CHASKA, MN – PeopleNet has announced two enhancements to its vehicle management system, PerformX, according to the Web site www.todaystrucking.com. Fault-code monitoring, the first enhancement, means PerformX can alert maintenance managers to vehicle malfunctions and future maintenance issues wirelessly and in real time. The second extends the system’s on-board diagnostics capabilities to light trucks, vans, and cars. PerformX is the vehicle monitoring module of PeopleNet’s g3 solution, which connects the on-board computer to the vehicle’s engine.

It draws data from the engine control module (ECM) and its reports show managers precisely how a vehicle has functioned and how it was driven. Fault codes are generated by the vehicle’s engine whenever there’s an exception condition — when oil pressure falls below a certain point, for example. PerformX can now notify management of urgent vehicle distress signals at virtually the same time the driver sees trouble on his dashboard gauges, allowing home base to make critical decisions quickly and possibly prevent future breakdowns. Fault codes can be set to ‘deferred’ for batch downloading or to ‘real-time’ for immediate notification. Customers can change code settings at any time, and they can be set for one truck at a time, for a group of trucks, or for an entire fleet.

All data can be viewed via the PeopleNet Fleet Manager Web interface. The second PerformX enhancement is OBD-2 capability. Fault codes and OBD-2 capability will be available at the end of March 2007.