Sylectus, MacroPoint partner on new service

   Florida-based Sylectus, a unit of Qualcomm Enterprise Services, has reached agreement with MacroPoint to offer an “intuitive” fleet tracking application for trucking companies.
   Sylectus said the offering will allow 3PLs, fleet owners and managers, freight brokers, and carriers to track loads and drivers without requiring any new hardware or long-term contracts. The application will offer a “pay-for-play” model that can add location tracking to any existing transportation management software as needed.
   The system will use MacroPoint’s technology that allows cell phones to be used as fleet tracking devices.
   The use of a personal device like a cell phone for these tracking systems and other application platforms is part of a growing “bring-your-own-device” trend in logistics and other areas, according to Cimarron Buser, Apperian’s vice president of business development. Apperian is a company that manages the life cycle, updates, and delivery of enterprise applications. 
   Buser said the trend will likely continue because employees are more comfortable with the devices they own. In addition, apps on these personal devices will get more use and provide more feedback down the road.
   It is unclear if the upcoming service will fall under MacroPoint’s existing offerings or if it will become part of Sylectus’ SylectDash, a Web-based dashboard that was unveiled at the same Sylectus 2012 Annual Conference.
   SylectDash focuses on providing real-time access to fleet management data. The system is designed for fleet managers with up to 400 trucks and offers a streamlined Web-dashboard, presentation management tools and analysis reports, and event forecasting, simulation and analysis. — Geoff Whiting