A driver for Land Air Express of New England stopped by the side of the road to use a tablet to access the company's software system.

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"Land Air Express of New England, a regional less-than-truckload carrier in Williston, Vermont, has issued tablets to all of its drivers to enhance communication with dispatch."

Office efficiency

" 'The data flow between drivers and the dispatch office has been great,' said Dave Bush, director of business process at Land Air. He said the phone call volume at dispatch has been cut at least in half because there is no longer a need to call drivers for estimated time of arrival; that information is readily available."

Driver acceptance

"Bush of Land Air said drivers have been quick to adapt to the devices since they were issued last year. 'It's probably tied to people having their own smart phones for their personal use and not being afraid to use a touch screen anymore.' "

Tablet selection

"Land Air looked at rugged tablets when examining which devices to use but decided instead to invest in less expensive consumer tablets. The durability of those devices 'hasn't been an issue at all.' "

Reference: Seth Clevenger, "Low-Cost Mobile Devices Help Small Carriers Access Critical Operating Data, Executives Say," Transport Topics, May 19, page 1. article excerpt (pdf)