Ever feel like you're playing with expensive building blocks when it comes to picking software to improve efficiencies? Maybe you started with a simple mileage program, then added software to locate the shortest route from origin to destination. Of course, the next logical step was to be able to pick the optimum fuel stops along that route, so you bought a fuel optimization package. And on and on. The more packages you bought, the more money you spent, and the more complex it became to get the software to work together.
The good news is that you now can have all these capabilities -mileages, routing, and fuel optimization using T-Chek retail and AXXIS wholesale fuel prices - in one easy-to-use package. Besides the best fuel pricing anywhere, the new ProMiles 98, a product of Road Legal, Inc., has the most comprehensive database of cities in the industry and includes 4,000 geographically coded truck stops. And it's all available at a price that won't break the bank, no matter how small or large your operation may be.
ProMiles 98, set to be unveiled in January, builds on the success of ProMiles 96. Even the earlier version looked impressive when compared to products like PC Miler and Rand McNally, providing more miles, more features and better maps for less money. The new version continues that tradition. The mileage guide has 805,000 miles of roads and 965,000 routing points - which is 165,000 miles and 705,000 points more than its nearest competitors provide. And ProMiles 98 has more than 32,000 Canadian cities - more than three times as many as the competition.
Using the new software is a snap, since all trip information appears in one convenient place. The "Trip Tab" allows the operator to enter origin and destination information, as well as other stops that need to occur along the way. The program will route by interstate, most practical for speed, all truck usable roads (shortest route), STAA designated roads from the National Network of Highways, California Distance Table 8, or according to your choice. Once the route is selected, the software displays the miles, time required for each leg of the trip and rate information, based on parameters set by the operator.
The next step is to fit appropriate fueling locations into the picture. At the click of a button, the program lists every truck stop along the route, and suggests the best places to stop, based on T-Chek/AXXIS fuel pricing and amenities and proprietary discounts that the operator chooses. Of course, you can always choose the locations in your established truck stop network and optimize on proprietary cost-plus or retail discounts that you have negotiated with truck stops. When you finish with your selections, you can display a map of the route with truck stops and all fuel prices for that location. And when the trip is completed, the information can be exported into a tax service package of your choice.
Of course, this is not only an optimization package. It's an analytical tool for building fuel networks and planning future routes. It's also an informational tool, providing all retail and wholesale prices, taxes, freight, estimated cost and estimated margins for truck stops. Plans are in the works to allow carriers to drop raw weather data from EarthWatch into the ProMiles package so that routes will automatically avoid severe weather (see article on page 1).
According to Tony Stroncheck, Vice President of Road Legal, the new software offers many more features than competing products. "One of our competitors allows the carrier to insert a single rate for a trip," he explains. "ProMiles can calculate prices based on loaded/empty rates, rates using distance table, rates per piece per mile, additive rates, and multiple rate groups, among other categories. We have an 'All Locations Within Radius' feature. Carriers simply type in a city and the number of miles, hit 'Calculate,' and they have a list of every point within that distance from the hub. Our product allows the carrier to do a true trip sheet, not just print out a routeBand a map - something that no other package today can do. That's just the tip of the iceberg."
For a fraction of the cost of competitive programs - carriers can buy ProMiles 98 with fuel optimization through T-Chek. This means unlimited use of the package without paying look-up fees for each location. The only monthly fee is for the fuel prices that allow for the fuel optimization. The rates are $99 for the retail prices, $199 for retail and wholesale-and 50% off those prices for T-Chek customers. Many carriers find that they can cost justify the package (and then some) within the first month of use.
Still need convincing? Visit the ProMiles site at www.promiles.com. System requirements are at least a 33 MHz 486 machine (a faster machine is better) with at least 12 Meg of RAM (16 Meg recommended), 82 Meg of hard disk space for both U.S. and Canadian locations, a CD-ROM, and color VGA monitor or better. ProMiles 98 runs on Windows® 3.1 or higher, Windows 95, and OS-2, as well as on most PC networks, including (but not limited to) Windows NT, Windows for Workgroups, Novell 3.0 or higher and LANtastic.
For more information, contact:
ProMiles Software Development Corporation
1900 Texas Avenue
Bridge City, Texas 77611
1-800-324-8588
info@promiles.com
www.promiles.com
United States: 1-800-324-8588