Karlsruhe, Germany, March 2, 2010

Easier, greener, more precise and more open this is how the new map&guide professional version can be described in a few words. The connection to Teleroute's freight exchange makes freight contracting a lot easier. The new version enables users to calculate routes, times, costs and emission values even more precisely. Moreover, a new interface opens up PTV's transport route planner to other applications. The new version will be available as of March 2010 from the producer PTV with prices starting at €799.00.

Easy freight contracting
map&guide 2010 is the first route optimisation software which is connected to Teleroute's freight exchange with over 200,000 freight and vehicle offers every day. Dispatchers whose trucks still have capacity for additional freight or who want to avoid empty runs can access all Teleroute data from the map&guide software.

If a dispatcher needs more freight for a trip from Antwerp to Dijon, he or she can simply click the "freight exchange" button and will get a list showing the various types of freight available. The data is updated every minute. It includes freight information on weight, loading metres, or refrigerated goods transport. The routes are displayed on a digital map in the form of lines between the loading and the unloading point. Once the dispatcher has specified the type of freight, map&guide professional starts calculating the loading and unloading points and the time and mileage needed in addition to the original route. The dispatcher can then access the freight exchange directly from map&guide. The information and contact data required for completing the process is forwarded online.

A transport route planner, which is also used as a standard tool for the settlement of charges, combined with freight exchange is a one-of-a-kind solution delivering considerable added value.

More precise travel times
Thanks to Navteq Traffic Patterns the new version calculates journey times that are even more realistic. These traffic patterns are historical traffic data records on average traffic flow velocity and time-related traffic incidents. For example, a driver taking the Munich Ring in the morning at half past six will need an extra 15 minutes than during the night hours without any commuter traffic.

Dispatchers benefit from the option to adjust the expected arrival time during the planning process. An info box shows not only all trip data but also a bar chart indicating the best time of departure.

Open system
A new interface makes map&guide compatible with other systems. This is of great interest to dispatchers who have used a separate expediting system for their invoicing processes while also requiring map&guide for travel times, mileage and costs. They can now directly move from invoicing to route planning and import all relevant information. Plus, it is easier to fill the stop-off list with data from another application and to calculate the corresponding routes.

Routing takes permanent roadworks and closures into account
PTV's transport and logistics experts have completely revised the integration of traffic information services. Since information on short-term incidents caused by traffic accidents are irrelevant for plans and quotations, dispatchers can specify in the new version that only long-term closures are taken into consideration. In this event, they must choose an alternative route for their drivers which might cause additional costs. Based on this information they can provide their customers with the desired quotation.

Route-based emissions calculation with HBEFA 3.1
Gaining competitive advantage through "green" logistics: map&guide enables users to determine pollutant emissions for every single transport run on the basis of routes. Vehicle emissions that are lower compared to those of core competitors help transport companies to truly stand out from the competition. The emissions calculation data is based on HBEFA (Handbook Emission Factors for Road Transport). The data volume of the new version is more complex which makes the calculation of emissions even more precise. In this way, it is now possible to specify various types of fuel, such as biodiesel and natural gas. Moreover, the range of data records for Germany, Austria and Switzerland have been extended with data from France, Norway and Sweden. And of course, CO2 emissions can still be offset by means of climate certificates during the planning process.

PTV partners with Tricorona AB and the Swiss Foundation myClimate who are leading forces on the voluntary market for carbon offsetting. Both organisations see to it that offset fees are invested in climate protection projects that conform to Kyoto Protocol guidelines. After paying the fee for carbon-neutral transport of a shipment, freight operators receive an e-mail or letter containing the official offset certificate for the trip planned in map&guide.