PC*MILER 32 includes a wide range of new features and enhancements to ensure optimal performance, profitability, and safety in every route you plan. Highlights of the latest version release of PC*MILER include:


User Interface

Integration Products (Connect, BatchPro)


PC*MILER User Interface

ENHANCED! Improved truck-specific route and mileage calculations

Routing improvements are a major part of a PC*MILER release and each annual version release enhances the quality of PC*MILER’s truck-specific routing database, mileage calculations and driving directions. This year's focus was on:

  • Redefining routing logic, based on customer feedback, to put a slightly greater emphasis on routing via toll roads, which are often more convenient and preferred by drivers.
  • Changing the reporting of toll costs so the discount toll program cost will be reported and a warning will be issued whenever a toll plaza only accepts toll tag payments. (Requires a license for PC*MILER|Tolls).
  • Reviewing and improving the road network around Truck Stops, Intermodal Terminals and Distribution Centers.
  • Improving street-level maps and data for better last-mile routing.
  • Adding newly constructed roads and exit interchanges.
  • Improving city and ZIP/Postal Code placement and alignment.
  • Implementing customer-recommended map improvements submitted via ALK MapSure, our easy-to-use, online map reporting tool.
  • Updating weight limits and 53-foot semitrailer routing.



NEW! Create and manage custom Route Modifiers and Places in ALK Content Tools

In PC*MILER, you can customize routes by avoiding or favoring certain roads or assigning your own names and location information to exact places on the map – from important business sites to rest and fuel stops. In past versions, the tools to create these customizations were part of the PC*MILER desktop program.


With PC*MILER 32, these tools are now available in the ALK Content Tools web tool. In ALK Content Tools, you can create and securely save your custom location content and then share it with your PC*MILER desktop program for route planning.


ALK Content Tools allows your company’s customizations to be shared among multiple users and accessed as needed by all of your licensed ALK products – including PC*MILER, CoPilot and ALK Maps. ALK Content Tools also provides a secure backup of your data and can help ensure companywide consistency in truck routing and rating.

 

The custom data now managed in ALK Content Tools that can be shared with PC*MILER includes:

  • Places ­ – Your own custom place names and information for business locations or points of interest.
  • Sites – Boundary polygons around the perimeter of Places with site-specific details such as entrances and exits for trucks.
  • Road Closures – Closures on specific road links that should be avoided when generating a route..
  • Route Modifiers – Road links that should be avoided or favored when generating a route.


Note: This feature requires an ALK ID and Internet connectivity.





ENHANCED! Manage custom content directly from the Tools ribbon 

The updated Tools ribbon allows you to edit, view and share your custom content via ALK Content Tools. Here’s how it works:

  • The first time you use PC*MILER 32, you will be prompted to upload to ALK Content Tools existing data for Places (previously Custom Places) and Route Modifiers (previously Avoids/Favors) saved in PC*MILER 31.
  • From that point forward, all of your custom data will be created, updated and managed in ALK Content Tools and shared back to PC*MILER for use in route planning.

New features in the updated Tools ribbon include:

  • Sign Up/Log In*: Create an ALK ID or sign in with your existing ALK ID to use ALK Content Tools.
  • Manage ALK ID*: Add users or change information in your ALK ID account.
  • Manage Content*: Connect to ALK Content Tools to create or edit custom data. Content Tools opens in a web browser.
  • Sync Content*: Share your custom data from ALK Content Tools to PC*MILER.
  • View Places, View Route Modifiers: View the data shared from Content Tools in PC*MILER. The shared data is stored locally on your computer or server in addition to the secure, cloud-based storage in ALK Content Tools.




NEW! Quickly add Multiple Stops to a Route

The new Quick Add Stops feature makes it easy to enter multiple—even dozens or more—stops to create a route. Stop locations can be cut and pasted into the Quick Add Stop Entry dialog from any text editor and then added to the Route windows.




ENHANCED! Sign in to all of your ALK web tools through a single login 

ALK Content Tools is part of ALK’s cloud-based ecosystem of web tools that you can use to create, manage and share custom location and route management content with all of your licensed ALK products. These tools can be accessed through a single log in, called an ALK ID. When you use PC*MILER 32 for the first time, you will be prompted to sign up for an ALK ID. We recommend assigning an administrator for your company’s account, who can then add users to share the same content.




NEW! Route to and visualize Sites on the PC*MILER map for accurate last-mile routing

(For PC*MILER|Streets users only) A Site extends a Place’s definition from just a name and address to also include a boundary polygon around its perimeter, entry and exit points (gates), and other valuable locational information. For example, a Site can be a warehouse, shopping mall, distribution center, a yard, a business park, etc.


Routing to a Site can provide more accurate directions and time and distance estimates by taking a driver directly to the proper entry and exit points. You can create Sites around Places in ALK Content Tools and share them to PC*MILER for route planning. The use of Sites in routing can be turned on (default) or off in Route Options > Routing Preferences > Sites Routing.




ENHANCED! View the Extra Distance required to reach additional Places along a route

When you’re planning a route, you can ask PC*MILER to search for Places to stop along the route, including fuel and food stops that are already in the PC*MILER database as well as custom Places you have created and shared from ALK Content Tools. When PC*MILER does this search, it returns a pick list of possible locations for you to choose from. You’ll now see an Extra Distance column to show the additional distance that would be added to the overall route if that Place were selected as a stop.




ENHANCED! Automatically incorporate Hours of Service stops into a duplicate route

(For PC*MILER|Streets users only) The Duplicate feature copies all of the stops in a route you have created into a second Route window. That way, you can change the route options or preferences, re-run the route and do a comparison without entering the stops again. This feature has been updated so that if you add Hours of Service (HOS) breaks into the first route using PC*MILER’s HOS Manager, those added break locations will now be included in the duplicate route. Duplicate is part of the Routes ribbon.




NEW! Generate Mileage reports directly from main report menu 

A Mileage report has been added to the list of reports that can be viewed directly from the main Reports menu. When a route is run, distance, time and cost information is returned in the Route window. The Mileage Report summarizes this information and also includes cumulative distances by trip leg and greenhouse gas estimates (Est. GHG). This feature is also accessible in the Route window by clicking on the gear button > Reports > Mileage.




ENHANCED! Choose from nine Map Styles using a new, streamlined menu 

The Map Style menu has been reorganized to help you better find the map design you’d like to use when drawing maps. The map window can be set to nine different styles, including Classic, Contemporary, Default, Lightness, Black and White, Night, Road Atlas, Satellite* and Smooth. (*Requires Internet connectivity.)




NEW! Generate toll costs from newly added discount toll programs

(For PC*MILER|Tolls users only) The list of discount programs that can be used in PC*MILER toll cost calculations has been updated, including two new programs, Beach Express GO VISIT in Alabama and E-Fast Pass for international bridges in El Paso, Texas. Toll discount programs are selected in Application Settings > Tolls.



ENHANCED! View new weather alert categories when planning routes

(For PC*MILER|Weather users only) Weather alert categories have been reorganized to focus on weather events that affect a truck-specific route. Weather alert types and events are now be grouped into the following categories: Flood Alerts, Heat Alerts, Other Alerts, Severe Storm Alerts, Visibility Alerts, Wind Alerts, and Winter/Snow/Ice Alerts. Weather alerts can be selected in Application Settings > Weather.




NEW! Access News & Alerts and Product Training Resources from the Help ribbon

The Help ribbon has been updated with new features to help you learn more about PC*MILER, including:




ENHANCED! Submit map improvements from the right-click mouse menu 

ALK MapSure, an easy-to-use, online reporting tool you can use to help improve the accuracy of our maps, can now be opened via the right-mouse-click menu in a PC*MILER map window. (This feature is also accessible in Help > Submit a Map Improvement.) Once you’ve provided feedback in ALK MapSure, a team of dedicated map data experts will carefully inspect and verify all proposed changes before publishing them for the entire ALK community. 

Note: In previous versions, this feature was called “Open MapSure in Browser.”




NEW! Access the ALK Support Center and online PC*MILER user guides directly from the user interface 

The ALK Support Center is a comprehensive online resource for all things related to PC*MILER. In the Support Center, you can:

  • Get in touch with ALK’s technical support experts. Click the Submit Ticket button and enter your information.



  • Read the PC*MILER user guide and related articles and watch how-to videos. The Support Center also includes a search engine to help find what you’re looking for.



ENHANCED! New License Tool icon opens from the desktop

The License Tool lets you upgrade, view, or deactivate licensed components of PC*MILER. It can be accessed directly from your desktop, without opening PC*MILER, via a new icon that will be installed at the time you install the application.




ENHANCED! .NET Framework Upgrade from Version 4.6 to 4.7.1

The installation will now automatically install Microsoft .NET Framework 4.7.1 if it is not already installed. This upgrade resolves some feature display issues in the PC*MILER user interface for users of Windows 8.1, 10 and Server 2012 operating systems.



PC*MILER Integration Products

ENHANCED! Set PC*MILER|Connect to return distances in whole numbers

(For PC*MILER|Connect users only) In PC*MILER|Connect, the default value for distance precision can now be set to Whole Numbers (in addition to tenths, hundredths and thousandths). This value can be set in the [Options] section of the PCMSERVE.INI file or programmatically though PCMSSetNumMilesDecimals.



ENHANCED! Turn off truck restrictions with newly labeled “Restrictions Off” field in PC*MILER|BatchPro

(For PC*MILER|BatchPro users only) PC*MILER|BatchPro’s user interface now has a field labeled Restrictions Off, which can be used to generate routes that waive truck restrictions pertaining to specific sizes and weights, but that continue to avoid truck-prohibited and truck-discouraged roads. When this option is active, all height, length, width and weight restrictions will be overridden.


NOTE: The Restrictions Off field also waives ALK-defined time-based restrictions such as turn limitations by time of day or day of week.  It is equivalent to the Restrictions setting in Routing Preferences in the PC*MILER user interface.




ENHANCED! Improved drive time estimates in PC*MILER|BatchPro

(For PC*MILER|BatchPro users only. A PC*MILER|Traffic license is also required.) BatchPro can now take into account arrival/departure times to improve travel time estimates in output files. This enhancement also improves route compliance with time-based road restrictions.




NEW! Route to Sites in PC*MILER|Connect

(For PC*MILER|Connect users only. A PC*MILER|Streets license is also required.) The new Sites routing feature in the PC*MILER user interface can also be turned on or off in PC*MILER|Connect. The UseSites= setting in the [Options] section of the PCMSERVE.INI file allows you to choose whether or not to apply Site information when generating routes. (UseStreets= must also be set to true.)

whats new