Wednesday, December 3, 2008

Penske Truck Leasing teams up with PeopleNet

READING, Pa., Dec. 3, 2008 – Today, Penske Truck Leasing announced it has teamed with PeopleNet for onboard commercial truck technology solutions. The move marks a shift in Penske’s Fleet I.Q. strategy from offering a single private-labeled product to a suite of products and services.

“We are very pleased to be working with PeopleNet,” said Jim Feenstra, Senior Vice President, Marketing – Penske Truck Leasing. “We selected them based on their ability and commitment to offer our customers a high level of customer service as well as a quality product with robust functionality.”

“We’re excited to work with Penske to offer their customers excellent integrated onboard computing and mobile communications systems,” said Ron Konezny, chief executive officer for PeopleNet. "Our alliance with Penske is a natural fit. We both are customer-oriented companies. Together, we offer fleet managers an effective way to reduce operating costs and improve fleet productivity."

Penske’s move to begin working with PeopleNet is part of its wider technology and decision support strategy to support its customer’s fleet productivity needs. Fleet I.Q. will become a portfolio of services and solutions at various price points that will include onboard technology solutions from a variety of high-caliber, value-added suppliers, like PeopleNet. Penske will also provide a new financing option and in-house consulting to help its customers analyze and get the most from the data captured by these on-board fleet technology systems.

“Over the last several years, we offered customers one Fleet I.Q. product through one vendor,” said Feenstra. “At the time this was right because of the various vendor business models and our customers weren’t yet comfortable with these systems. However, today the market is maturing. Companies are looking to optimize fleet productivity and reduce transportation costs. Also, through our experience we understand that one size doesn’t fit all and different customers need different solutions. That’s why Fleet I.Q. is becoming a broader offering of solutions with more choices, price points and functionality but based on the foundation of solid and indisputable customer service. This is why we chose a partner like PeopleNet.”

Penske Truck Leasing Co., L.P., headquartered in Reading, Pa., is a joint venture among Penske Corporation, Penske Automotive Group and General Electric. A leading global transportation services provider, Penske operates more than 200,000 vehicles and serves customers from more than 1,000 locations in North America, South America, Europe and Asia. Product lines include full-service truck leasing, contract maintenance, commercial and consumer truck rentals, transportation and warehousing management, and supply chain management solutions. Visit www.gopenske.com to learn more about the company and its products and services.

PeopleNet, based in suburban Minneapolis, is North America's leading provider of Internet-based and integrated onboard computing and mobile communications systems. Its transportation products are used by top truckload, LTL, private, and service fleets in the U.S. and Canada. PeopleNet was the first major technology provider to offer Internet-based communications to the transportation industry 14 years ago and now serves more than 1,500 customers, including several Fortune 500 companies. PeopleNet is on the web at www.peoplenetonline.com.