Installation guide

LMU Users Guide
V1.0.6 December 10 2009
Copyright ©CalAmp DataCom Inc 2009
- 112 - CalAmp Proprietary & Confidential
14.2
14.2.1 Project Overview
PEG Programming – Long Haul Trucks
For our second example we will look at Hagensville Trucking. Hagensville Trucking is the
leading provider of hazardous material transportation and has extensive operations around
Hagensville, its surrounding state (known as Hagen). They also operate in cities throughout
the three neighboring states (Adorno, Hegel and Neihart).
Hagensville Trucking wants to add GPS capabilities to both their trucks and their hazardous
material trailers. The GPS project was initiated based on the following concerns:
• They have had a recent PR nightmare by losing several trailers full of radioactive
waste from the Hagen nuclear power plant. While each of the trailers was recovered
without loss of the material, the fact it took up to 14 days has made headlines.
• They are starting to develop logistical and legal problems accurately reporting their
mileage in each state. This is for gas tax claims and refunds.
• Several vehicles have missed scheduled maintenance windows and have broken
down mid-route.
• Some drivers are taking on side jobs and leaving the toxic payloads on non-
sanctioned sites. As a result the vehicles are in use for longer hours than expected
with drivers routinely breaking speed limits.
• Drivers are not following safety procedures within the various delivery areas and
processing sites. In most cases this means leaving the vehicle running while
unloading their cargo.
14.2.2 Project Proposal
For this project we are going to split things into two parts. The first part focuses on the
trailers using the LMU-1000™ and the second part will be looking at the trucks using the
LMU-4100™. By selecting the LMU-1000™, we automatically make the technology choice
of GSM. We are in luck since the GSM operator does have coverage in all three states.
14.2.2.1 Project Proposal – Trailer Tracking – LMU Requirements
For the LMU-1000™ piece, we need to know a couple of things about the trailers. First off,
we need to know what power (if any) the trailers offer. Again, we are in luck and each trailer
is equipped with a battery and some measure of solar charging circuitry. We will use this as
our primary power source. We will need to be aggressive on power control to maximize the
battery’s life. We are also somewhat lucky in that the trailer receives power from the truck’s
power supply when it is in use. The trailer’s battery is a 9Volt supply, where the truck’s is
12V. We might be able to use this difference to detect the presence of a vehicle.
Each trailer has a load and unload hatch. The trailer itself is equipped with a mechanism to
make sure only one of these is open at a time but we will, however tap into both for our own
detection purposes. We also need to make sure that nothing is transmitting during a load or
unload operation. For the LMU-1000™ this means we need to put the device to sleep. For