Fleet Management

EVERGREEN INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES

Based in McMinnville, Oregon, Evergreen International Airlines utilizes Boeing 747 planes for their business and also provides other services such as fire fighting and jet leasing.

Their Challenge
In one particular incident, there was no communication connectivity with a cargo shipment flying overseas. The pilot was unable to contact home base while flying over the Atlantic Ocean. This prompted a return to New York - costing the company in excess of $100K in fuel costs and time. Coupled with military contracts to deliver provisions into war zones where there are no communications, the plane required connectivity for both voice and data backhaul to ensure successful deliveries.

The Result
The planes were originally only outfitted with a standard Iridium 9505 handset/data kit application. Although this worked, it was not the ideal solution for their business. They required the handset for voice connectivity to be located on the flight deck but also required the data transfer on cargo-related issues to be completed in the hold by the onboard crew. Infosat was tasked to convert their existing system and, as the only FAA approved system in 2003, customized a cable configuration from the fixed unit in the hold to a handset extension into the flight deck. This unique configuration is still being used today in all of their 14 cargo 747s in service.

LOADTRAK

Sasktel, a telecommunications company based in Saskatchewan provides service to customers offering competitive voice, data, dial-up and high speed Internet, wireless, digital television, and e-business solutions.

Their Challenge
The "Loadtrak" solution they were developing was geared towards trucking fleets and delivery vehicles as a means to ensure employee safety and efficiency when making long-haul journeys across Canada and the United States. The system was to be able to track the location of vehicles at any given point as well as measuring mileage, fuel consumption and fuel tax reporting when moving between state and provincial lines.

The Result
To keep the solution cost-effective, it was outfitted with both 1X (terrestrial) and satellite communication platforms to intelligently transition between the two depending on the environment and location the vehicles are in. As one of Sasktel's valued partners, Infosat supplied MSAT hardware for the satellite component, utilizing the PDT-100 terminal for secure packet data transmission between vehicles and head office.

Source: www.loadtrak.com, February 2007

Click Here to learn more about the Loadtrak solution.