SPECIAL FOCUS

from Fleet Transport Summer 2021

TEST IV

According to a recent report, over 80% of fleet truck operators are now using telematics in their day-to-day activities, producing clear and definite benefits. The key factors are how the vehicle and driver performance data is accessed, downloaded and analysed. When telematics were introduced by truck manufactures and third-party developers, the technology was received with some scepticism, transport managers and fleet owners were cautious about investing, while it looked like ‘Spy in the Cab Part II’ by the concerned drivers. A turnaround in their collective minds happened once the truck manufacturers got serious about telematics creating viable programmes and packages, and with ongoing training and advice, return on investment was delivered. While the technology was led by truck manufacturers, the third-party providers also upped their game. Two leading truck brands, namely Volvo and MercedesBenz with their respective Dynafleet and FleetBoard were to the fore with broad customer acceptance, which also helped to retain loyalty, with the third-party’s offering, best suited for mixed vehicle fleet operations. In recent years, the drivers have grown to appreciate the resulting data and the feedback works both ways to the overall benefit of the transport

Telematics in Road Transport delivers Return on Investment

company. Another welcome addition to the telematics platform is the emergence of trailer manufacturers to the table, with either independent or full integration with the truck fleet’s system.

Somewhat surprisingly, the bus and coach fraternity have been slow in taking up telematics but that is not the case currently in the light commercial vehicle sector.

The emergence of ecommerce and the resulting huge increase in the sales and movements of vans in the express delivery segment is causing some anxiety among legislators, safety organisations and city authorities. As consumer demands almost instant delivery from internet shopping, this additional pressure on the delivery service is making the working day of the driver most arduous and in some cases dangerous, due to the long hours endured. Some forms of regulation in terms of working and driving hours, rest periods and even a speed limiter on the vehicles are currently being considered by the European Union. There is even talk about reducing the overall weight limit involving the mandatory instillation of a tachograph on an LCV from 3.5 tonnes GVW to 2.8 tonnes.

Again it’s a mix between OEMs and major private developers presently involved in the introduction of telematics in light commercials. Led by Ford, Fiat Professional, IVECO and Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles, their systems provide all the information required by the operator to monitor and improve on the performance of the driver. TruTac, the tachograph analysis experts has introduced its TruFleet system, increasing efficiencies for operators. This fleet management control software comes with EPMI - electronic document control which increases HGV and PSV vehicle management and compliance control even easier. The approved programme enables transport managers to plan, organise and control all aspects of day-to-day fleet and Operator Licence management. TruFleet is fully compatible with TruTac’s modular suite of TruControl software to provide full visibility and control over every vehicle and driver. In addition, TruTac’s innovative solutions help HGV and PSV fleet managers easily monitor and manage the potential risk their drivers can pose to compliance levels.

Another interesting and related development, that extends the scope of telematics is the new intelligent tyre pressure monitoring system from Wheely-Safe. Premiered at the recent ITT Hub exhibition at Farnborough, Wheely-Safe is making its intelligent tyre pressure monitoring system (TPMS), wheel loss and brake temperature sensing technologies available for connection to commercial vehicle telematics and CAN bus for the first time, with a new range of open platform connected devices available alongside its standalone products.

The launch forms part of the biggest series of upgrades by Wheely-Safe to-date, enhancing its offer to fleets, telematics providers and original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). It includes the introduction of the world’s first auto-calibrating internal TPMS sensor, eliminating the need for external valve sensors if fleets prefer.

SEVEN TIPS FOR BETTER FLEET maNagEmENT

Adam Fletcher, Partner Account Manager, UK & Ireland, at Geotab, the world’s largest commercial telematics company, provides seven areas of focus for fleet managers to get the very best out of their fleet - from monitoring fuel usage and ensuring compliance, to incorporating and operating electric vehicles.

Understanding best practices in fleet management can help every company optimise their fleet performance and unlock the full potential of each commercial vehicle under management. While every business and its fleet is unique, many aspects of fleet management affect businesses equally. These seven tips on core focus areas for commercial fleet managers will benefit organisations seeking to improve efficiency, reduce costs and ensure compliance across all aspects of their fleet operation.

MONITOR FUEL USAGE

As we continue to return to ‘normal’, the price of petrol and diesel has steadily risen month over month in 2021. Any additional cost quickly adds up across a commercial fleet line. With the cost of an oil barrel generally predicted to further increase over the course of the year, this price hike comes at a difficult time for businesses seeking to bounce back from the pandemic. Unfortunately, no business can control the price at the pumps. However, by implementing a fleet telematics solution, organisations can more efficiently manage their vehicles and save an average of 14% on fuel costs per annum.

REDUCE AIR POLLUTION WITH ADBLUE

AdBlue is a great way to make diesel vehicles much less harmful to our health by working to reduce the amount of CO2 and NOx within diesel engines. AdBlue alone can reduce the amount of NOx by up to 90% and is an essential additional cost for fleet managers given that diesel fumes alone are attributed to being responsible for thousands of deaths each year. Fleet operators need to replenish AdBlue for each vehicle roughly every 8,000 kms driven or risk the vehicle failing to start or more costly, failing to comply with strict EU legislation. A telematics solution can help fleet operators better monitor and track AdBlue levels to avoid both of these risks.

REDUCE IDLING While the cost of vehicle idling varies depending on make and model, the wasted fuel being burned can cost businesses on average €840 per vehicle, per annum. While some idling is necessary or unavoidable - be it normal road traffic or use of additional machinery on the vehicle, like a crane or cement mixer - other instances can be reduced. Unnecessary idling occurs every day, from using vehicle heaters or air conditioning to heat up or cool down, to defrosting windows before starting the vehicle or simply sitting idle while on the phone. A vehicle produces 20 times more pollution when idle compared to travelling at 50k/ph, so it’s in both the business and society’s best interests to cut down on these practices. Through policies advising staff to turn off their vehicle when stationary combined with technology to monitor driver habits and building progress reports, fleet managers can help to reduce running costs and operate a cleaner fleet.

MAINTAIN COMPLIANCE STANDARDS

For those with HGVs in their fleet, maintaining compliance goes beyond ensuring that your drivers have safe vehicles on the road. A fleet operator has to monitor the following data to remain compliant with all regulation:

TACHOGRAPH

Modern vehicles over 3.5 tonnes are required to have a digital tachograph installed to record the drivers’ working time and rest periods alongside the

vehicles’ speed and distance travelled. Operators must be able to analyse this data to identify potential infringements and produce clear infringement reports as required.

DRIVER HOURS

Operators have legal obligations to have their drivers observe and abide by the laws on driver hours. Failure to comply leaves them at risk if infringements are identified by an enforcement officer, with the potential outcome being criminal prosecution.

DATA ANALYSIS

Operators can leverage new, real-time tachograph solutions with automatic remote downloading to routinely capture data and easily perform data analysis for compliance and efficiency purposes.

WALKAROUND CHECKS

Drivers have a responsibility to complete daily walk-around checks before they drive a vehicle, from which any defects must be reported in writing within the organisation.

TRANSITION TO ELECTRIC

With the Irish Government banning the sale of new petrol and diesel vehicles by 2030, continuing to ignore electric vehicles (EVs) could prove a costly or fatal mistake for your business. Over this decade, it is likely we will see an increasing number of areas introduce electric only or clean air zones in which the use of petrol and diesel vehicles is prohibited or charged heavily. This represents another looming cost which large fleets travelling through these zones may be penalised heavily for. Staying ahead of the curve by transitioning to electric vehicles now may lead to significant savings in the long term.

OPERATE ELECTRIC

When you already have EVs in your fleet, it’s important to keep on top of the various metrics associated with them to keep your fleet costs low. Just because you don’t have to pay for emissions or fuel, doesn’t mean they operate completely without cost. Telematics solutions can provide operators with rich insights pulled directly from EVs in their fleet to help them answer questions such as:

n How are my EVs performing? n Are my drivers plugging in? n How can I make sure the EVs are fully charged and ready to drive in the morning? n Where are my vehicles charging? n How much does it cost me? n Who needs to charge? n What are the ranges I can expect under different conditions? n Who drives efficiently? n Who doesn’t?

EVALUATE TOTAL COST OF OWNERSHIP

Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) is another key factor in relation to fleet management. Many fleet managers may assume that the upfront costs of an EV are not worth it compared to the lower costs of petrol or diesel trucks. However, even without subsidies from the Government, it has been found that electric vehicles could reach parity in terms of total cost of ownership in roughly four and a half years. From small passenger vehicles to large multi-ton lorries, EVs are predicted to be more cost effective than all diesel or petrol vehicles by the end of the decade. Taking a TCO approach can help inform businesses on whether it is worth investing in electric now, to realise long-term savings which can be used to fund the continual upgrading of their fleet.

Businesses and fleet managers have many factors to consider when it comes to optimally investing in and running their fleet. Adhering to best practices as outlined above will enable businesses to maximise the performance of their fleet. Key to much of these practices is a data rich and accessible telematics solution. Fleet telematics can help businesses control costs, stay agile and increase the productivity of their vehicles.

DRIVER PERFORMANCE TAKEN TO THE NEXT LEVEL WITH ORBCOMM SCORECARDS

Hard braking, harsh acceleration, speeding and hard cornering. For fleets, these are not just unsafe driving behaviours; they can also add to fuel costs through inefficient driving. To effectively address driver behaviour in organisations, fleets have turned to driver performance scoring to know exactly how each driver is performing, how they are driving from week to week and where improvements can be made.

Operators using the ORBCOMM’s Driver Performance Scoring system access data, assess its impact, analyse both vehicle and driver performance successfully – and provide insight to motivate both drivers and transport managers to improve. One example, A.F. Blakemore, last year set up a new driver performance scoring programme to effectively address driving habits in their 250-strong HGV fleet. By incorporating a programme of data capture, monitoring, reviewing and a straightforward scoring system, the family-run business has seen a cultural shift and significant improvements in driver safety and fuel economy. Each week, performance scoring monitors how each driver is operating the vehicle and identifies areas where improvements can be made.

KRONE TRAILER TELEMATICS: THE ALL-IN-ONE OPEN DIGITAL SOLUTION

single portal solution, Krone Telematics relies on a manufacturer-independent platform. Here, the various stand-alone solutions are combined into an all-in-one solution. Regardless of the vehicle type, manufacturer or telematics box used, the user has individual, user-specific access and can access all the data provided. With the Krone Telematics Portal, fleet operators always have an overview of their vehicles, and with the Krone Telematics App, the data is also always available on the move.

With its telematics functions, Krone Telematics ensures that fleet operators have online control over the position, condition or even temperature of their transports at all times. Thanks to the modular structure, they can put together their own customised package. For data-intensive temperature-controlled transport, there are suitable additional modules.

The flexible software architecture of Krone Telematics provides open interfaces through which the transport management systems of transport and logistics companies as well as partners - for example internet portals - can be easily connected.

FORD TELEMATICS ESSENTIALS - NEW FLEET MANAGEMENT TOOL

Ford has expanded its FORDLiive connected uptime system to European fleet operators with the introduction of Ford Telematics Essentials – a complimentary new fleet management tool designed to help increase the productivity of connected commercial vehicles. Delivered by Ford Pro – Ford’s new global vehicle services and distribution business for commercial and government customers – FORDLiive is a key pillar of Ford’s always-on relationship with customers to help enhance their fleet operations.

Ford Telematics Essentials underpins the FORDLiive system for fleet users, delivering Smart Maintenance alerts based on real-time vehicle health data. The alerts help businesses to maximise uptime by reducing the number of breakdowns and achieving quicker servicing and repair times.

Harnessing connected vehicle data from the fleet, FORDLiive also links businesses to the support available from the Transit Centre network through Smart Diagnostics so that the productivity of each individual vehicle can be optimised.

WEBFLEET SOLUTIONS TO OFFER AN INTEGRATED VIDEO-BASED SOLUTION

Webfleet Solutions, one of the world’s leading telematics providers and part of Bridgestone, is collaborating with Lytx, a leading global provider of video telematics solutions for fleets, to offer an integrated video-based solution.

WEBFLEET Video is a seamless integration of Lytx’s camera technology with Webfleet Solutions’ fleet management system. Users will be able to access and manage both their vehicles and their in-vehicle cameras via WEBFLEET, the award-winning fleet management platform, offering a single interface experience.

WEBFLEET Video combines Webfleet Solutions’ vehicle and driving data with Lytx’s advanced machine vision (MV) and artificial intelligence (AI) powered camera technology to give users the full context of how their fleet is operating on the road.

Users gain more insight into critical events, helping them to prevent accidents, increase safety for the driver, enhance fleet efficiency and reduce the frequency

The combination of video and telematics data offers a number of opportunities to help safeguard drivers and fleets. WEBFLEET, for example, provides actionable driving behaviour insights and real-time feedback for events such as idling or harsh braking, promoting safer and more sustainable standards.

With the addition of Lytx’ video technology, fleet managers now have a better understanding of why these events occur. They can protect their drivers from non-fault claims and coach them to achieve road safety improvements.