Kenyan students digitally steering 500 US trucks

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Kenyan students digitally steering 500 US trucks

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Monika Egle and staff of Road Star at their premises in Mount Kenya University Plaza, Thika. PHOTO | POOL

On the 12th floor of Mount Kenya University Plaza in Thika, Kiambu County, a group of young tech-savvy students is busy working on their computers as they receive calls on a handset.

The calls are from their contact list of 500 long truck drivers from the USA, and the students are offering them monitoring and support services to ensure that the drivers stick to the Hours of Service rules set up by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration set by the US government.

This technology-enabled initiative came into being early this year after Road Star Inc, an American logistics company signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Mount Kenya University targeting either its current students or alumni as part of enhancing its global training and employment opportunities to its graduates.

“Our main job is offering 24-hour support and monitoring truck drivers on the Hours of Service rules set up by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration,” Monika Egle, 30, from Lithuania, Europe who is the local representative of Road Star Inc. told Digital Business in an interview.

Road Star is the partnering institution with Mounty Kenya University.

She is in-charge of 20 students who are employed full time and on a monthly salary of Sh35,000.

The whole interaction between the students and the drivers in the US is seamless where hardware of electronic log is installed in the vehicle, in the form of a small box, which is connected to the vehicle's control unit. An electronic logging device is synchronised with the engine and records vehicle movements.

Then, through Bluetooth or a cable it is connected to the driver's smartphone or tablet. The device is further connected through Wi-Fi or a cellphone connection to receive and send data.

The Road Star application displays all the necessary data and this information goes to the servers then the Electronic Logging Device automatically records all driving activities during the day — it keeps track of the location, ignition and power status, engine hours, vehicle movements and total miles travelled.

The data captured by the device can be viewed, sent by mail on request or printed.

“On our end, we are able to view this data in real-time through the desktop version of the software. We see what activities the drivers are currently performing, and if they need our assistance with anything,” says Ms Egle

“We ensure that drivers logbooks are cleared for traffic police inspection, providing all necessary information about the load they are carrying, and that complies to the Hours of Service regulations,” Ms Egle notes.

She says according to Hours of Service Rules in the US, a driver can only work for 14 hours before taking a ten-hour break and their platform seeks to ensure that truck drivers obey the stipulated rules.

“Additionally, after eight hours of driving they must take 30 minutes break. Lastly, after 70 hours of combined work hours within eight-day period they must rest for 34 hours,” explains Ms Egle

Road Star Inc. says their systems are able to give them real-time information when the drivers are almost violating the set rules. It is also able to shows if there is any missing information such as shipping documents or drivers signature certifying the daily logbook.

“It allows us to see if a driver is in violation by displaying on the screen which violation the driver is in. We then ensure to contact the driver via phone to ensure they follow the regulations and to receive and input the information that is necessary,” says Ms Egle who holds a degree in International Marketing and Business and currently a Community Development and Social Work Student at Mount Kenya University.

Road Star notes that they chose to invest in Kenya because of its technological innovation because of the country’s tech-savvy youth and also Kenyans speak good English.

“This makes Kenya attractive for English-speaking business from the USA,” says Road Star Inc. which has operations in the USA, Ukraine and Kenya.

“Furthermore, labour costs are still relatively low, compared to for example Europe. Lastly, the reliable power and Internet provision makes it an attractive country for foreign business, if the operations are not location-specific.”

Daisy Chepngetich is one of the beneficiaries of the project. She is studying Information Technology at Mount Kenya University. She says the income generated has helped her offset her school fees and offered her the needed experience and global working experience.

Levi Wekesa, another beneficiary of the initiative says the platform has exposed him to new technology concepts as well as a new learning curve while at the same time earning him an income while still a student. He suggests that the same technology can be adopted by National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) to reduce frequent road carnage.

Ms Egle notes that her desire is to see the students she is currently working with use the exposure and training gained to start own enterprises when they leave Road Star.

This, she says, can create a wide pool of employment chain.

“I am very passionate about creating opportunities for young people, which was why I decided to engage with this project. I believe that young people really shape the world we live in, and they need to be engaged, their ideas should be both nurtured and challenged, and my biggest hope is that when they are done with their Roadstar-journey, they will leave and start their own companies and initiatives,” she says.
 
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