 September 30, 2003 Keystone Systems, Inc. Volume 2003 Number 3 140 South Arthur, Suite 515, P.O. Box 206, Spokane, Washington 99210 Sales: (888) 863-9833 Fax: (509) 535-0520 Support: (888) 863-9797 Web Site: www.Trucking-Software.com E-mail: sales@KeystoneTruckSoftware.com |
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NEW SUPPORT PERSON AT KEYSTONE |
 I have already talked to many of you, but here is my chance to officially say hi and introduce myself. My name is James Ropp. I have been at Keystone Systems about a month now and all of you have been very kind while I have been climbing the learning curve... I joined Keystone Systems on August 20 after running a small corporation I started in 1996. Here is a little history on myself, so you can get an idea of my background. I have a degree from Gonzaga University, Spokane, WA in Accounting. Prior to getting that degree I had a degree in Data Processing or Programming. I have been a programmer analyst at Gonzaga University while I finished my degree at Gonzaga. After that I worked in Seattle, WA at Safeco Insurance developing and maintaining insurance rating programs. I did this until I decided I needed more contact with people. I moved back to Spokane where I worked as an insurance property/casualty underwriter. As an underwriter, I used my accounting knowledge extensively to analyze large businesses applying for insurance.Eventually, I became a marketing representative for various large insurance companies and spent a great deal of time traveling around the country. The last marketing position I had, I weathered a corporate purchase and subsequent down sizing. Neither the purchase nor the downsizing were my idea of fun at all! Eventually, I became a marketing representative for various large insurance companies and spent a great deal of time traveling around the country. The last marketing position I had, I weathered a corporate purchase and subsequent down sizing. Neither the purchase nor the downsizing were my idea of fun at all! |
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The last two years, I have been running a small corporation I created that sells leather jackets and accessories on the internet. Business has been good and the website has branched off to offer all sorts of coats and outerwear. I now do the programming and marketing on a part time basis and the computer takes care of the rest. I figure this will be a great business to run from a sail boat in the South Pacific in about 10 years... |
| MOBILE COMMUNICATIONS ANYONE? |
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One of the current hot topics seems to be mobile communication with your trucks. This is a market that is evolving and going through a lot of changes right now. Keystone has developed an interface to Qualcomm, the largest supplier of on-board communication for trucking companies. We are in the process of greatly enhancing that interface to meet growing client interests. We have also received inquiries from clients and/or vendors for several other services, including PeopleNet, Aether, Global 2-Way and others. There are doubtless tens, if not hundreds of services now on the market. Unfortunately, they all use different standards for formatting and sending messages to and from the truck. |
 Since there is no way for a software vendor to support every service whose salesperson finds one of our clients, WE NEED YOUR HELP! We want to prioritize our efforts and save you time as you evaluate your options. As mentioned, we currently support Qualcomm, and we have looked at PeopleNet, which is a lower cost, web-based system. Unless there is a major out-cry and demand for a particular service, we do not anticipate implementing other satellite interfaces in the next one to two years. If you have strong opinions on this, we need to hear from you now! If you are interested in pursuing one of the packages we currently support, please contact Chris so we can put you in touch with appropriate people in those organizations. |
| PROTECT YOUR COMPUTER |
 Are you afraid to turn on your computer? Are you afraid to access the Internet? Computer safety has been in the news lately. You might find yourself afraid to get on line or use your e-mail. These tools are becoming such valuable resources to business, there must be a way to continue to take advantage of them. There is. If you do not think you are vulnerable, think again! All it takes is to purchase new software that has somehow been infected, or for an employee to bring in a game or disk with pictures or... Businesses (and home users) need to take simple precautions which will allow them to reasonably use their computers in today's increasingly "connected" world. |
- Get and use a firewall. Windows XP comes with one, other firewall products listed on Microsoft's Security and Privacy pages include McAfee Security, Symantec, ZoneAlarm Pro (Zone Labs), Tiny Personal Firewall (Tiny Software), and BlackICE PC Protection (Internet Security Systems)
- Do not open attachments to e-mail unless you are explicitly expecting the attachment. There are even e-mails that look very much to be from Microsoft that have attachments which are supposed to be security updates but are actually a virus! (Microsoft never sends attachments but, rather, will refer you to a Microsoft.com web site.)
- Get a recognized antivirus program and keep it up-to-date. We have successfully used Norton Antivirus and McAfee Antivirus programs. Both can be set to automatically download the latest virus information at least weekly. Microsoft has a Security and Privacy page, including list of Antivirus Software Vendors at http://www.microsoft.com/security/antivirus/default.asp
- If you have a high speed Internet connection such as DSL, cable, or T-1, you probably access the internet through a common point, called a router. These often include NAT (Native Address Translation) which hides the addresses of your local computers. This provides additional protection from remote hackers trying to randomly search for vulnerable computer systems. Make sure you have registered your router and highspeed modems. Watch for notices of security updates that may occasionally be required.
- Make sure your Windows, firewall, and antivirus software are all kept up-to-date. Windows is very popular because it is easy to use and provides a consistent "face" to the user. Unfortunately, it is a large and complex system that immoral people love to attack and poke at to see if they can find vulnerabilities. When these are found and publicized, Microsoft and the various antivirus and firewall vendors rush to plug the holes. If you do not download these updates, you remain vulnerable to attack. In Windows explorer, click on Tools, Windows Update to check your status. The other programs have built-in tools you should use to keep them up-to-date.
- If you discover or suspect a virus on a computer, disconnect it from other computers in your office and from the Internet (unless needed to get rid of the virus). Do not delay in resolving the issue–it will only cause more problems! Your antivirus vendor is usually good resource on how to remove the virus.
- Ignore e-mail you may get that says things like "search your computer and immediately delete file..." Believe it or not, there are people out there who, while they are not smart enough to actually write a virus program, take pleasure in getting you to mess up your own computer! Warning signs of a hoax are statements like "send this to everyone you know" or some variant of that statement. They also tend to sound very technical and claim legitimacy by mentioning a legitimate sounding source like Microsoft, IBM or Symantec. There are several good web sites that document these hoaxes. You might try http://www.symantec.com/avcenter/hoax.html or http://us.mcafee.com/virusInfo/default.asp?id=hoaxes. In well over 20 years of computer experience, I have yet to receive a legitimate "warning" in this fashion!
- Your e-mail is generally protected by your antivirus software. Check the documentation and options to make sure this feature is available and turned on. There are also programs you can use to pre-screen your e-mail and "bounce" questionable, spam, and/or disgusting e-mail before it even gets to your computer. Chris has used MailWasher (www.mailwasher.net) with good success. There is a free version and a $30 version that supports multiple e-mail addresses. There are others available, but make sure "free" software does not include spyware, which tracks your interests and activity (see next item).
- Spyware is software that runs in the background, sending information about what sites you visit to the spyware author, often causing pop-up messages that may or may not be related to your interests. This type of invasive software is often installed when you accept "free" software. Always read the license agreement to see if they are claiming rights to send you unsolicited ads. Of course, they may not even tell you in the fine print. If you notice your computer is starting to slow down more and more, you may well have one or more spyware programs running on your computer. The best program we have seen for stripping out these programs (as well as "cookies" that contain marketing information) is Ad-aware. It will scan your memory and hard disk (free from www.lavasoft.de). Their Ad-aware Plus program also includes Ad-watch to proactively monitor and stop these programs from entering your computer in the first place. It also stops web pop-ups ($26.95).
- Backup your files! Part of your daily routine should be to backup all your critical information, including Keystone data files, spreadsheets and documents, and anything else that would be difficult to replace. Our recommended backup includes rotating media which makes them less vulnerable to physical damage but also gives you copies of varying ages, in case you do not realize a problem immediately.
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There are entire books and web sites available on security. Microsoft also has various articles on line to address these issues. One called "7 Steps to Help Protect Personal Computing Security" is located at www.microsoft.com/security/articles/steps_default.asp. It is important that you be aware of these issues. You should assess your risk and protect yourself appropriately! |
| THIRD QUARTER 2003 HOLIDAYS |
 October 13th Columbus DayNovember 11 Veteran's Day November 27th & 28th Thanksgiving December 25th & 26th Christmas January 1st New Year |
| NEW 2004 LOG RULES |
.gif) The rules have changed! You need to know the new driving rules for 2004. Keystone has modified the Keystone Log Auditor program to take into account the new log rules for 2004. This was done on 6/25/2003, so any PR or TR program sent after this date will have the new rules.The computer will automatically start using the new rules on logs dated on or after January 4, 2004. Here is a summary of the new rule changes: |
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DRIVING HOURS FROM 10 TO 11 The new rules allow you to drive 11 hours within the 14 hour on-duty/driving period. This replaces the old 10 hour driving rule. OFF DUTY HOURS REST PERIOD FROM 8 HOURS to 10 HOURS To qualify for a rest break so that the clock starts fresh for drive time has been changed from 8 hours to 10 hours. This includes the sleeper berth, which also now requires a total of 10 hours in only two sleeper berth shifts. TOTAL ON DUTY HOURS TO 14 HOURS Drivers may not drive beyond the 14th hour after coming on duty, following 10 hours off duty. This replaces the 15 non-consecutive hour rule. However the new rule allows a driver to perform non-driving work after having been on-duty for 14 consecutive hours. EXCEPTION TO ABOVE RULE Short-haul truck drivers (those drivers who routinely return to their place of dispatch after each duty tour and then are released from duty) may have an increased on-duty period of 16 hours once during any seven consecutive-day period. You must tell the computer you want to use this exception (if you are a short-haul driver, etc.) by taking that option in the setup of the log rules. This is done in the SE (Setup) program, Lists, Log Rules. You can have some drivers using this rule and others not. 60 HOURS IN 7 DAYS OR 70 HOURS 8 DAYS This rule retains the existing weekly on-duty limits, but a new exception has been added. Drivers may not drive after being on-duty for 60 hours in a seven-consecutive-day period or 70 hours in an eight-consecutive-day period. THIS ON-DUTY CYCLE WILL BE RESTARTED WHENEVER A DRIVER TAKES AT LEAST 34 CONSECUTIVE HOURS OFF DUTY. This reset is not required however. You will see this when it happens on our reports, an R for reset will appear after hours available. These new rules will become effective on January 4, 2004, and will automatically be in place if you are using the current version of Keystone Log Auditor. |