New MAGTEC product allows remote adjustments to speed limiter devices

MAGTEC's new product will be featured in a new custom 4-door Freightliner Sportchassis at the National Private Truck Council Show April 27–29 at Cincinnati. (Courtesy MAGTEC)

The Trucker News Services

4/21/2008

WILLOWBROOK, Ill. — MAGTEC Products said today the company’s M5K onboard safety and security device has been outfitted with a new speed and idle management (SIM) feature that enables the carrier to remotely set and control speed thresholds and idle time in real time.

“We recognized the severe impact fuel prices are having on the transportation industry and wanted to find a way to implement valuable fuel economy initiatives through our technology,” Robert Morisset, MAGTEC president and chief executive officer, said. “While speed limiters are already built into most engines, it requires someone to service each truck to set or adjust them. With SIM, the dispatcher simply sends a signal to the M5K on a vehicle to remotely and instantly set speed thresholds or idle time.”

MAGTEC’s fuel performance solution will enable calculable savings in fuel and operational costs, Morisset said.

“For each one mph that a truck’s speed is reduced, there is approximately 0.1mg increase in fuel efficiency,” Morisset said.

Based on this, the following calculations show the savings on one truck driving 125,000 miles per year and fuel at $4 agallon:

• By reducing the speed from 70mph to 68mph, the savings for the year is $3,190.

• By reducing the speed from 70mph to 65mph, the savings for the year is $7,576.

• By reducing the speed from 70mph to 60mph, the savings for the year is $13,986.

Multiply these calculations by a fleet of 100 trucks and the savings is significant, Morisset said.

The M5K offers numerous additional productivity solutions such as eliminating the need for team drivers on high-value short hauls because of features such as keyless driver authentication and Unattended Idle Protect.

“MAGTEC leverages data available during the operation of fleet vehicles to analyze, calculate and track all driver related information and then triggers, or allows dispatch to trigger the

appropriate procedures to keep the vehicles secure and drivers in compliance – all in real time,” Morisset said. “When interfaced with a communications provider, the system can be managed from a dispatch or monitoring centre and offers features such as remote driver code management, tamper notification to dispatch and MAGTEC’s proprietary Acceleration Control System. ACS enables dispatchers to remotely limit the acceleration capability of the vehicle and reduce the speed in preset increments so it can be brought to a safe and controlled stop, a key differentiator between MAGTEC’s M5K and any other vehicle immobilization technology.”