Ford to offer a truckload of technology

It's a work truck that serves as an office for contractors — it can even keep track of their tools.

Starting this summer, Ford will offer a Work Solutions package that includes a computer with high-speed Internet access in the dashboard, a Master Lock cargo-locking cable in the bed, software for managing vehicle fleets and a printer for creating invoices and documents at job sites.

Ford, which has 40 percent of the U.S. commercial vehicle market, has aimed the new suite of electronics at the 2009 F-150 pickup, E-series vans and 2010 Transit Connect commercial van. The features will be available together or separately and can be installed at the factory or at the dealership.

The in-dash computer has a 6 ½-inch touchscreen powered by Microsoft Windows CE and Windows Automotive. It connects to the Internet via Sprint cellular broadband and works with Bluetooth-enabled phones for hands-free calling. An in-dash satellite navigation system provides turn-by-turn directions.

A Tool Link system lets owners mark and scan their tools using a radio tag. When the vehicle starts, a pair of antennas mounted inside the truck scan for items on a preprogrammed inventory list. The contents are displayed on the computer.

A fleet manager can pinpoint the locations of vehicles and keep track of maintenance. The system also can check tire pressure and fuel use and can diagnose problems if the "check engine" light flashes.

Locking tools down

Ford asked commercial-truck users for the features they wanted in Work Solutions. Many said they wanted a convenient and easy way to lock large, bulky items such as air compressors and power saws, so Ford hired Master Lock to develop a retractable steel cable in the F-150 cargo bed.

"What they were really looking for was a way to reduce crimes of opportunity, where someone grabs a tool and walks away," said Steve Hedlund, a vice president at Master Lock. "The idea wasn't to make something impenetrable, like a thick and heavy chain. But you would need a heavy pair of bolt cutters" to sever the 10mm retractable cable.

The Master Lock system and other Work Solutions components can be retrofitted onto 1997 and newer F-150s.

Pricing hasn't been released. But the in-dash computer will be priced competitively with electronic gadgets on other vehicles, said Ford spokesman Alan Hall.

Ford's system is different from a laptop computer because it's geared specifically toward vehicle use. The in-dash computer uses flash memory rather than a hard drive. It's been designed to operate under rough conditions and in extreme temperatures, according to Ford.

Partly for security, data are not stored in the computer. Instead, information is accessed via the Internet.

The Work Solutions system is geared toward small-business owners with five to 10 trucks, Hall said.

Drawbacks to the concept

Some of the Work Solutions features could overlap with gadgets already available, such as a BlackBerry. "And I don't need a vehicle tracking system" or a mobile office, said Scott Plummer, president of McGaw Electric in New Berlin, Wis.

"My project managers aren't sitting in their trucks. And they have cellphones and PDAs [personal digital assistants] with text messaging and e-mail. They don't need all of that in the truck, too," Plummer said.

Work Solutions gadgets could save contractors trips to the office for jobs that could be done in the field. But the cost and need for it are issues, said Brian Klein, superintendent for Dnesco Electric in Greenfield, Wis.

"For the average contractor, I am not sure that it would pan out," Klein said. "Our guys wouldn't have the need for a computer or a printer in their truck."

The cable lock is useful and convenient, but it's something you could do on your own, said Joe Wiesenfelder of Cars.com.

"I think that some of this is pretty esoteric," Wiesenfelder said. "The ability to track other vehicles is amazing, but the question is how many buyers would want that. In some ways, the integration of dashboard electronics with voice-activated controls is considered the Holy Grail because that's how you keep both hands on the steering wheel.

"But on the flip side, people are finding that things they bought only a few years ago, such as built-in GPS systems, are already out of date. Dashboard electronics will depreciate much faster than the rest of the vehicle," he said.