IBM AND INNOVATIVE COMPUTING CORPORATION HELP TRUCKLOAD CARRIERS REDUCE FUEL CONSUMPTION WITH CLOUD SERVICES

Brentwood, Tennessee — February 02, 2009

IBM (NYSE: IBM) and Innovative Computing Corporation are helping truckload carriers such as Sky Transportation Services, Inc., of El Paso, Texas, reduce fuel consumption and streamline their driver management, load planning and human resources systems using cloud services technology.

Many truckload carriers rely on manual processes such as paper-based administration and accounting, and older proprietary technology systems that can not be easily integrated with other systems across the organization. As a result, it becomes increasingly difficult for these companies to get a single view of valuable business information and make strategic decisions based on that data to improve processes and lower operating costs.

Innovative has developed its Innovative IES® (IES®) solution to help truckload carriers achieve a single view of their disparate information assets stored inside their trip, fleet and fuel management systems. The software, powered by IBM hardware platforms including the IBM Power™ System server running DB2 database software, can be delivered from the cloud via software-as-a-service (SaaS) or installed on premise. The SaaS-based versions of IES, Innovative Access® and Innovative Access Plus®, eliminate the costs of purchasing and maintaining an in-house solution for its users.

Sky Transportation used Innovative Access® to link its billing, trailer tracking, driver dispatch and maintenance systems to its accounting, payroll, billing and human resources systems. Now any employee -- from drivers to dispatchers to the CEO -- can quickly access and share the information needed to run and grow the business. Using Innovative Access®, the company has been able to increase the fuel economy of its fleet by ten percent, improve driver response time and productivity, provide real-time load-tracking and billing to customers, improve trailer utilization rates and make more informed buying decisions on new assets. As an indication of their growth and success, Sky has recently upgraded to Innovative's Access Plus® product, which provides additional functionality and further growth capacity.

"Prior to implementing Innovative Access®, our drivers and staff had to access multiple screens for information because our systems didn't talk and communicate with each other," said Albert Luna, President, Sky Transportation Services. "We now have a platform that gives us a serious competitive advantage because we can give our customers the information they need, when they need it, and provide new services to improve their experience. This flexibility gives our company innovation without limits."

"It is our goal to help our customers like Sky Transportation achieve greater visibility in their industry and provide an infrastructure that can help increase revenues by efficiently managing their business," said Innovative President Ernie Betancourt. "Through our partnership with IBM, we extended our value proposition for our truckload carrier customers and help them see greater return on their IT investment."

Contact Innovative's Media Director.