MIAMI, July 5 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Ryder System, Inc. , a global leader in transportation and supply chain management solutions, today announced it has entered into an alliance with Teletrac and Cingular Wireless to launch RydeSmart(R), an advanced onboard telematics technology designed to improve vehicle uptime, driver efficiency, highway safety and cargo security, and real-time tracking of customer fleet operations. Following an initial pilot now underway in a limited geographic area, RydeSmart(R) is expected to be expanded to customers across North America in multiple phases through 2007. The pilot includes more than 5,000 vehicles assigned to specific customers in a range of industries including: food & beverage, textiles, and building and construction materials.
RydeSmart(R) leverages Ryder's 73 years of experience, industry buying power and fleet size of more than 160,000 vehicles with Teletrac's integrated global positioning system (GPS), wireless data and micro-chip technologies, and Cingular's extensive, nationwide* wireless data coverage area. Cingular has the nation's largest digital wireless data network with availability in 13,000 cities and towns, and along some 40,000 miles of major highways. The result delivers a practical, affordable solution to improve the business performance of fleet operators of all sizes.
"We have developed extensive intellectual capital and highly refined processes around maximizing the efficiency of our customers' transportation functions," said Tony Tegnelia, President of Ryder's U.S. Fleet Management Solutions. "Since the 1980s, we have utilized onboard telematics to achieve high levels of transportation precision and tracking, primarily for customers whose high-value shipments necessitated a significant onboard technology investment. This new alliance brings together three world-class providers to make state-of the-art RydeSmart(R) technology affordable to improve the performance of businesses of all sizes in every industry."
RydeSmart(R) is a compact hardware and software unit that is installed into a truck and connected to the vehicle's existing computer and diagnostics systems. The unit continuously monitors the vehicle's location, mileage and speed, as well as other performance and diagnostic data. That information is communicated every 15 minutes and on-demand, as necessary, via a dedicated and secure connection with the Cingular network to fleet operators' desktops. Using this depth of real-time fleet information and visibility down to individual vehicles, fleet operators can make a quantum leap in saving labor, time and money, while improving productivity and customer satisfaction. Wireless data solution experts from Cingular's business-to-business organization, the Business Markets Group, worked closely with Ryder in assisting with the design and deployment of RydeSmart(R).
Customers utilize RydeSmart(R) to access real-time online vehicle fleet data and business performance enhancing features including: view of vehicle location at all times; view of driver routes and performance; and continuous monitoring of vehicle data, including automated transmittal of odometer readings to replace trip records for fuel tax and vehicle licensing regulatory compliance.
Integrated GPS capabilities also enable RydeSmart(R) to help customers locate vehicles in case of emergency and provide central dispatch capabilities enabling customers to assign pick-ups and deliveries using the closest available vehicles. Collectively, its features and benefits provide a built- in continuous improvement program for fleet operators, which enables them to continuously monitor and refine route design, enhance efficiency and increase the satisfaction of their customers.
About Teletrac
Teletrac, Inc., headquartered in Garden Grove, CA, is a leading supplier of fleet management and vehicle diagnostic solutions serving over 3000 fleet customers. Teletrac, Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of UK-based Trafficmaster, Plc. Founded in 1988, Trafficmaster Plc is based in Cranfield. Trafficmaster provides advanced satellite navigation, vehicle tracking and diagnostics, fleet management solutions and real-time traffic information. For additional information, contact Teletrac at 1-800-835-3872, via e-mail at
About Cingular Wireless
Cingular Wireless is the largest wireless carrier in the United States, serving 55.8 million customers. Cingular, a joint venture between AT&T Inc., formerly SBC Communications Inc., , and BellSouth Corporation , has the largest digital voice and data network in the nation -- the ALLOVER(TM) network -- and the largest mobile-to-mobile community of any national wireless carrier. Cingular is a leader in third generation wireless technology. Its 3G network is the first widely available service in the world to use HSDPA (High Speed Downlink Packet Access) technology. Cingular is the only U.S. wireless carrier to offer Rollover(R), the wireless plan that lets customers keep their unused monthly minutes. Details of the company are available at http://www.cingular.com/. Get Cingular Wireless press releases e-mailed to you automatically. Sign up at http://cingular.mediaroom.com/.
About Ryder
Ryder is a Fortune 500 company providing leading-edge transportation, logistics and supply chain management solutions worldwide. Ryder's stock is a component of the Dow Jones Transportation Average and the Standard & Poor's 500 Index. For more information about Ryder System, Inc., visit http://www.ryder.com/ .
* Not available in all areas
Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements: Certain statements and information included in this press release are "forward-looking statements" under the Federal Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Accordingly, these forward-looking statements should be evaluated with consideration given to the many risks and uncertainties inherent in our business that could cause actual results and events to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause such differences include, among others, our ability to obtain adequate profit margins for our services, our inability to maintain current pricing levels due to customer acceptance or competition, customer retention levels, unexpected volume declines, loss of key customers in the Supply Chain Solutions (SCS) business segment, our failure to successfully implement new growth initiatives in our FMS business segment, unexpected reserves or write-offs due to the deterioration of the credit worthiness or bankruptcy of certain customers in our SCS business segment, changes in financial, tax or regulatory requirements or changes in customers' business environments that will limit their ability to commit to long-term vehicle leases, changes in market conditions affecting the commercial rental market or the sale of used vehicles, labor strikes or work stoppages affecting our or our customers' business operations, adequacy of accounting estimates and accruals, changes in general economic conditions, sudden changes in fuel prices, availability of qualified drivers, our ability to manage our cost structure, changes in government regulations including regulations regarding vehicle emissions and the risks described in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The risks included here are not exhaustive. New risks emerge from time to time and it is not possible for management to predict all such risk factors or to assess the impact of such risks on our business. Accordingly, we undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.
