car manufacturers are looking at fuel cells, which produce power while only expending water as a by-product, as a solution to tougher fuel economy and emissions standards. Transport Topics
N.J. Extends Most Suspended E-ZPass Enforcement Operations
The state of New Jersey said that it will maintain the suspensions on most of the electronic enforcement measures associated with its embattled E-ZPass toll-collection system, the Associated Press reported.Officials in the state confirmed that they have extended what started out as a six-week suspension of enforcement because they have been unable to fix the problems that have plagued the system recently, AP said.
Officials said that full-scale enforcement would not resume until March, when the state’s new E-ZPass contractor is expected to fully complete repairs to the system, AO reported. Transport Topics
Xata Reports Lower Sales in Fiscal 2002
Xata Corp., a manufacturer of truck and load tracking equipment, said that its sales for the final quarter of fiscal 2002 – and the year as a whole – fell from the previous year.In the fiscal year ended Sept. 30, the Minneapolis-based company said it had sales of $13.2 million – down from the $14 million the company reported last year. For the 2002 fourth quarter, sales totaled $2.8 million, down from the $3.8 million the company reported in the same quarter last year.
The company said it had a net loss of $1.1 million, or 16 cents a share. For the full year, the company had a loss of $4.1 million, or 60 cents per share. Transport Topics
( for the full press release.)