TMW Updates i/OS-Based Trucking Software

June 15, 2010 Alex Woodie

TMW Systems is now shipping Innovative Enterprise Software (IES) Release 9, the latest version of the i/OS-based suite of enterprise applications for trucking firms that it obtained in its acquisition of Innovative Computing Corp. (ICC) late last year. Release 9 marks a significant overhaul in the application, which is used by about 300 companies across the country.

ICC, which operates as a subsidiary of TMW from its Nashville, Tennessee headquarters, has been talking about IES Release 9 for the last 18 months. And it’s no wonder: the update included a wholesale conversion of aging RPG III code into the modern ILE RPG language, a large and potentially difficult programming project.

ICC had initially planned to deliver Release 9 in the spring of 2009. But that deadline came and went, with no announcement of general availability. Meanwhile, Cleveland, Ohio-based TMW Systems stepped up and acquired ICC in late 2009, before Release 9 was finalized.

Six months and more than 40,000 hours of testing later, Release 9 is finally ready for prime-time, TMW announced earlier this month. Ray West, who was recently appointed general manager for the Innovative division, calls R9 a “milestone” release. “This painstaking conversion was important to improve developer productivity and speed the release of future enhancements. It also benefits system resource utilization,” he stated in an announcement. West continues to lead the development of another i/OS-based dispatching suite, TL2000, which is based in Indianapolis.

In addition to a modern code base, R9 brings new functionality across IES modules, including accounts payable, payroll, customer service, dispatch, detention tracking, EDI, logistics management, communications, ratings, and reports.

The new release also helps companies comply with the federal government’s new CSA (Comprehensive Safety Analysis) 2010 mandate, which promises stricter oversight of truck drivers. Dispatchers will quickly be able to view how many hours a particular driver is available to work through a new “AvHrs” field included on the R9 interface.

R9 also includes new EDI error reporting and location code referencing capabilities, as well as interfaces to mobile communication software and networks managed by CarrierWeb and DriverTech. The new software also gives users the capability to pre-notify customers, driver managers, or customer service representatives of potential detention situations, the vendor says.