Rand McNally has introduced significant additions to its IntelliRoute and MileMaker commercial trucking solutions to help carriers and shippers save time and money. These enhancements will provide more flexibility and customization in freight rating and truck routing, more specific routing in Mexico, and the most up-to-date U.S. ZIP and Canadian postal codes, weigh stations and toll costs.

First to incorporate street-level data for Mexico

Rand McNally, with its new IntelliRoute Dock2Dock software announced in September, now provides street-level routing in Mexico. Carriers and shippers can now route on city and inter-neighborhood streets throughout North America.

To provide such specific data, Rand McNally's cartographers and GIS experts enhanced the company's own proprietary data with datasets from NAVTEQ, a world leader in premium-quality digital map data. This level of data helps drivers on Mexican roads navigate more efficiently, avoid "out-of-route" miles and costly fines, and deliver more loads on time.

"We often seek feedback from our customers on how to expand our suite of software solutions to drive value in their organization," said Donna Koppensteiner, vice president of the enterprise division for Rand McNally. "Being the first to supply carriers and shippers with Mexican street-level data is one more way for us to help them maximize fuel efficiency and reduce costs."

More customized routes by truck type to reduce costs

Carriers and shippers can now use Rand McNally's IntelliRoute and MileMaker software to customize their routing options for trailers that are 48 feet or less in length across all of Rand McNally's standard routing methodologies: HHG, Practical, Dock2Dock and Lowest Cost. As a result, customers can negotiate freight rates based on accurate, truck-drivable routes tailored to individual truck configuration or type of goods carried. According to a June 2008 report from C.J. Driscoll & Associates and GE Capital Solutions, industry experts indicate that accurate routing can produce an 8 percent savings in fuel costs. This can result in hundreds of thousands of dollars for large carriers, such as those in the tank truck industry.

"Because tank truck carriers are shorter than the truck-load carrier standard of 53 feet in length, we require a truck-legal route for a shorter length trailer," said John L. Conley, President of the National Tank Truck Carriers association. "Rand McNally responded to our unique needs, allowing us to take advantage of additional roads in our routing. Providing for the 48-foot or less configuration option will contribute to more realistic route planning and billing."

Quarterly data updates keep drivers apprised of road changes

The December 1, 2008 toll rate increases in New Jersey are just one example of more than 918,000 updates Rand McNally is releasing in December to keep all customers current on data that will affect their routes. These changes include updated and new toll roads and costs; new U.S. ZIP and Canadian postal codes; new ferries and costs; as well as information about weigh stations, rest areas, service plazas and welcome centers. Rand McNally collaborates with government agencies such as the United States Postal Service and state and provincial departments of transportation, as well as toll facility operators, to provide its customers with current data each quarter.