The benefits and disbenefits of satellite communication (satcom) are not clear for road haulage companies. As one of the European DRIVE II projects, the METAFORA-project attempts to improve this situation by organizing 5 pilots in 4 European countries. During a one year period, data will be collected, processed and evaluated, both from the companies' and society's point of view. Data have now been gathered for 3 months at the Dutch road haulage, C. van Heezik company. Although one has to be careful with the interpretation of the results, the conclusions concerning the technical, organisational and commercial aspects are positive. The results are also financially promising. Some problems have occurred during the evaluation: (1) Trips with and without satcom equipment are difficult to compare; (2) Planners don't use the logbooks properly; (3) The environment of the pilots is changing quickly and is very competitive; and (4) many data are considered as confidential. (A)
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