ENHANCE EFFICIENCY WITH MOTORCOACH MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE
Fleetmatics: Who we are
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GPS tracking provides an efficient future
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By Jonathan Durkee
SaaS enhances performance
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By Jonathan Durkee
Reduce maintenance costs by improving operations
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By Jonathan Durkee
Time management is essential for efficient operations
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By Jonathan Durkee
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BUSRIDE | FLEETMATICS
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FLEETMATICS: WHO WE ARE Fleetmatics is a leading global provider of fleet management solutions for small and mid-sized businesses delivered as software-as-a-service (SaaS). Our solutions enable businesses to meet the challenges associated with managing local fleets, and improve the productivity of their mobile workforces, by extracting actionable business intelligence from real-time and historical vehicle and driver behavioral data. Fleetmatics’ intuitive, cost-effective web-based solutions provide fleet operators with visibility into vehicle location, fuel usage, speed and mileage, and other insights into their mobile workforce, enabling them to reduce operating and capital costs, as well as increase revenue. As of March 31, 2015, Fleetmatics served over 28,000 customers, with approximately 594,000 subscribed vehicles worldwide. Fleetmatics handles all the technology issues so customers focus strictly on their business to realize a rapid and ongoing ROI that includes increased revenue, reduced costs, and ability to grow profitably. The company’s North American headquarters are in the Boston area with additional offices in Chicago, Charlotte, Clearwater, Cleveland, and Phoenix, as well as offices in Ireland, the UK and Australia. For more information, visit www.fleetmatics.com or call 866-844-2235. Our GPS Vehicle Tracking System The Fleetmatics GPS vehicle tracking system is helping thousands of fleet owners to drive down operating costs and increase earnings. Fleet owners experience a dramatic increase in productivity, substantial fuel savings and greatly reduced operating expenses. The system enables fleet owners to locate and deploy their vehicles with live, real-time tracking and provides minute-by-minute route verification, enabling them to settle customer disputes, provide proof of service and ensure the fleet is not burning unnecessary fuel. Fleetmatics’ key management reports enable business owners to verify time sheets accurately, leading to reduced overtime expenses. Fleet owners can compare hours worked by each vehicle thereby controlling productivity, and establish exactly how much time their vehicles are spending at locations such as the supply houses, customer sites, or unauthorized locations. These reports allow for accurate validation of the cost of each site visit. The Fleetmatics system provides numerous reports suited to tighter control and accurate measurements of fleet activity.
www.fleetmatics.com
Motorcoach Management Systems
GPS tracking provides an efficient future By Jonathan Durkee Huskey Trailways built its name transporting precious cargo. No less than two U.S. presidents and their 90-person entourages have chartered its motorcoaches while traveling through Missouri. The U.S. military regularly relies on it to transport personnel. And students participating in the government’s Job Corps youth training program travel halfway across the country on the fleet. “The importance of knowing where our fleet is and what it’s doing— that’s just of the ultimate importance to us,” Huskey Trailways owner Kent Huskey says. GPS fleet management was new to Huskey, but motorcoach management software has definitively proven its worth since he integrated it into his 25 motorcoaches in November 2013. In addition to helping Huskey track the fleet’s whereabouts across the U.S., Fleetmatics’ solutions let Huskey monitor maintenance needs, idling times, driver speed, fuel consumption, departure and arrival times, and so much more. Perfect match Huskey spent about a year researching numerous providers before deciding on his current motorcoach management system. It didn’t take long for Huskey to confirm he made the right choice. “The first weekend, Fleetmatics identified issues that I had an idea we had problems with, but now we could see it in black and white,” he says. One of those launch weekend discoveries was exactly how much time his drivers spent idling between journeys. Huskey Trailways policy stipulates that drivers can idle their vehicles 30 minutes prior to departure and 30 minutes after. It’s an important cost-containing rule, considering the high price of diesel fuel. Huskey tries to enforce it by occasionally making trips to the field during which he visits departure and arrival points. But with a territory that stretches the entire continental U.S., he can’t be everywhere all the time. The motorcoach management solution revealed that 25 buses spent a total of 54 hours idling over just a three-day period—far exceeding their allotted idling time. Huskey was able to provide concrete evidence to his drivers that he knew about their habits and saw fuel economy improve immediately. “This gives me the capability of knowing what they’re doing, where they’re at, and whether they’re behaving,” he says. Driver approved While Huskey’s drivers were initially skeptical about such close monitoring, they quickly realized that the software provider, Fleetmatics, was a big brother that would have their backs. In January, Huskey Trailways transported dozens of teenagers from Michigan to Kentucky. The bus was scheduled to stop at Chicago’s Union Station at 3:20 a.m. and pick up additional kids. It arrived at 3:15 a.m.—five minutes early—and left at 3:29 a.m., giving the kids a 14-minute window around the pick-up time to get on the bus. 4
BUSRIDE | FLEETMATICS
Huskey Trailways incorporated GPS fleet management into all of the company’s 25 motorcoaches in 2013.
A program leader called Huskey about an hour later and says that the driver left early, abandoning 15 students on the station platform. Fleetmatics showed the actual arrival and departure times, proving that the driver had followed instructions. “And the program leader said, ‘OK, not your problem. We’ll put them on a train,’” Huskey says. “Without Fleetmatics, we would have had to turn the bus around because it would have been their word against my driver’s.” Returning to Chicago after one hour of driving would have cost Huskey two hours of fuel, two hours of time and two hours of salary— not to mention he would have had to schedule a second driver to finish the job because it would have put the first driver over his work limit for the day. Huskey estimates the company saved $1,000 from just that one report. Word about how the system verified this driver’s account of the incident quickly spread throughout the team, ensuring buy-in from all the drivers. They realized that it protected them, Huskey says, as much as it monitored them. “If I get complaints,” he says, “they know I go straight to this.” A more efficient future Anytime a driver speeds, Huskey gets an alert on his smartphone that he can forward directly to the driver. It’s a subtle way to let the driver know he needs to slow down before he gets a ticket. Mechanics can swiftly figure out issues—or determine non-issues— from remote locations. A driver might report problems with his bus, for example, and the mechanic can activate a minute-by-minute route replay, see that the driver was traveling up a hill and determine that the incline, not a mechanical problem, bogged down the bus. Efficient mechanical issue monitoring has also served Huskey Trailways well as the Department of Transportation (DOT) boosts the number of inspections it performs on motorcoaches. DOT performed three random inspections on Huskey’s fleet in 2013; in January 2014 alone, they did 16. The stakes are high, considering DOT has the authority to shut down bus companies found with violations. “They’re starting to stop us more, and we need to know what our buses are doing and how they’re doing it,” he says. On the occasions buses do break down, Huskey can quickly locate the disabled vehicle as well as the closest functioning bus, ensuring only minor disruption to passengers’ travels. When the wind chill hit 30 below zero in Wisconsin this winter, for example, one bus refused to start. Instead of going to dispatch, Huskey clicked on the option to find the nearest bus. A vehicle just 150 miles away was able to detour to Wisconsin and pick up the passengers. It all adds up to a wise investment. Jonathan Durkee serves as vice president, products & sales, product management, for Fleetmatics, Waltham, MA. Fleetmatics is a leading global provider of mobile workforce solutions for service-based businesses of all sizes delivered as software-as-a-service (SaaS). Visit www.fleetmatics.com
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SaaS enhances performance By Jonathan Durkee
Fleetmatics Group is a leading global provider of mobile workforce solutions for service-based businesses of all sizes delivered as software-as-a-service (SaaS). The company’s solutions enable businesses to meet the challenges associated with managing local fleets, and improve the productivity of their mobile workforces, by extracting actionable business intelligence from real-time and historical vehicle and driver behavioral data. Fleetmatics Group’s intuitive, cost-effective web-based solutions provide fleet operators with visibility into vehicle location, fuel usage, speed and mileage and other insights into their mobile workforce, enabling them to reduce operating and capital costs, as well as increase revenue. An integrated, full-featured mobile workforce management product provides additional efficiencies related to job management by empowering the field worker and speeding the job completion process — quote through payment. As of March 31, 2015, Fleetmatics served approximately 28,000 customers, with approximately 594,000 subscribed vehicles worldwide. Fleetmatics has used, and intends to continue to use, the investor relations portions of its website as a means of disclosing material non-public information and for complying with disclosures obligations under Regulation FD. SaaS is valuable in any market Fleetmatics Group is partnered with Minor League Baseball™ (MiLB™) for the 2015 season. As part of its initial agreement, Fleetmatics works with select MiLB teams across the U.S. to demonstrate to local small businesses and sponsors how the company’s workforce management solution can be performance enhancing. Fleetmatics will use Excursions Trailways, a current customer and the official motorcoach company of the Fort Wayne TinCaps, to demonstrate how Fleetmatics’ solutions can enhance performance. The SaaS platform will track the team’s fuel usage, speed and mileage and other insights as it travels cross-country for the 2015 MiLB season. Throughout the season, Fleetmatics, which also serves as the Official Fleet Tracking Software of Minor League Baseball, hosts a Sponsor/Small Business Appreciation Day for local small businesses in 20 markets. Each event provides these valued members of their communities a unique VIP ballpark experience. Attendees have the opportunity to network with other local businesses, see Fleetmatics in action with a live demo, and create their own baseball card, among other engaging activities. “MiLB is one of the most road-traveled sports and seeing as we are one of the most road-traveled brands, it’s a home run for both parties,” said Kathleen Finato, chief marketing officer at Fleetmatics. “We look
The Fleetmatics SaaS platform tracks fuel usage, speed and mileage and other insights.
forward to meeting with other MiLB sponsors, many of which are in the distribution, delivery and service industries, and have fleets on the roads every day, to show how they can maximize their efficiencies and increase overall productivity.” “Minor League Baseball and its clubs are continuously looking for new ways to enhance relationships built with fans, as well as with local and national sponsors,” said Michael Hand, Minor League Baseball CMO and president, MiLB Enterprises. “Fleetmatics shares a similar vision by offering solutions to businesses and helping to improve their productivity through their intuitive software. We look forward to seeing how their services can benefit our partners.” To learn more about Fleetmatics, visit www.fleetmatics.com/MiLB. Jonathan Durkee serves as vice president, products & sales, product management, for Fleetmatics, Waltham, MA. Fleetmatics is a leading global provider of mobile workforce solutions for service-based businesses of all sizes delivered as software-as-a-service (SaaS). Visit www.fleetmatics.com
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Reduce maintenance costs by improving operations
“Being able to reassure our customers is so important, especially when it comes to school pick-ups,” Raja says. “We work for councils and handle pick-ups of disabled children and we’re now in a position to let their parents know approximately how long it’ll take for our bus get there in case of delay and, more importantly, we are able to redirect our drivers to avoid traffic.” Besides helping Southwest Minibuses improving customer service, By Jonathan Durkee Fleetmatics REVEAL has also had a major impact on idling. “I must say that, before turning to Fleetmatics, I didn’t know much about idling and didn’t think it could have such a big impact on fuel consumption and costs,” Raja says. “Thanks to Fleetmatics, we quickly realized how widespread idling was: for example, some of our drivers were leaving the engine on just for air conditioning purposes!” Thanks to Fleetmatics REVEAL’s innovative traffic light system, the firm is now able to visualize on Live Map if a vehicle is regularly parked to perform a pick up (red), running (green) or idling (yellow). Whenever a vehicle is still for more than two minutes since ignition time, it immediately turns yellow on Live Map, which also indicates how long the vehicle is idling for. With drivers being fully aware of being monitored in real time, Raja Thanks to REVEAL’s Live Map function, companies like Southwest Minibuses are able to visualize their fleets on a virtual map. estimates that overall idling figures have decreased by almost 70 percent from 80 to 25 hours per week. Additionally, the company has been successful in tackling a common British minibus and coach hire firm Southwest Minibuses has reduced its fuel and maintenance costs by up to £1,000 per month issue among commercial drivers: harsh driving. Poor driving habits, after introducing the Fleetmatics REVEAL mobile workforce solution including speeding and harsh braking, not only put at risk the safety of to its fleet. The system has helped Southwest Minibuses reduce idling drivers and passengers alike, but they are also responsible for increases time by 70 percent and, combined with route optimization savings, in fuel consumption of up to 15 percent on average, as well as causing has had a dramatic effect on monthly outgoings while contributing to wear and tear on vehicles. improved customer service and safety. Established in 2005, Bristol-based Southwest Minibuses specializes It all adds up to maintenance savings “On one occasion, one of or vehicles’ gearbox broke and thanks to in a variety of corporate and private hire services, ranging from school pick-ups to trips to major events including the Ascot races and Fleetmatics REVEAL’s driving style summary report we were able to Glastonbury Festival. The company has expanded rapidly over the last demonstrate that the damage may have been caused by the driver’s decade and currently runs a 24-strong fleet including minibuses, buses excessively harsh driving style,” Raja says. “Without Fleetmatics, we wouldn’t have been able to demonstrate this. With Fleetmatics GPS and coaches. tracking in place, our drivers have become more conscious about their driving behavior and aggressive driving practices have decreased Software reduces operational costs Prior to turning to GPS tracking, Southwest Minibuses’ Director dramatically with huge consequences in terms of fuel consumption Jay Raja sometimes had difficulties in pinpointing his drivers. and vehicle maintenance costs.” Raja estimates that, as a result of improved driving habits, idling This had negative consequences on both business efficiency and reduction and enhanced routing efficiency, Southwest Minibuses has customer service. “In this type of business, especially when it comes to large groups been able to achieve monthly savings ranging from £500 to £1000 by heading to important events, even a minor delay can be a major cause cutting fuel and maintenance costs. “Especially because we work with councils and schools, it is of concern,” he says. “Before Fleetmatics came along, whenever a customer phoned me to report a delay my only option was to phone essential for us to be able to show our environmental policy and health the driver to know his location, but, eight times out of 10, the driver and safety credentials,“ he says. “With Fleetmatics GPS tracking wouldn’t even pick up the phone: at the end of the day, you’re legally in place, we’re able to show how reducing fuel consumption while enhancing safety are at top of our agenda.” entitled not to answer your phone while driving!” Thanks to REVEAL’s Live Map function, Southwest Minibuses is now able to visualize its fleet on a virtual map - on either a laptop Jonathan Durkee serves as vice president, products & sales, product management, for Fleetmatics, Waltham, MA. Fleetmatics is a leading global or smartphone. This helps identify how far a given vehicle is from a provider of mobile workforce solutions for service-based businesses of all sizes pick-up point and how long it should take for it to reach it in real time delivered as software-as-a-service (SaaS). Visit www.fleetmatics.com. traffic conditions. 6
BUSRIDE | FLEETMATICS
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Time management is essential for efficient operations By Jonathan Durkee
After using the fleet management system from Fleetmatics for just six months, Butlers Buses is already experiencing significant benefits – in terms of improved timekeeping and even reduced fuel consumption. The family run firm, which has been in operation for more than 45 years, is based in County Cork, Ireland, and, with its fleet of 14 vehicles, provides services ranging from local outings to extended touring and international travel.
“The Fleetmatics system has helped us monitor our drivers hours, ensuring they are keeping within the legal limits and continue to comply with the law,” Butler says. “This can be done live using Fleetmatics rather than analyzing tachograph records which can be up to three weeks old.”
Added benefits According to Butler, another reason he chose to implement the Fleetmatics fleet management solution was to retain control of his growing fuel costs. “While the fleet size at Butlers has grown, fuel costs have also risen dramatically,” he says. After a free online demonstration, which provided a graphic overview of the fleet on the move as well as access to comprehensive field data to generate reports and automated alerts, Butler promptly decided to invest in the Fleetmatics fleet management system. “We initially ran the system for one month without telling anyone” Butler says. “This was mainly to assess how the system works and to get some raw data for initial trend analysis. Once I An important benefit Butler Buses has experienced while using Fleetmatics is to maintain drivers’ good timekeeping. was assured that the system was up and running, I announced it to the fleet Before using the fleet management system from Fleetmatics, drivers and provided them with comprehensive training.” Butlers Buses had no prior experience with fleet tracking. After “We use the standard dashboard of the Fleetmatics system to a competitor had shown the Fleetmatics system that it used to monitor speeds and idling times,” Butler says. “This ensures we Managing Director Ian Butler, he learned of the impressive ease-of- keep our drivers and customers safe and sound during their travels, use of a web-based solution and the potential cost reduction benefit as well as keeping fuel costs down.” his company could realize. A comprehensive motorcoach management system shows drivers An important benefit Butler Buses has experienced while using exactly how they can individually have a direct impact on lowering Fleetmatics is maintaining the drivers’ good timekeeping and offer fuel costs by reducing idling and employing a more economical them assistance from the office if they need additional directions en speed/driving style. route to avoid heavy traffic or unexpected road works. “We are confident that we have reduced our fuel bill by at least 6 “Timekeeping is vital for us,” Butler says. “We can never be late percent which equates into savings of at least €8,500.00 per annum for our customers – whether it’s for a golf trip, airport transfer or – this alone is well worth the investment in Fleetmatics,” he says. school outing.” “Our coaches spend a lot of time away from base touring and it is Jonathan Durkee serves as vice president, products & sales, product important that they are parked in a safe place overnight especially as management, for Fleetmatics, Waltham, MA. Fleetmatics is a leading global fuel siphoning has become an issue again for us – knowing exactly provider of mobile workforce solutions for service-based businesses of all sizes delivered as software-as-a-service (SaaS). Visit www.fleetmatics.com. where our coaches are parked overnight along with the benefit of street view gives us great peace of mind,” he adds. busride.com | BUSRIDE
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