Victoria Gole, Author at GoFleet Tracking

How to Use Telematics to Improve Risky Driving Habits

Posted on November 16, 2016 | by Victoria Gole

A risky driver can be a ticking time bomb for any company if not handled quickly and effectively. Let’s take a look at some best practices when using telematics to deal with a risky driver.

Identify the Problem
Take a look at the data and identify the risky driving behaviour. Is it speeding? Is it failed seatbelt use? Is it harsh braking? All of the above? Whatever it is, you want to be sure you are aware of it before bringing it up to your drivers. This way, you can describe the problem and why it is harming not only the company but likely putting drivers in danger as well.

Offer Group Training
Instead of alienating a driver, it’s often better to start out by reviewing the overall findings with your entire team of drivers and setting targets. Present the data in a way that’s easy to understand and review what some of the consequences could be for both the company and the driver.

Enable In-Vehicle Driver Coaching
In-vehicle driver coaching is a feature offered by some telematics companies that allows you to essentially train your drivers while they’re on the road. You can usually customize the rules and enable alerts for poor driving habits like speeding, harsh braking, seatbelt use, and more.

Monitor the Driver’s Habits
It’s now up to your drivers, give them a little time to adjust to the new policies and monitor how their habits change. Hopefully, you will notice a decrease in the risky behaviour.

4.1 Consult with the Driver Directly (Optional)
If you notice after the group training and in-vehicle driver coaching you still have a high-risk driver, it’s time to address the concern with them directly. Show the driver their reports in comparison with the rest of the company, and point out specifically what they are doing wrong. Make it clear that you are looking out for both their best interest and what is best for the company. If necessary, you may also want to add a consequence, such as a write-up, if the behaviour continues to persist.

Offer Safety Incentives
A little competition never hurt anyone, right? So why not reward employees for making significant improvements. Some solutions offer great reports, like our driver scorecard, which shows each driver’s overall score (using speeding, harsh braking, seat-belt-use, etc.) for the time period selected. What many of our customers do is post this up in their lunchroom at the end of each month for drivers to see how they compare to their colleagues. Then at the end of each quarter the driver with the best score is rewarded with a gift card or extra vacation day.

If you still have questions on how to effectively improve the habits of a risky driver, we are more than happy to help. We’ve seen tons of different scenarios and are well versed in different ways to handle high-risk drivers. Feel free to reach out!

Top 5 Things to Look for in a Reefer Temperature Monitoring System

Posted on November 15, 2016 | by Victoria Gole

With the release of the new US Food Safety Modernization Act, there is a huge increase in demand for reefer temperature monitoring systems. But with the release of this new mandate, it’s important to ensure the system you choose, is one that will keep you in line with the FSMA.

We’ve put together the top 5 things to look for when choosing a reefer temperature monitoring system, to stay in compliance with the FSMA – and get what’s best for you and your customers.

Cold Chain Compliant
First and foremost, before looking any further make sure the system is in compliance with the US FSMA.

Immediate Alerts for Out-of-Range Temperatures
What good is it having a reefer temperature monitoring system, if you don’t get immediate alerts when the temperature is out of range? Make sure the system you choose has the capabilities to send immediate alerts whenever the temperature in your reefers goes too high or too low, so you can act on it immediately to keep your transported goods safe.

Temperature Recording in Small Increments
Sometimes the smallest change in temperature can have a big impact on the goods you are transporting. It’s important to look for a system that records in less than 1 degree increments.

Real-Time Multiple Zone Temperature Tracking
The temperature in the front of the reefer may not always be the same at the back of the reefer. With multiple zone monitoring, you can ensure all good inside the truck are kept at the appropriate temperature.

Remote & Easy Access to Up-to-Date Temperature Information
Real-time dashboard visualization and easily accessible detailed temperature reports are a critical component to keep your receiver happy, as well as comply with the FSMA reports required.

*Bonus Tip: Wireless sensors usually mean easier installation. Rather than pay expensive install fees, choose a system that your technician can easily install to keep costs down.

Questions? Feel free to reach out to [email protected]!

Fleet Management Solutions Keep You From Falling Behind

Posted on November 11, 2016 | by Victoria Gole

Every fleet manager should remember the old saying, “if you are standing still you are falling behind.” That is the truth when it comes to making investments in Fleet Management Services. Fleet managers get hung up on “return on investment” and fail to consider the “cost of ignoring.” In other words, it is a mistake to worry so much about the cost of new technology if that makes you forget about the costs of failing to adopt new technology when the rest of your industry is moving forward without you.

Why Investing in a Reliable Fleet Management System is the Right Choice

Consider some of the money you could be losing by ignoring strong fleet management solutions. First, there are safety costs. Accidents themselves often cost tens of thousands of dollars in damage not covered by insurance along with lost productivity. Of course, failing to control for safety can drive up insurance costs as well. Second, without good telematics, fleet managers will fail to effectively control fuel costs. They will have no way to correct their employees that drive too aggressively or even catch those that may be stealing fuel. Third, fleet management services are vital for efficient maintenance of vehicles. In the old days, technicians had to run around the lot to check odometers to figure out when a vehicle would need to be serviced. Now, sophisticated sensors can keep fleet managers informed in real time on the upcoming maintenance needs for specific systems on specific vehicles. This allows fleet managers to better schedule maintenance to minimize downtime. Controlling driver behavior also helps improve the lifetime of vehicle parts. Finally, good fleet management solutions can drastically improve driver efficiency by maximizing their time spent on the road and saving money that would be lost paying drivers who have unused duty time or have to wait on their vehicles to be ready to go.

Implementing Fleet Management Solutions:
Case Studies

Between Geotab (our partner) and ourselves, we have a number of success stories that illustrate how fleet management services can root out “ignored” costs. For example, Red Hawk Fire & Security adopted telematics primarily to help reduce its accident rate. Red Hawk may not ever be fully able to understand the number of accidents that it prevented with the new system, so the return on investment may be hard to quantify. The company certainly seems to have understood, that ignoring the safety problem could cost the company dearly. This lead Red Hawk to invest in a telematics system to monitor its drivers and provide corrective feedback as needed. As it turned out, accidents dropped 80% and seatbelt use was dramatically improved as well. The company also found that with better oversight its employees became more efficient in the field, and because of that Red Hawk is now able to serve more customers per day. Without the telematics monitoring that is becoming more common in the industry, the company may never have realized that its technicians could be saving time every day.

Ideal Plumbing

The productivity lost without modern fleet management services is difficult to measure, Ideal Plumbing learned. The company lets its technicians control their vehicles at all times. That gave the company little control over what employees did with their trucks after hours, and when the company adopted telematics it suddenly realized the costs it had been suffering by ignoring after-hours activity. The fleet management services allowed Ideal Plumbing to keep its trucks focused on business travel and thereby reduce fuel use and wear and tear on its vehicles. Ideal Plumbing also implemented a discrete system of sharing performance metrics with its drivers so those drivers can see their performance and have opportunities to improve. Ideal Plumbing says it has seen a huge improvement just by telling drivers how they are doing and it is now seeking to improve further with a reward system.

Crown Uniform & Linen Service

Another great example is Crown Uniform & Linen Service, a company that realized it was losing a huge amount of money from idling trucks. Crown’s drivers make 30 to 40 stops per day, and the company has always tried to reduce the amount of time spent idling. Success was often hard to find, until Crown installed telematics in partnership with an environmental group called Sustainable America. Crown found that its drivers were idling for 70 minutes per day on average, and some were idling two to five hours per day. Managers were shocked, but the problem soon began to improve after managers began receiving Geotab data pointing out problem areas and allowing them to correct drivers that were failing to shut down their engines. Crown saw its average idling time drop to just seven minutes per day. That has delivered thousands in fuel savings that Crown would never have known about without installing Geotab-based fleet management services.

Getting the Most Out of Your Telematics Data?

The key to getting the most out your telematics system is a strong partnership with your vendor and industry leading hardware and software. We offer a comprehensive telematics system with Geotab’s GPS units at our core. We get the most out of the GPS data provided by Geotab with our comprehensive fleet management solutions. We pair Geotab units with engine sensors, fuel gauges, tire pressure gauges, cameras, refrigeration units sensors, and so much more. Data is collected from all these sensors and fed back to our central reporting system where fleet managers can monitor their entire fleet in real time. Fleet managers can also set automatic alerts so they can attend to other business until GoFleet alerts them to a problem. Our system can even be installed in a tamper-resistant manner if necessary. Most importantly, we work hand-in-hand with our customers to ensure they are getting the most return on investment possible with our system.

Check out this short video that explains how quickly you can get started. You can also read more about our services and we are happy to provide a free demonstration to any fleet manager looking to save money with modern fleet management solutions. Our experienced team will highlight your pain points and show you how to root out your unnecessary costs, “ignored” or otherwise.

New FDA Food Safety Rule Quickly Transforming Food Transportation

Posted on November 8, 2016 | by Victoria Gole

As part of the new Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently introduced a new law on the sanitary transportation of food. According to the new FDA food rule, carriers and shippers will be responsible for ensuring proper temperature has been maintained for the entire transportation of the food, within the US.

The new sanitary transport rule results from a consultation process between the food and transportation industries and the government over the last two years. The rule applies to both animal and human food transported in bulk and open containers.

Who Must Comply with the Food Safety Rule?

Carriers, shippers, and receivers, transporting food in the United States by rail or motor vehicle are subject to the new rule. For shippers, the company will need to provide proof that the appropriate temperature was maintained at the shipping staging area prior to moving it into the carrier vehicle.

In turn, the carrier is then required to document the following two things:
1) The transport vehicle was pre-cooled to the appropriate temperature prior to the load transfer
2) Appropriate temperatures were maintained for the entire duration of the trip.

The carrier must ensure the food arrived at the receiving location at the appropriate temperature. The receiver may also request a report from both the carrier and shipper to confirm the right temperatures were maintained from point A to point B.

FDA Food Safety Rule Compliance Deadline

Larger fleets have one year from the publication date (April 2017) to comply, and smaller fleets have two years (April 2018) to comply.

Temperature Monitoring is Essential to Sanitary Transportation

Proper refrigeration of food during transportation is one of the main responsibilities under the food safety rule. Temperature tracking and telematics can significantly help with fleet compliance to new guidelines.

Temptrac, a solution developed by our partner Valor, is Cold Chain Custody Compliant, meeting both the US FMSA and European EN12830 requirements. The solution provides you with real-time temperature monitoring of your mobile and stationary refrigerated assets, anytime, anywhere. The Temptrac kit comes pre-programmed with two long lasting wireless sensor that allow you to track two different temperature zones independently, with the added option of expanding to four if needed.

How Trailer Temperature Tracking Works

There are four components to the Valor TempTrac temperature tracking solution: sensors, antenna, CAN bus, and Geotab GO device:

Internally-mounted sensors simultaneously monitor and record 0.5 degree trailer temperature changes in real-time.
An antenna transmits data wirelessly from the sensors to the CAN bus and Geotab GO telematics device. In addition to trailer temperature data, the Geotab GO device collects a wealth of GPS location info and engine data.
Data can be accessed and managed through the MyGeotab fleet management software. Fleet managers can set customized temperature thresholds and immediate alerts for out of range breaches. The driver receives immediate SMS or email alerts for temperature changes over and under the pre-set range.

Temperature tracking doesn’t have to be complicated. Simple plug-&-play installation of the Valor TempTrac + Geotab solution means that a trailer or truck will be up and running again in 20 minutes, providing immediate temperature visibility.

In addition to meeting your end-to-end cold chain management needs, seamless telematics integration provides added-value.

Protecting Safety with Data-Driven Technology

The FDA’s new rule is a step forward for food safety and will help protect millions of people from foodborne illness. Temperature tracking technology will play a very important role in increasing monitoring accuracy and improving safety in the food supply chain.

Data-driven solutions are only as reliable as the sensors that capture them. It’s critical to select sensor technology that is robust, reliable, and precise. A comprehensive solution will track temperatures through the life of a shipment, and also show trends over time and provide driver alerts. Understanding temperature throughout the chain of custody enables shippers to deliver food safely and confidently to their customers.

Learn More

Valor TempTrac Reefer Temperature Monitoring – Valor TempTrac monitors up to four temperature zones simultaneously and transmits temperature readings through your Geotab GO device to MyGeotab in real time. Companies that ship fresh produce, frozen goods, or high-value assets such as pharmaceuticals via refrigerated transport can benefit from this solution.

Key Benefits:

Real-time monitoring of temperature, samples every four seconds, transmits every ten seconds, or 1 degree temperature change.
Immediate SMS or email alerts for over- and under-temperature changes.
Track temperatures through the life of a shipment and trend temperatures over time.

About Valor
Valor is a research and design institute as well as a manufacturer of advanced Tire Pressure Monitoring Systems. Their Tire Pressure and Temperature Monitoring System (TPTMS) has been specifically engineered to meet the challenges of fleet management in reducing tire maintenance and fuel costs while increasing safety.

Source: https://www.geotab.com/blog/fda-food-safety-rule/

Step Up Your Game with a Fleet Temperature Monitoring System

Posted on November 3, 2016 | by Victoria Gole

TEMPERATURE MONITORING SYSTEM BRINGS BIG SAVINGS

As an article from earlier this year in Fleet Equipment Magazine makes clear, shipping costs for refrigerated goods can be greatly reduced with a good fleet temperature monitoring system. Of course, putting a monitoring system in place requires an investment from the fleet manager who must decide if the anticipated savings will be worth the investment. However, now with the release of the FDA’s Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), temperature monitoring and reporting is a must. The potential gains range from the obvious to the more subtle.

The most obvious cost savings come from eliminating spoilage. Real-time temperature monitoring allows central oversight of truck temperatures and can allow easy verification that proper temperatures were maintained throughout a journey. These records can also be used to defend against claims that good were damaged by heat in transit. This is important for every product, including fresh produce and frozen food, but it is also incredibly important for high-value assets like pharmaceuticals.

A good fleet temperature monitoring system also allows fleet managers to better manage their people, especially when combined with sensors that monitor things like mileage, engine performance, location, and movement. An integrated monitoring system allows fleet managers to know if their vehicles suddenly begin to burn a lot more fuel than normal. That can be a sign that fuel is being lost because of a maintenance problem or even because of theft on the part of a driver. A monitoring system can track duty time of drivers and anticipate upcoming maintenance needs based on mileage or engine hours.

Perhaps just as importantly, real-time monitoring can eliminate countless hours of running around the yard locating trucks and checking their status one at a time. Because trucks are generally only making money when they are hauling a load, good data is necessary for a large fleet to maximize its utilization.

WHY CHOOSE US?

Our fleet temperature monitoring system is an industry leader in temperature monitoring systems and is cold chain custody compliant. It provides real-time temperature monitoring with a check every four seconds in up to four different zones in each truck. No manual inspections are required, and fleet managers can get an automatic alert when temperatures reach a critical level. These continuous temperature checks are also recorded to assure accountability and help maximize the usage of a fleet, and remain in compliance with the FSMA.

Our system is fully integrated with other add-ons and add-ins, including our GPS vehicle tracking device that collects data from a number of available sensors on board a vehicle and then provides that information to a fleet manager’s central monitoring system.

Our wireless temperature monitoring system relies on sensors from Valor, a leading research and design institute known for precise and reliable sensors. Valor designs and manufactures its own sensors; the in-house manufacturing component allows Valor to constantly innovate and keep costs down. Valor has partnered with Geotab, the manufacturer of our GPS-enabled tracking devices. The devices collect data from the vehicle and then our software collects presents this data to fleet managers in a user-friendly and stress-free interface.

Preventative Maintenance Planning for Fleets

Posted on October 25, 2016 | by Victoria Gole

It’s well known across the fleet management industry that preventative maintenance (PM) will reduce downtime and save you money, yet so many companies still fail to have one in place. Here’s a quick introduction to setting up a top-notch PM program for your fleet.

What’s Preventative Maintenance and Why’s It Important?

Preventative maintenance is regularly scheduled maintenance on a vehicle to reduce breakdowns. PM is done while the vehicle is still in working condition, in order to keep it running at optimal performance levels and greatly reduce downtime.

PM is important because it minimizes downtime and maximizes revenue.

If you don’t have a preventative maintenance program in place, you are putting your vehicles and drivers at a much higher risk of breakdowns and costly downtime. Preventative maintenance also helps keep your vehicles running in top shape, which can directly have an effect on the efficiency and fuel economy of your vehicles.

Why Do So Many People Fail to Perform Preventative Maintenance?

While preventative maintenance saves time and money in the long run, fleet managers and business owners often only look at the initial costs and time investment necessary — and do not look at the entire big picture. Implementing a preventative maintenance program may take some initial costs and dedicated time from your team up front, but the pay off in the long run is well worth it.

Preventative Maintenance Made Easier With Telematics

There are multiple maintenance management software systems out there on the market, but many are missing one critical aspect, which is the ability to actually communicate with the vehicles. When a maintenance management system can communicate with your vehicles, the entire process can almost be automatic, with very little room for human error.

That’s where telematics comes into play. By combining maintenance management software with vehicle engine data, such as odometer and engine faults, preventative maintenance can be triggered to schedule within the software automatically.

How to Set Up a Preventative Maintenance Plan Successfully

Perform an inventory of all fleet vehicles. Review the maintenance records for each vehicle to determine regularly required maintenance activities and parts. Establish a list of priority vehicles.
Set an annual budget for maintenance.
Implement a maintenance management system to automate and streamline work orders, PM scheduling, inventory and parts management, purchasing, and reporting. By using an online maintenance assistant for reporting, you can measure and analyze key program metrics such as: closed work orders with all costs; work orders suggested vs. completion date; low stock report; and maintenance by type.
Create a PM checklist & schedule. Be sure to consult the manufacturer’s recommended maintenance schedules for each vehicle to help establish appropriate frequencies. Implement a system for sending alerts when maintenance is due.
Determine the best method for communicating maintenance plans and receiving reports and feedback, e.g. informal (emails, calls, weekly updates) or formal (monthly meetings with a structured agenda).
Establish the method of record-keeping on ongoing maintenance activities. How will the information be reported and where will it be stored?
Review and analyze the PM program regularly to ensure that it is meeting your budget and expectations. Look for areas of improvement where possible.

Telematics Misconceptions

Posted on September 22, 2016 | by Victoria Gole

Telematics can often get a bad rep – from being too expensive to being like ‘Big Brother’. In this article we will take a closer look at some of the biggest telematics misconceptions.

First misconception: All telematics technologies are the same.
The truth: There is a huge difference between telematics providers. If you do your research, you’ll see there are a ton of choices when it comes to different software, hardware, features available, reports, alerts, dashboards, and more.

Second misconception: Cheaper is better.
The truth: If you find a solution to fit your specific business needs and goals, you will gain a better ROI. Better telematics software is often more expensive for a reason – more functionality and features, reliability, top notch customer service, making for a long-term valued business partner – NOT just the basic software and hardware. Bottom line: price should not be the driving factor in your final decision.

Third misconception: Telematics is too expensive.
The truth: It’s no secret that the initial up front investment in telematics can be expensive, however, when used correctly, telematics can help a fleet save significantly more that the first initial cost. When speaking with different providers, make sure to take a look initial investment and have them show you how you’ll save more than that. Telematics is only costly when you are not getting a ROI.

Fourth misconception: All telematics solutions are scalable & will adapt to your growing business.
The truth: Unfortunately, not every solution is scalable. Fleets will often grow out of some providers because of their limited functionality. It’s important to find out about the scalability of a telematics solution when looking at different providers. Make sure they have all the capabilities you are looking for right now, as well as many other features and add-ons that will allow the solution to grow along with your business.

Fifth misconception: Using telematics will make your drivers angry.
The truth: This is probably by far the most common misconception, and unfortunately yes, some drivers may have an issue with telematics. However, most of your drivers want to do a good job and make your company money, and the right telemaatics solution will only help them do an even better job. And the small percentage of drivers who do have an issue with it? Well, in our experience, they’re the ones who are doing something wrong and don’t want you to know about it.

Source:
Automotive Fleet: Telematics ROI Beyond Fuel Savings

Telematics ROI: Small & Medium Business Case Studies

Posted on August 23, 2016 | by Victoria Gole

It’s no secret small and medium sized businesses with fleets can benefit from telematics yet people often don’t see where the ROI can come from when they only have a few vehicles.

Let’s take a look at two case studies specifically for those in doubt, and see just how small and medium businesses are using telematics to increase productivity and save money.

Usually the key performance indicators (KPIs) for small and medium fleets are the same as larger fleets. Focusing on specifics like lowering fuel consumption, eliminating fuel theft, and improving driver behavior to reduce risk and increase safety.

However, every fleet is different and will have their own specific goals. Let’s look at the following two examples of how two different businesses use telematics:

Case Study 1: Food Production Company Saves Money on Mileage

Challenge: Company Abc is in food production and uses multiple contractors to transport their products. The contractors are paid by mileage, and drive their own trucks. The mileage is paid for trips from the factory door to the farm, and the mileage inside the factory facility is not included in the calculation.

Solution: A starter solution with a custom daily report to highlight the mileage of each truck. This report shows the mileage inside the factory perimeter as well, so the customer can measure exact savings in mileage – adding up to hundreds of kilometers saved per day! The higher level plans were not necessary at this time but, if they wish to expand their solution to include driver behaviour and fuel consumption details, it’s easy to do so.

Case Study 2: Company Verifies Accuracy of Vehicle Testing with Telematics

Challenge: Company Xyz has a small fleet of hybrids and is engaged in testing vehicles. Their main goal is to measure driving behaviour and compare fuel usage versus electrical usage. The company also needs to verify the accuracy of the data for speeding and other harsh driving events.

Solution: A custom dashboard report to allow the customer to easily view the percentage of fuel consumption versus electrical usage. The high quality of data we provide gives the customer confidence that all their testing measurements are accurate.

These examples demonstrate how important it is for your telematics solution to be flexible. A platform that is user-friendly is also essential for maximizing the telematics value for the customer.

Tips to Selecting the Best Telematics Solution for Your Business

Ask Questions Now to Avoid Problems Later

There are a ton of telematics providers that promise great functionality at very low prices. In our experience, we’ve seen far too many of these providers suddenly vanish, leaving their customers with useless hardware installed in their vehicles.

In many of these unfortunate cases, customers were attracted by pricing or an enticing sales pitch. When looking at different suppliers, they never asked some key questions such as:

How stable is this company’s technology?
How much revenue do they spend on developing future technologies and services?
What measures does the company take to protect personal data?
What security do they deliver on the device and cloud sides?

And most importantly:

What value will this solution bring to my business?
Can this solution be scaled regionally and globally?

Although these questions may seem obvious. We’ve seen far too many small businesses implement telematics without considering these crucial topics, only to later discover that the solution did not always fit their needs.

Top Features to Have in a Telematics Solution

Some of our customers were already using a telematics solution prior to GoFleet, so they ask directly for specific improvements that their previous fleet solution did not offer.

Examples of key added value features:

Reliability and Service Availability
Good Customer Support
Cost-effective
Quick Install/Uninstall
Easy Report Customization
Wide Engine Parameters
Scalability

Source:
Small to Medium Business Case Studies by: Antonio Venutelli, Solutions Engineer at Geotab
https://www.geotab.com/blog/small-and-medium-business/

How to Increase Fleet Productivity with Telematics

Posted on June 30, 2016 | by Victoria Gole

Telematics is here to stay, and in order to remain competitive within your market you may have started using some version of the technology. If not, you’re missing out.

There is so much more to telematics than simply GPS tracking; telematics can help decrease fuel costs, increase fleet productivity and safety, and so much more.

Fleets reported an average of 21.1% decrease in accident costs, and a 10% decrease in fuel consumption in a recent Bobit Business Media Survey. Some respondents saw up to a 40% decrease in fuel consumption and an average of 12% decrease in labor costs.

59% of fleets said productivity was a major benefit of implementing telematics.
However, almost all benefits from telematics can boost productivity.

The survey included over 1,000 government and commercial fleet responses from fleets of all sizes and 92% reported telematics had a positive impact on their fleet.

So, how exactly can telematics increase fleet productivity?

It is not a magical solution that you plug in and notice results – it is however an extremely powerful tool and when used correctly can result in a ton of savings. Through proper use of the software, paying attention to detail, small changes made over time and communication with your drivers, you will definitely get the results you are looking for.

Real-Time Visibility
Better tracking of your assets means saving you time and money through more efficient job/field tracking, dispatching, billing, and reduced theft.
Maintenance Management
Schedule preventative maintenance based on actual engine hour data instead of your drivers guessing.
Improved Routing & Dispatching
By knowing where your drivers are in real-time you can respond quicker and increase fleet productivity.
Monitoring Safety
Through tracking metrics like speeding, seat belt use, etc. you can educate your drivers and help prevent incidents on the road. The collected data can also be used to clear up any false claims.
Increase Employee Efficiency
The factors above are important but without employee support, it won’t work. Educate your drivers and even make it a healthy competition to see who can get the best driving record.
+ so much more!

Source:
Automotive Fleet: How to Increase Fleet Productivity Using Telematics by Kelsey Nolan

How to Detect and Stop Fleet Idling

Posted on June 23, 2016 | by Victoria Gole

Many drivers idle without even thinking about it. For example, an employee waits for their coworker in the car outside a local coffee shop while the engine is humming in the background. Unfortunately, fleet idling can end up being quite costly to business operations, in terms of wasted fuel, the possibility of fines or infractions, accumulation of vehicle maintenance costs, and the environmental impact of excessive emissions.

Increased awareness of idling behavior, through the Geotab solution, can help reduce overall fleet costs. Read this article to learn how to identify and manage idling in MyGeotab.

True Idling Versus Operational Idling

A common trucking myth is that diesel engines need a warmup time of five minutes before driving. Nowadays, no more than three minutes of warmup is recommended by most diesel engine manufacturers; longer than that may actually cause engine damage. It’s important fleet managers make sure they understand the difference between true idling and operational idling.

By comining our high-resolution data logging points of the GO device and the IOX-AUX Add-On, fleet managers can easily see whether assets are wasting time or being used for stand-still job applications right within MyGeotab.

True Idling or Non-Operational Idling — In MyGeotab, a vehicle will be in true idling when the vehicle ignition is on and there is no power take-off (PTO) usage identified either through engine status data or through IOX-AUX based input. IOX-AUX is an Add-On for the Geotab GO7 device which measures external vehicle inputs.
Operational Idling — If a vehicle is idling but the fleet manager can see PTO usage through engine status data or through IOX-AUX, then this is classified as operational idling. PTO is a mechanism which drives the engine power from the engine to another external application, high-powered vacuum or a lift on the back of a trailer. Most often, PTO will be used when the engine is running and the vehicle is standing still. Three to minutes of vehicle warm up time can also be considered operational idling as well.

How to Manage Fleet Idling in MyGeotab

We offer a number of tools within our fleet management system to effectively manage idling.

Set Up a True Idling Rule and Notification

Software-based rules can be set to identify drivers who are idling for any non-business purpose, i.e. detect true idling for longer than five minutes. Fleet managers can then be notified of any exceptions generated from these rules via text message or email.

PTO comes through as engine status data. Depending on the OEM and make and model of the vehicle, the engine data is variable. PTO activity can be sporadic and there isn’t a solid pattern to track. Therefore, a more reliable indicator of true idling is PTO state. Looking for that flip of the switch (i.e. 0 or 1 value) can show whether the PTO was actually activated.

To develop a rule to capture this information, we need to consider both conditions, which are engine status data and info from the IOX-AUX.

The rule can be defined as:

Speed < 3mph and Status Data Diagnostic “PTO Status (0=Disengaged/1=Engaged)” > 0 or Aux1 is true and Ignition is true

Driver Coaching Tools for Idling

Driver feedback helps reduce idling occurrence rates within a fleet by notifying drivers when idling occurs, so they can immediately adjust their behavior. The Geotab GO device can be configured to produce in-cab audible beeping through the device’s built-in buzzer or deliver a spoken text-to-speech message using the GO TALK Live In-Vehicle Verbal Feedback Add-On.

Track Trends with Custom Reports

The standard Exception Details report, included by default within each MyGeotab database, shows when, where and for how long true idling or wasted time events occurred. By using rules that differentiate between operational and non-operational idling, it becomes possible to calculate a breakdown of time spent within each category. From there, some report customization can provide a scoring element that ranks vehicles and drivers on their performance.

As you can imagine, there are limitless possibilities when it comes to visualizing this data. Thankfully, for those of us who are not Microsoft Excel experts, we provide useful Custom Report templates which can help add firepower to the fight against true idle time reduction. Here are some examples:

Weekly Idle Cost – Daily Trend Report: Shows the overall cost of idling for the fleet. Intended to be run for a week’s duration, broken down daily for trending analysis.
Last 3 Months Idling Trend: Displays the total idling time for the entire fleet over the last three months.
Trended Exception Report: Showcase how your drivers are doing compared to each other on a trend. Designed to be reporting for a monthly or weekly data set, showing daily or weekly trends.

Driver Awareness and Training are Key

The driver is the one who chooses to let the vehicle idle, making driver training and awareness key. Telematics data collection, driver coaching, and reporting can all assist fleet managers to create more efficient and sustainable fleet. Perhaps, in the future, driverless and electric vehicles will become a solution to this problem.

Source:

How to Detect and Stop True Fleet Idling

By: Jason Widla, Solutions Engineer Specilaist at Geotab

https://www.geotab.com/blog/detect-stop-true-fleet-idling/