Fixed Route Management

Fixed Route Management (FRM) solution from TMS2 provides an in-vehicle satellite navigation terminal that guides the driver around a pre-defined route.

The satellite navigation terminal does not make any route decisions but simply guides the driver around the required route – be it a route for gritting vehicles, waste collection vehicles, buses and coaches or any vehicle on delivery (milk) round. Full satellite navigation functionality is provided so that the driver has both audio and visual route guidance including the naming of roads.

The FRM solution consists of a Multi Use Interface (MUI) hardware unit which is connected to the satellite navigation terminal. The MUI can optionally be connected to a telematics (tracking) device although this is not a mandatory requirement.

All pre-defined routes are held on the MUI unit which allows any vehicle to be used on any route at any time. The driver selects the route on the satellite navigation terminal e.g. Route A123. This route is uploaded from the MUI unit on to the navigation terminal. Waypoints are sent to the navigation terminal to guide the driver from his current location to the next location on the route. When the vehicle is within a pre-defined distance of this next location the MUI uploads the next set of waypoints. The MUI continues to feed the navigation terminal with waypoint information throughout the journey until the driver completes the whole route.

Each waypoint can have a message associated with it which is displayed on the navigation terminal e.g. ‘Start salting’, ‘pick passengers up in 50m‘, ‘collect bin at the back of No 25’, etc. Messages are user definable.

Should any part of the route not be accessible (e.g. accident, snow and ice), then the driver has the option to manually skip the next waypoint. Furthermore, a driver can stop the fixed route navigation and return to ‘standard navigation’ by selecting the ‘Stop Route’ message at any time.

Where the MUI is connected to a telematics (tracking) device, it can check with the TMS2 software hub that the stored route is the most up to date version before the driver starts the route. In addition, revised routes can be sent to all vehicles ‘over the air’ i.e. remotely.

The benefits of the Fixed Route Management include:

• The solution guides a driver around a pre-defined route ensuring that the driver visits all the locations on the selected route in a pre-defined sequence. Having messages associated with each way waypoint can be a very useful aid to the driver to perform a certain action e.g. starting salting, collect passengers in 50metres, etc
• Any driver can use any vehicle on any route at any time. Existing drivers can go on unfamiliar routes and new (agency) drivers can be deployed with little or no training
• Option of connecting to a telematics device ensures that most up to date routes are used. Routes can be changed easily and quickly over the air.
• The delivery of service, be it the gritting roads, collecting bins or delivering parcels. can performed in a logical    and cost effective sequence.