2006-05-09
Road Partner Wins New Customers in Transportation and Public Works

Fleet management systems provider grows its customer base in private and public sectors

Montreal, QC, May 9, 2006 – Road Partner, Inc., a leader in fleet communication systems, announced today that it has added Transpel, a company specializing in long-haul trucking, and the City of Belleville, Ontario to their growing list of transportation and public works customers who use the solution to reduce costs and more effectively manage their fleets.

Quebec-based Transpel, a subsidiary of TransForce Income Fund (TSX: TIF.UN), deployed 70 units of the Road Partner® solution, which collects data on vehicle and driver activity. The reports produced from this data enabled Transpel to see how driver behaviour was costing the company a significant amount of money in wasted fuel. A company-wide driver education and performance bonus program was implemented to address this inefficiency and Transpel saw an immediate result. “Within 6 months of installing the Road Partner fleet management system we saved over $140,000 in fuel costs,” said Claude Deragon, President, Transpel.

“We knew that there was a problem with speed and excessive idling throughout our fleet, but we didn't have a way to accurately pinpoint which drivers or vehicles were not complying with our existing guidelines,” said Deragon. “After implementing the system, we could keep track of all the activities involving our units and make our drivers more aware of the things that cost us, and them, money. The Road Partner solution makes it possible to visualize each driver's performance and quickly respond with corrective measures. The turnaround in results was fast and, in our very competitive market, the savings has had a tremendous impact on our bottom line.”

The City of Belleville Public Works Operations Section chose the Road Partner fleet management system to more effectively manage its assets by having an accurate record of vehicle and resource allocation. Currently the City of Belleville uses the Road Partner solution to collect data on a wide variety of vehicle operations, including winter plough deployment, sand distribution, gravel road maintenance, road sweeping and tree trimming. The data is then displayed on the integrated mapping software or as a report, giving a moment by moment account of a particular city vehicle's activities along its route. Employing both real- and deferred-time reporting via a wireless connection between the vehicles and the city office allows the Public Works Operations Section to differentiate between urgent deployment needs and routine resource monitoring.

“The Road Partner fleet management system has made it easy to efficiently deploy public works equipment throughout the city, allowing us the flexibility to adjust coverage when weather is a factor. From snow removal to street sweeping, we can now ensure that all of our citizens receive the best possible service,” said Gerry LeMay, Superintendent, City of Belleville Public Works Operations Section.

Thirteen units of the Road Partner fleet management system have been deployed throughout the City of Belleville's Public Works Operations Section, serving a population of 46,000 over 507 kilometers of roads.

“Managing fleets locally or internationally provides challenges in maximizing efficiencies and performance. Road Partner is pleased to provide our customers in transportation and public works with the reporting and mapping tools needed for them to improve profitability and service throughout their fleets,” said Alain Adam, Chief Executive Officer, Road Partner, Inc.

About Road Partner

Montreal-based Road Partner, Inc. helps fleet managers achieve the best possible return-on-investment for their vehicular fleets. Road Partner® intelligent on-board systems acquire, process, and report fleet vehicle status and performance information in real- or deferred-time to facilitate operational cost-reduction decisions by finance, human resources, security, operations and maintenance professionals. Road Partner, Inc. is a wholly-owned subsidiary of privately-held Radio IP Software, Inc. For more information, visit the company web site at www.road-partner.com.

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