THE DEFINITIVE TRUCKING SITE

Nov/Dec 2008

	5 Mike van de Merwe with Meridian MDT and a compatible Blue Tooth scanner.	5 Express information – equipped with the Meridian FM system, a DHL Exel SA 6x4 keeps its customers and its owners happy.

The nice thing about fleet management technology is that it changes so rapidly, which means, if you’re technically minded, you never get bored. And over the years, there’s been a lot to get excited about. Google maps, broad-band, real-time etc all make for a whack of a management system, but  then there’s the issue of hardware and software integration. Who can deliver all the bells and whistles in one handy package? Paul Collings spies on one provider which may be close to hitting the mark. 

Chances are, you may not have heard of Success-Meridian Technologies, but it is a real ‘down-home’ FM development house, bent on making a FM/VT system that is managed from a single Mobile Data Terminal (MDT) incorporating a full spectrum of fleet management requirements. Well, that’s not entirely true, because the FM unit has a covert sibling in the form of a well-hidden, self-powered tracking unit. But let’s not allow detail to stand in the way of ‘wow’. 

Mike Van de Merwe is the man behind the development of a MDT/ FM system that brings all the vital information required by fleet managers into one single application, including vehicle data, voice communication, satellite navigation, video recording/ streaming, card readers, Blue Tooth scanners and live routing with an onboard navigation system all in one unit called the Meridian. 

“The Meridian MDT has been on the market since January 2007 after two years of development and field testing,” says Van de Merwe, whose company has over two decades’ worth of experience in supplying truck fleets with communication tools like two-way radios. “It is a fully-fledged FM system with software to match anything on the market right now. But what really makes the dash-mounted unit different is the fact that it can do almost everything a modern fleet owner desires, including CANbus integration, GPS/GPRS tracking and reporting with video footage recorded and streamed via GPRS to base, two-way SMS and hands-free cell phone communications, text to speech satellite navigation and integration with other logistics management systems.” 

One happy customer 

A leading Success-Meridian customer is DHL Exel SA, whose Transport Application Manager - Continuous Improvement, J.J. Vermaak says: “Since establishing our Managed Transport Services in February 2001, we have been introduced to and evaluated in excess of 150 different service providers, vendors and resellers of MDTs, tracking solutions and onboard computers in Southern Africa.” 

In its evaluation process, DHL Exel SA looked at a broad spectrum of functional requirements such as positioning (GPS, GSM triangulation, radio beacons and directional antennae), communication (GSM/ SMS/GPRS, other text-based messaging systems, GSM data call, GSM voice call and e-mail), as well as on-board or mobile computing that offers wireless communication including Bluetooth and WiFi, telemetry and CANbus integration. 

“Although many systems are available in the South African market that can perform some or most of the functionality required for effective risk, fleet and logistics management, only one exists that integrates all - the Meridian Net 960 CE,” says Vermaak. “Not only is this the most integrated MDT that we have encountered, it is also one of the most cost-effective in terms of hardware, software and general operating costs.” This is obviously one happy customer.