Abstract:
A method and an electronic system, for implementing that method, are described that collect data relating to the operation of a vehicle and the condition of its operator, which information is processed and recorded in a crash survivable apparatus such that processed information may be transmitted wirelessly from the vehicle to various monitoring facilities that may use that processed information to develop comprehensive records regarding the operation of the vehicle by the particular operator. The purpose of the records is to permit the owners of fleets to better select operators and control vehicles in a manner that permits them to develop a history of safe operation of their fleet to satisfy insurers and obtain reasonably priced insurance.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION  
       [0001]     This application claims the benefit of priority under 35 U.S.C. § 120 of co-pending U.S. Provisional Patent Application U.S. 60/624,193 filed Nov. 3, 2004, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     The present invention relates generally to vehicles and particularly to monitoring the status of vehicles and their operators.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0003]     Commercial vehicles, such as those within a trucking or rental fleet, are often operated without sufficient care and attention by drivers at locations far from the organization that is responsible for them. This creates a number of risks that result in safety concerns to the public and security concerns for the owners. In particular, injury and theft problems are of sufficient magnitude that the cost of insurance is so high that insurance is either very expensive or simply not available to many vehicle operators or owners.  
         [0004]     In the particular instance of trucking fleets, the effect of a poorly operated truck involved in a collision can result in catastrophic losses in terms of personal injury and property damage to members of the public and to the fleet operators. In addition, the effect of a poorly operated truck can result in significant costs to the fleet operator through increased or premature maintenance costs and insurance costs. As is well known, many overworked vehicle operators fall asleep such that these often large vehicles leave the roadway with resulting damage to overhead structures such as bridges, or, more significantly causing collisions with surrounding traffic. Increased property damage and/or personal injury leads to increased insurance claims and settlements with the result that premiums become prohibitively expensive for many operators. Furthermore, poor drivers who drive aggressively and inefficiently by accelerating or braking too hard reduce vehicle life, which leads to increased maintenance costs. Still further, there remain problems with dishonest drivers or operators who falsify driving records, abuse fuel access rights, and steal cargo.  
         [0005]     As a result, there has been a need for a comprehensive system for the reliable monitoring and timely reporting of risk factors that can be used to capture and develop operator and vehicle history, calculate risk for insurance underwriters, sanction adverse behaviour, evaluate vehicle performance and otherwise provide a full record of driving events that may be used for other purposes such as reconstructing events leading up to vehicle accidents and evaluating drivers.  
         [0006]     A review of the prior art reveals that presently there is no system that reconciles data from different but related sources to reliably monitor the operating parameters of a vehicle and then generate a record that is useful for the above purposes. That is, the prior art in the vehicle monitoring industry has concentrated on teaching variations on stand-alone devices that work in isolation to create only local alerts that are transient in nature.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0007]     In accordance with one aspect of the invention, there is generally provided a system that collects data relating to the operation of a vehicle and the condition of its operator, which information is processed and recorded in a crash survivable module such that processed information may be transmitted from the vehicle (preferably wirelessly and/or over the Internet or a private wide area network) to a monitoring facility that may use that processed information to develop comprehensive records regarding the operation of the vehicle.  
         [0008]     In accordance with the invention, there is more particularly provided an electronic system, for monitoring at least one parameter of a vehicle or an operator, the system comprising: at least one sensor operatively connected to the vehicle for capturing data respecting said at least one parameter; a data processor operatively connected to the at least one sensor, for receiving, processing and interpreting data from the at least one sensor; a data storage system operatively connected to either said data processor or said at least one sensor, for receiving and storing data; and a communication system operatively connected to the data processor, for communicating data from said vehicle.  
         [0009]     The system may further comprise any one of or a combination of an output sub-system operatively connected to the data processor for providing a visible, audible, or electrical response to the interpretation of data processor data, a biometric sub-system operatively connected to the data processor for receiving biometric information from a vehicle operator and wherein the data processor interprets the biometric information for initiating a visual, audio or electrical response, a vision sub-system operatively connected to the data processor for capturing image data relating to vehicle operation, the operating environment or the operator, a vehicle orientation and inertia module operatively connected to the data processor for receiving vehicle orientation and inertia data from the vehicle and reporting the vehicle orientation and inertia data to the data processor, an operative connection to a vehicle data network for receiving vehicle performance data from the vehicle and reporting the vehicle performance data to the data processor and/or an operator input system for providing operator input to the data processor.  
         [0010]     In a still further embodiment, the system may further comprise an antenna operatively connected to the communication system, for receiving data from an external data source and wherein the data processor interprets the external data for reporting to the operator.  
         [0011]     In a still further embodiment, the system may further comprise a remote processor adapted for communication with the vehicle over a local or wide area network.  
         [0012]     In a further embodiment, the data processor may be programmed to interpret data from the at least one sensor in accordance with pre-determined thresholds such that interpreted data inconsistent with the thresholds causes a trigger event thereby causing the interpreted data to be reported to a remote processor. The remote processor may also receive and process data from any one or more of a plurality of vehicles, and interpret vehicle specific data to create a driver report relating to any trigger events for a given operator.  
         [0013]     The system of the invention may further comprise a router operatively connected to the communication system, for transferring data across the Internet to at least one remote terminal, in order to directly monitor parameters. Alternatively, there may be included at least one server operatively connected to the router, for use as a host device to exchange data between the router and the at least one remote terminal.  
         [0014]     According to another aspect of the invention there is provided a method, for electronically monitoring parameters, in conjunction with a trip, of a commercial vehicle having an operator, using a system having a predefined set of operational rules, the method comprising the steps: i) identify said operator and record the identity of said operator in conjunction with an electronic record file respecting said trip; ii) gather and process data respecting a plurality of vehicle parameters while in operation in order to add said vehicle parameters to said electronic record file; iii) compare at least one vehicle parameter with at least one related threshold defined in said operational rules; iv) record an event each time a vehicle parameter is inconsistent with a related threshold; v) generate an alert as defined in said operational rules; and vi) transmit said alert locally or to a remote location, for further handling.  
         [0015]     The method of the invention may further comprise the steps: gather and process data respecting a plurality of operator parameters while said vehicle is in operation in order to add said operator parameters to said electronic record file; compare said operator parameters with a related threshold defined in said operational rules; and record an event each time an operator parameter is inconsistent with said related threshold.  
         [0016]     The method of the invention may further comprise the step: correlate said event with other indications that the same parameter is inconsistent with said related threshold.  
         [0017]     In yet another embodiment, the invention provides a system for electronically monitoring parameters of a commercial vehicle trip and a vehicle operator, comprising: 
        an identification module for identifying said operator and for recording the identity of said operator within an electronic record file respecting said trip;     a processing module for gathering and processing data respecting a plurality of vehicle parameters while in operation for adding said vehicle parameters to said electronic record file;     a comparing module for comparing at least one vehicle parameter with at least one related threshold defined within a pre-determined set of operational rules; a recording module for recording an event each time a vehicle parameter is inconsistent with a related threshold;     an alert module for generating an alert signal as defined in said operational rules; and a transmission module for transmitting said alert signal locally or to a remote location, for further handling.       
 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0022]     The invention is described by the following description and drawings in which:  
         [0023]      FIG. 1  illustrates one embodiment of the system of the present invention, showing a selection of elements associated with a vehicle being monitored;  
         [0024]      FIG. 2  illustrates a preferred embodiment of the system of the present invention, showing remote user terminals accessing information via a host server; and,  
         [0025]      FIG. 3  illustrates an alternate embodiment of the system of the present invention, showing remote user terminals accessing information directly over the Internet. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       [0026]     With reference to the Figures, a system and method for monitoring various operating parameters of a vehicle are now described.  
         [0027]     Referring to  FIG. 1 , there is illustrated an electronic system  100  for monitoring the operation of a vehicle (not shown) and its operator, the system  100  enabling various parameters relating to the performance and operation of both the operator and the vehicle to be gathered, analyzed, and recorded. The information obtained from such monitoring and analysis can be made available to a variety of parties including a central monitoring facility for a wide range of purposes. In its most general form, processing module  110  (e.g. a personal computer such as PC  104 , a microprocessor, or an application specific integrated circuit or “ASIC”) is operatively connected to a plurality of data-gathering devices such as parameter sensors that are operatively connected to both the driver or operator and the vehicle being operated. According to a preferred embodiment of system  100 , processing module  110  is also connected to transmitter module  195  in order to permit data to be wirelessly exchanged with a monitoring and control facility.  
         [0028]     Processing module  110  may be configured to use different modes (e.g. cellular, private band, satellite) of communication at different times or in different locations, to transmit definable blocks of data that may differ according to the operating status (e.g. normal, high risk, emergency) of the vehicle. Data streams of different compositions may also be forwarded to different facilities that use different information for different purposes.  
         [0029]     In its various embodiments system  100  includes a number of modules operatively connected to processing module  110  to enable sophisticated monitoring and data processing to be achieved. For example, Operator ID Module  120  could include different combinations of biometric identification and testing technology suitable for interfacing with a driver. Similarly, Vision Module  130  is for collecting image data relating to the specific driving events or patterns of the vehicle; Orientation and Inertia Module  150  collects vehicle motion data; Vehicle Data Network  160  collects a range of performance and status data; whereas Document Scanning module  180  processes data relating to specific shipments of goods.  
         [0030]     System  100  may also enable use of Global Positioning System  145  input data as well as appropriate input devices such as Operator Keypad  170  and Voice module  175 . According to a preferred embodiment, system  100  includes Data Recorder e-logbook  190  operatively connected to processing module  110  for recording definable vehicle data.  
         [0031]     Examples of sensory and input devices that system  100  takes advantage of include: operator identification sensors (e.g. fingerprint or retinal readers and/or breathalyser sensors), interior and exterior cameras, air bag activation sensors, radar detection, Global Positioning System (“GPS”) devices, road &amp; weather condition sensors (e.g. traction control technology), orientation and inertial sensors, operator keypads and microphones, image or barcode scanners, and any suitable manufacturer&#39;s Vehicle Data Network (“VDN”) (e.g. Caterpillar J1708 and J1939) used to collect operational data to service modern vehicles.  
         [0032]     More specifically, and according to one embodiment of system  100 , there is provided biometric Operator ID Module  120  capable of reliably identifying an individual within a vehicle being monitored. Module  120  will generally receive and process data relating to the identity of an individual attempting to operate a vehicle, and, after determining their identity, enable or deny access by the individual to operate the particular vehicle. It is to be understood that module  120  may incorporate sub-systems that collect and analyze data relating to the physical state of an operator (e.g. breathalyser technology, or pulse and heart-rate, et cetera). Module  120  may also include functionality that requires an operator to periodically re-enter biometric data during a trip, such that any change of operator enroute may be observed, recorded, and transmitted to any suitable monitoring and control facility for any appropriate authorization. Advantageously, module  120  also makes it possible for system  100  to disable a vehicle from starting or deactivate a running engine, if it is determined that an unauthorized individual is attempting to move the vehicle.  
         [0033]     According to a further embodiment of system  100  a vision module  130  is included for collecting image data relating to the performance of both the operator and the vehicle. Vision module  130  may include sensors for facial recognition that permit monitoring the facial state of an operator enroute. For example, signs of distress or fatigue in an operator&#39;s face may be used to generate alerts or otherwise aid an operator while driving.  
         [0034]     Vision module  130  may take advantage of a sub-system of cameras (e.g. Mobileye AWS, DriveCam), laser range finders, proximity sensors, and other devices that provide an operator or supervisors with warnings or records with respect to specific driving events. For example, data respecting lane changes not associated with turn signal activation, detection of hazards such as low bridges, or risk of collision with an object—can all be detected for reporting to the operator or recorded and provided to any suitable monitoring facility. For further example, and in another embodiment, when the vehicle monitored is a bus, taxi, or train carrying passengers some of who may be unruly, a driver or passengers may activate a silent alarm that triggers images from vision module  130  to be transmitted to a dispatch office or other monitoring facility where supervisors may remotely view the interior of the vehicle and assess the need for intervention to assist the operator of the vehicle.  
         [0035]     Given the amount of data gathered by a typical vision system, in order to manage onboard storage, a short-cycle loop recording device may be used to continuously over-write its memory (e.g. every 10 minutes) in the absence of a defined event (e.g. impact, hard braking, radar detection) that causes the storage device to save the audio and video associated with the event, for future analysis. For the same reasons, according to one embodiment of system  100 , vision module  130  may further comprise a video server for capturing and compressing digital images that may then be processed locally or remotely.  
         [0036]     According to one of its embodiments system  100  includes at least one external data module  140  for accessing external data, such as road condition and weather data. The data received from module  140  may be compared to data from other vehicle sensors to enable a comparison between expected and actual weather conditions. System  100  may also enable the data collected and/or analyzed by the vehicle to be sent to a remote monitoring facility. Advantageously, each vehicle equipped with system  100  may operate as a fleet&#39;s mobile weather station, for example feeding actual road condition data back to an operational control centre in real time to permit rerouting of fleet traffic as appropriate.  
         [0037]     A further embodiment of system  100  includes Orientation and Inertia module  150  from which processing module  110  accepts as input data information from sensors such as accelerometers and gyroscopes that enable the measurement of parameters such pitch, yaw, roll, elevation, impact, acceleration, velocity or changes in any of these as well as other statistics respecting the physical position and changes of position of the vehicle. Individual parameter data alone or in correlation with other measurements from other vehicle borne sub-systems, enables the collection of information about the behaviour of a vehicle at a point in time or over a period of time.  
         [0038]     According to a further embodiment of system  100  there is provided a vehicle data network  160  (“VDN  160 ”) for collecting data relating to various vehicle operating parameters. Processing module  110  is preferably configured to query according to a native standard or protocol (e.g. J1708 or J1939), preferably through an industry standard connector (e.g. a Deutz 9-pin connector), to determine output statistics such as engine RPM, fuel pump delivery, accelerator position, as measured by the manufacturer&#39;s built-in sub-systems. Some of the data acquired in this manner may not otherwise be available, and other data may be redundant such that it is useful for error-checking both VDN  160  and system  100 . A wide range of sensors such as brake wear sensors, engine performance, and fuel consumption, are standard equipment in modern vehicles as part of their onboard data network, however after-market sensors such as: tire blowout, lighting, signalling, load and traction sensors, and trailer connection sensors may supplement or enhance manufacturer&#39;s equipment and be configured to communicate with processing module  110  directly or through any suitable embodiment of VDN  160 .  
         [0039]     According to a preferred embodiment of system  100  there are provided operator input modules such as keypad  170 , voice activation module  175 , and document scanner  180 . These operator input modules are operatively coupled to processing module  110  in order to allow an operator to control system  100  and to use system  100  to efficiently manage cargo and customer information upon pickup, during a trip, and on delivery.  
         [0040]     According to a preferred embodiment of system  100  there is further provided data recorder  190  (e.g. a moving hard disc, an optical ROM, a solid-state chip, bubble memory, or any other suitable memory device) housed in a crash survivable housing (not shown) for creating an electronic logbook or manifest that tracks specified performance parameters and trip events, information respecting which is available to system  100 . Data recorder  190  preferably meets performance specifications similar to those used in the aircraft industry (i.e. “black boxes”), but adjusted as appropriate to the vehicle industry. For example, it is contemplated that the housing withstand an impact of 3400 g&#39;s, static crush of 5000 lbs for 5 minutes, puncture resistance of a 500 lb object dropped from 10 feet on a 0.25″ point, fire at 2000 deg F. for one hour and 500 deg F. for 24 hours—all without penetrating the crash survivable housing or harming data recorder  190  inside.  
         [0041]     Advantageously, information recorded by data recorder  190  is useful for understanding the status of both the vehicle and its operator leading up to an accident. Further, data stored by data recorder  190  is useful to owners and insurance companies to: determine service schedules, assess relative driver risk, reward good-driving behaviour, and for other purposes. Some of the data gathered by data recorder  190  is wirelessly transmitted to a remote location through transmitter module  195 , permitting supervisors to monitor sensitive situations (e.g. high-risk operators or high-value cargo) in which real-time monitoring of particular elements of a fleet enroute is appropriate. Other data (e.g. engine speed, fuel consumption, load balance) may be stored continuously for future reprocessing or simply as a “service record” (e.g. for resale) of the related asset.  
         [0042]     According to a preferred embodiment of system  100 , processing module  110  and data recorder  190  are combined inside a crash survivable housing to form a protected sub-system that includes a connector (i.e. any suitable multi-pin electrical connector for exchanging data with a VDN) for exchanging data through the crash survivable housing.  
         [0043]     By having a system  100  on each vehicle in a fleet, data may be exchanged between individual vehicles and one or more monitoring facilities using different modes and on different schedules. For example, data streams may be: continuously exchanged between a vehicle and its monitoring facility, or transmitted intermittently according to the available communication networks encountered enroute (including whenever the vehicle passes near “hotspots”), or transmitted according to pre-determined communication time schedules, or whenever a vehicle docks at the time it is parked.  
         [0044]     According to a preferred embodiment of system  100 , there are provided redundant modes of data transmission, based on the popular transmission control protocol over Internet protocol (i.e. TCP/IP), such as: a cellular network transponder, a satellite network transponder, or an RF transmitter. Cellular network transponder includes a modem adaptable to transmitting through a Cellular Digital Packet Data network using any suitable router, for transmitting data from the vehicle over the Internet. Similarly, the satellite network transponder (e.g. a Globalstar transponder) accesses a satellite network using any suitable router, for transmitting from the vehicle over the Internet. However, an RF transmitter (operating within the radio frequency portion of the electromagnetic spectrum at any suitable frequency) may also be used to reach a private WAN established to control a fleet that operates primarily within a defined region, such that routing over the Internet is not required. It is understood that laser, infra-red, or other non-RF line-of-sight means may be used.  
         [0045]     It is contemplated that system  100  may be used, when a vehicle is stationary, by the operator to access a “fleet homepage” to make information (e.g. advertising from preferred suppliers near the vehicle&#39;s present location) available to the operator at a time when it is safe to do so. It is understood that operators may access this information according to different safety rules through any suitable display means (e.g. plasma or LCD screen, headset, “Head&#39;s Up” holographic display, speakers, et cetera) onboard the vehicle.  
         [0046]     Similarly, when a vehicle is in motion its operator may access a critical sub-set of information (e.g. emergency road &amp; weather condition data) that is delivered in a simple, non-distracting format to the operator. Trucking association and government highway surface condition reports are also contemplated as sources of external data that system  100  may be programmed to take advantage of at different locations or times during a trip. Further, fleet owners may discretely change the rules governing a trip in progress for a variety of reasons, including, for example, security reasons (disable truck or release cargo locks) and regulatory compliance (exceeding licensed weight).  
         [0047]     According to one embodiment of system  100 , particular onboard data streams are continuously correlated by processing module  110  for error-checking and problem avoidance purposes. For example, image data from vision module  130  may be cross-referenced with abnormal data from orientation and inertia module  150  in order to facilitate the early detection of a problem with an unstable trailer in which the load has shifted.  
         [0048]     Similarly, monitoring fuel consumption data in correlation with fuel tank level data may be used to detect a fuel-line leak (vehicle in motion) or a fuel theft (vehicle stationary) in progress. Correlating such data continuously can be used to trigger a silent alert for further enquiry, coordinated with images from vision module  130  and/or company fuel card charges monitored from a supplier&#39;s records—to identify the most likely cause.  
         [0049]     Many commercial vehicles are operated with separate components known as a “tractor” and a trailer. Although a data network is typically associated with the tractor, processing module  110  may also accept input from devices associated with the trailer. Hitch connection sensors, load sensors, RF and other ID chips, GPS, signal lighting, tire blowout sensors, magnetic locks, wind pressure, door ajar, temperature, and a range of other sensors may be used to gather information about a trailer for correlation with information about the tractor. For example, if a tractor becomes disconnected from the trailer that it departed with, there are a number of reasons (some legitimate and others illegal) why this might occur, such as a breakdown of the tractor necessitating switching tractors enroute, knowledge of which fact may be important to a customer awaiting a time-sensitive delivery.  
         [0050]     Referring now to  FIG. 2  and  FIG. 3 , system  100  may be operated in a variety of modes, representative examples of which are set out below.  
         [0051]     According to one embodiment of the method of the invention, a vehicle equipped with system  100  may, upon pre-determined actions by either a driver or a fleet operator, establish communication between the vehicle and a monitoring facility—preferably by wirelessly connecting to a host device (e.g. dedicated server  910  or user terminal  921 ), such that system  100  queries for any initial settings (including changes to its operational rules) for a specific trip. Next, processing module  110  checks for the latest upgrade of system software and downloads any upgrades, as appropriate. Next, processing module  110  responds to the host device&#39;s queries and uploads any required information (e.g. hazardous goods temperature data) typically defined in a set of rules created by the owners of the vehicle or cargo for the particular vehicle and operator combination. Some of the required information may be sensed directly (e.g. trailer weight as sensed by load cells integrated with a modern trailer) by system  100 , whereas other information may need to be input by the operator (e.g. the interior trailer temperature reading taken from an older manual trailer) using keypad  170  or scanner  180 . Once any required exchanges between processing module  110  and its host are complete—a trip log is initialized and the operator may commence delivery of the particular load. Depending upon many factors (e.g. new operator, dangerous cargo, poor weather) a particular trip may be monitored continuously, periodically, or only upon the occurrence of a pre-defined event that generates a system alert. Similarly, the content and density of onboard recording during a trip may be custom defined according to risk factors of interest to the specific owners or insurers.  
         [0052]     Regardless of how system  100  is configured to monitor a trip, certain high-priority events (e.g. collision) in progress—will trigger immediate transmission of pre-specified information prior to data recorder  190  potentially being destroyed and in order to expedite an appropriate response by all of those concerned—such as emergency services, the vehicle&#39;s owners or their agents, and people waiting or responsible for the cargo.  
         [0053]     Upon any major change of operation enroute or at the conclusion of a trip, system  100  marks or closes the related trip record file and transmits pre-specified information to one or more locations. For example, the owners of the tractor may require different information than the owners of the trailer, who may in turn require different information than the owners or insurers of the cargo. Trip information is used in many ways including: updating an operator&#39;s record (e.g. hours, reliability, speeding) with an employer, updating a vehicle&#39;s record (e.g. engine hours, load weights, burned out light bulbs) with a service department, and updating or risk indexing an owner&#39;s record (e.g. respecting mileage, risk zones entered, dangerous cargos safely hauled) with an insurance company. The resulting trustworthy and easily accessible trip records are automatically accumulated in a series of correlated and cross-referenced electronic logbooks and may be used in many decisions, including: continued employment or new hiring of operators, making critical cargo assignments only to safe operators driving highly reliable vehicles, vehicle replacement, insurability, and safe operation discounts on insurance—as a few examples.  
         [0054]     Referring to  FIG. 2 , there is illustrated a preferred embodiment of the system of the invention, showing remote user terminals  921 ,  922 , and  923  accessing information about mobile assets (e.g. trucks each having a system  100  onboard)  210 ,  230 , and  250  through fleet control host server  910 . As an example scenario, assume that truck  210  departs a fleet yard (not shown) to pickup loaded trailer  230  at a customer&#39;s yard (not shown) for transport to a remote destination (not shown) where trailer  230  will be unloaded. Truck  210  uses its system  100  (see  FIG. 1 ) to exchange data with server  910  at the time that truck  210  leaves its yard and thereafter only as required enroute to trailer  230 . Preferably, server  910  permits such exchange (and a recording) to take place continuously without human intervention and whether or not any of user terminals  921 ,  922 , or  923  are in operation. An authorized agent of the fleet owner may then use terminal  921  at any time to alter operational rules that restrict truck  210  by uploading new rules to server  910 , or by sending them over the Internet through server  910  to truck  210 &#39;s system  100  on a priority interrupt basis. Similarly, if truck  210  experiences problems enroute, its system  100  may upload relevant information to server  910  on a priority basis seeking instructions from fleet operations controllers anywhere (e.g. maintenance division monitoring via terminal  923 ) or even confirming that truck  210  cannot complete its assigned trip. An authorized agent of the fleet may next use terminal  921  to upload instructions for replacement truck  250  located in a different yard to proceed to trailer  230  in place of truck  210 . As well, an owner of trailer  230  or its cargo (e.g. a customer of fleet) may monitor permitted details of the trip in progress using terminal  922 , advantageously permitting the customer (expecting the cargo to arrive at the destination) to be informed only as appropriate. Although  FIG. 2  uses router  800  to interconnect with a set of networks known as the Internet, it is understood that wireless signals  901 ,  902 , and  903  may be exchanged with server  910  more directly through a private Wide Area Network according to a different embodiment of the same invention.  
         [0055]     Referring to  FIG. 3 , there is illustrated an alternate embodiment of the system of the invention, showing remote user terminals  821 ,  822 , and  823  accessing information from mobile assets  210 ,  230 , and  250  directly over the Internet. According to the embodiment shown in  FIG. 3 , no server  910  is required when one or more of terminals  821 ,  822 , and  823  are in operation in a peer to peer mode communicating through a suitable network with any or all of: truck  210 , trailer  230 , or truck  250 .  
         [0056]     In this patent document, the word “comprising” is used in its non-limiting sense to mean that items following the word are included, but items not specifically mentioned are not excluded. A reference to an element by the indefinite article “a” does not exclude the possibility that more than one of the element is present, unless the context clearly requires that there be one and only one of the elements. Although the disclosure describes and illustrates various embodiments of the invention, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to these particular embodiments. Many variations and modifications will now occur to those skilled in the art of monitoring vehicles and their operators. For a full definition of the scope of the invention, reference is to be made to the appended claims.