Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/115996
Road Ready by Tom Kelley Paper To Pixels Converting Paperwork To Digital Files Over the last few decades, it has often been claimed that computers would eliminate the need for paperwork, but we're obviously still waiting on that prediction to bear fruit. One can plausibly argue that computerization has actually increased the amount of paperwork we handle. Even as paper logbooks are beginning to give way to electronic substitutes, truck drivers are dealing with more paperwork than ever. The problem plagues truckers is that while they're still forced to fill out paper documents, everybody else in the business world wants to view everything electronically; and they want to see it now. The answer to this dilemma comes in the form of a growing selection of highly-portable document scanners currently available, 22 Road Ready 0413.indd 1 as well as new models debuting regularly. Those with a very steady hand may be able to successfully shoot a photo of a document using a smartphone or tablet device, getting a clear enough image to satisfy electronic data requirements, will generally require a scanner that comes into physical contact with the document. Many of the newest portable scanners are not only smaller and lighter than a smartphone or tablet device, but are also able to use Bluetooth or WiFi to wirelessly connect to the phone or tablet, eliminating the need for a computer to get paperwork back to the dispatcher. The portable scanners on the market today fall into one of two categories. Those in one group are sheet-fed, meaning the device moves the document past the scanner's lens. The other group requires the user to manually move the scanner across the document being scanned. Although the sheetfed devices can provide a cleaner scanned image, the benefit of manual scanners is that they can scan irregular documents and other items that wouldn't fit through a sheetfed unit. ◆ www.studentdriverplacement.com April '13 3/13/13 2:15 PM