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Short Line Data Systems Inc. – ROCS Update December 2003
Website: www.sdsrocs.com
Holiday Greetings –
It’s hard to believe, but here we are again at the end of another year. This is also the start of the third year of writing this monthly update, and the fifth year of Short Line Data Systems Inc. As we move towards the New Year, we are building new features, and defining what will be version 8. We are also moving closer to adding some new users, and I think that by next month’s update, we will be able to announce who these new users are.
Report Cards
By now, most of you have received your reporting performance report cards from RAILINC. What these cards show is if you are sending the messages needed to keep the flow of location information going in a timely manner. The guidelines for these report cards were formulated about six months ago, and while the guidelines are voluntary, the report cards are a good measure on where we stand as Short Lines, and what companies need to raise their level to be a part of the game.
One of the interesting things that I have found in the data is the number of Short Lines that are reporting 0%. For NS, 42% of their SLs are not reporting at all, and the average over all of their SLs is 63%. For those who have asked on how the Class 1s are doing reporting to the SLs, their overall percentage is 73% (and in the spirit of full disclosure, the M&E is over 90%). The bottom line is that as an industry, we have a long way to go.
New Features
We have been working on a number of new features that will appear in version 8. First, we have added MultiSet to both the Advance List and to the Customer Status screens. MultiSet allows the user to set the same date and time for multiple cars just by clicking once in the box for each car. This can be a faster way to deal with multiple cars than Block Select, and is another way the ROCS tries to save time for you.
We have also expanded the TRAINII reporting in ROCS. First, we have added Pull From Customer to the automatic reporting in the system. When the Pull Date and Time are entered into the green boxes on the Customer Status – Online screen, the TRAINII message is automatically generated for transmission. We have also added the ability to generate all types of TRAIN03 messages in Block Select. This gives the user the tools to transmit all of the optional messages that might be needed, such as Release from Bad Order, that are not automatically created in ROCS. All the user has to do is select the cars in Block Select, select the message type, and the date and time of the action. The user then clicks on the Send TrainII Report button, and the message is generated.
Another new feature is a revised waybill correction. Anytime that a waybill is generated for the second time for a car, the proper correction indicator will be generated, which should fix an area that has been lacking in ROCS for a long time.
One last addition is the count of loaded and empty cars on the customer’s siding has been added to the Track Caps box in Customer Status. We will also be adding this count to the main Track Caps screen soon.
All of the features listed above will be a part of version 8, which will be released to current users in February-March, and will be the install version for any new users. We will have the new features on display at the CSXT Short Line Meeting in Jacksonville on December 8th, and we look forward to seeing everyone down there.
Well, that’s just about all for now. We wish everyone a Happy Holidays, and hope that the New Year is a successful and productive one for all.
Steven Friedland President |
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