Regional shipping company New Penn adds wireless tracking service

- Gary Thayer, Editor

Bethesda, MD, April 25, 2005 -- (MobileVillage) -- New Penn Motor Express, a delivery company serving the northeastern U.S., today announced a new service that offers real-time shipment status updates from the time a shipment is picked up to final delivery and allows customers to receive automatic email delivery notification from the delivery driver within seconds.

The NP-Connex system uses handheld computers and a custom-designed software application. Data from the handheld unit is transmitted from the vehicle mount via the Velocita Wireless Data network to the New Penn data center. Information is then immediately available to dispatchers in the New Penn automated pickup and delivery dispatch system and to customers, on the New Penn web site or via email.

Previously, New Penn customers were unable to start tracking a shipment until the day after it has been shipped, says New Penn VP of Marketing Steven Ginter.

With the NP-Connex system, customers can begin tracking the shipment from the moment it is picked up, or before if the bill of lading and pickup were created online. In the former case, the shipment status would then reflect "Pickup Completed."

After a shipment is out for delivery, customers can also see status updates such as "Now EnRoute to be Delivered" as the truck is driven to that particular delivery and "Now being Delivered" as the driver delivers the shipment. The status updates are also available in a variety of report formats by clicking on Shipment Reports in the New Penn web site.

NP-Connex also offers email delivery notification is available to anyone with a New Penn shipment tracking number and email access. Users go to the New Penn web site, click on Shipment Tracking and enter the tracking number and their email address. The system then tracks the shipment and sends an email delivery notification within seconds of the driver completing the delivery.

"Customers tell us they only need this higher level of communication on those shipments that are particularly sensitive, rather than receiving an email delivery notification on every shipment," notes Ginter. NP-Connex proactively communicates automatic email delivery notification from the driver to the customer, eliminating the need for follow-up, he says.

NP-Connex utilizes the second generation of handheld on-board computers implemented by New Penn. The new on-board computers are installed in approximately 800 tractors and straight trucks, which represents approximately 95% of the New Penn fleet.

New Penn is a subsidiary of Yellow Roadway Corporation (Nasdaq:YELL).

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