Tag: safety

car crash

R2V Communication Increasing Vehicle Safety While Decreasing Accident Costs

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Fleets around the world are researching how they can improve their operations. Recently, responder-to-vehicle (R2V) communication technology has been seen as a tool that can improve safety and visibility. In fact, many government fleets are looking at how R2V communication and telematics data can decrease accident costs by reducing the chance of civilian and first responder vehicle accidents by upwards of 90%. 

 

Using Telematics And R2V Communication To Boost Safety 

Responder-to-vehicle communication, or otherwise known as R2V communication, is a new technology that allows for first responder vehicles to communicate with other vehicles on the road. Emergency responders and other roadway fleets leverage this technology to drastically reduce collisions between civilian vehicles and first responders. Approximately 31,600 accidents involving fire vehicles and approximately 6,500 accidents involving ambulances were reported in the United States yearly between 2000-2009. Government fleets believe that brighter lights and louder sirens are no longer as effective as they once thought. Rather, new advancing technologies are proving themselves to be extremely useful. Specifically for warning civilian vehicles of the location of emergency responders to reduce collisions by boosting driver alertness and rerouting traffic. 

 

 

HAAS Alert Leveraging R2V Communication 

To successfully deploy digital alerting efforts, HAAS Alert leverages cellular-based data within their digital alerting service Safety Cloud®. By knowing when emergency vehicle lights are ‘on’ or ‘off’, as well as the real-time location of vehicles, Safety Cloud is able to send notifications to users within a specific geographic area or proximity. So, when a first responder vehicle or amber fleet vehicle is moving with their lights ‘on’ or are on scene with their lights ‘on’, the service will automatically relay that information it to nearby approaching drivers. HAAS Alert automatically hides emergency vehicle locations if their lights are ‘off’ while they are stationed at vehicle headquarters (such as a fire hall, police station or hospital) or are conducting system checks by toggling their visibility and setting them as blacklisted. When this information is recorded and known, the data can be provided to the public to increase overall safety and response times. 

haas_alert_dashboard

Digital Alerting With Telematics Data 

As mentioned previously, when telematics data about emergency vehicles and roadway fleets is collected, it can then be distributed to the public via smartphone apps or car dashboards. Waze for example is a GPS routing application that HAAS Alert has partnered with to help provide this information to the public to help increase safety and reduce collisions. By integrating with Waze, HAAS Alert can send alerts and notifications from their Safety Cloud to users of the app when they are in the geofence zone of a first responding vehicle or if they are travelling on the same route of an emergency vehicle. Meaning, not only can drivers redirect attention to the road to reduce the chance of a collision immediately, but civilian drivers can also be directed to take alternative routes. When this telematics data is public and is provided to drivers, civilians are more aware of the presence of emergency vehicles and are even directed to take alternative routes. Resulting in not only fewer resources being used by first responders (for example idling in traffic), but for faster arrivals and for fewer roadside accidents to occur. 

 

The ROI Of R2V Technology 

It may be clear on how R2V communication technology is beneficial for keeping drivers safe, but it’s important to also highlight the financial benefits that arise when using R2V technology like HAAS Alert’s Safety Cloud. When using technology like Safety Cloud, government fleets can expect to see not only fewer costs associated with driving incidents but improved tracking of their efforts. Firstly, with more attention directed to the real-time movement of first responding vehicles, civilian drivers are less likely to be involved in an accident with them. Meaning, there is almost an instant ROI as stopping even one accident from happening can save thousands of dollars in insurance fees, medical bills, and vehicle repairs. HAAS Alert also provides advanced reporting features through internal dashboards. So not only do fleet managers visually see all of their vehicles (whether they are responding to a scene or are stationed and waiting), but they can pull up historical reports to review arrival times, drivers alerted, time spent on-scene and more. 

When fleets need to move quickly and safely, innovative technology that focuses on connectivity and data sharing can’t be overlooked. If you’re interested in learning more about R2V communication technology and Safety Clouds that government fleets are using to their advantage, contact us today. Our consultants can provide you with detailed information about your industry and how telematics tools can help boost safety and even improve costs across the board. 

 

A Strategy To Reduce Fleet Collisions

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When businesses require a fleet of vehicles to move their products from one location to another, it’s critical that they are focusing on promoting safety while on the road. When they are not doing this, sometimes drivers can accidentally drive in dangerous ways. Putting everyone on the road around them at risk. With technology improving to boost safety and reduce fleet collisions, managers and business operators must use it to their advantage.

 

Where The Concern Comes From 

 

Any vehicle accident is concerning. However, when a commercial motor vehicle is involved, sometimes the outcome of the incident can be much worse. As the size of the vehicles and the cargo carried are factors into making the collision worse for all parties involved, it sheds light on why commercial trucking is considered to be in the top 10 most deadliest jobs. In fact, in 2017, FMCSA reported that there were approximately 450,000 police-reported crashes involving large trucks. 

 

With the most common fatal accidents being transportation incidents, managers and drivers themselves can’t be forgoing certain precautions to reduce the risk of collisions and accidents. Below we list various ways fleet employees at every level can do their part to reduce fleet collisions. These tips must remain top of mind as by 2030, it is predicted that road crashes will be the fifth leading cause of death in the U.S. 

 

Commitment From Management 

 

Firstly, in order to reduce fleet collisions, there must be a specific level of commitment from management in regards to maintaining safety. This means that management must continually put the right enforcement in place. This can vary from strict policy to the adoption of new technological solutions, and everything in-between – all of which we touch upon later in this article.  

 

How Managers Can Reduce Fleet Collisions In Their Fleet

 

Enforcing Strict Policy

 

Strict policy enforcement by management is critical to lowering the risk of collisions in fleets. As fleet drivers represent a business, they must act responsibly and abide by company policy at all times. This includes when commercial vehicle drivers are behind the wheel of a company vehicle as they travel to a new work site or when they are delivering cargo. Such policies should look to reduce any risky behaviour like; distracted driving, driving under the influence (regardless of if the substance is legal), driving tired, or even driving over the set hours-of-service (HOS) in your country. 

 

While some of these policies could be hard to enforce and rely largely on trusting your drivers, it’s important to know that there are technological solutions available to help you! When monitoring the behaviour of your drivers, there are innovative dash camera solutions available that use facial recognition to watch facial movements as well as the vehicle movement on the road. So when a driver appears to be distracted, under the influence (swaying over the line), or even tired, managers can be notified to make contact with the driver to ensure they are okay to drive. As well, many ELD and GPS tracking tools like the GO9 device are designed to track not only driver movement, but compliance to HOS. So drivers are well aware whether they are compliant.

 

Pre-Trip Inspection And Proper Maintenance 

 

In addition to enforcing strict policies, managers must also reiterate the importance of keeping company vehicles in tip-top condition. This includes not only educating drivers on how to perform proper pre-trip inspections of vehicles, but scheduling maintenance so all commercial motor vehicle parts are in good condition, are working properly, and are safe to use. Doing this can lower the risk of a collision (that is caused by malfunctioning or broken parts). Such inspections should look at visually checking the engine, checking fluid levels, the wheels, the brakes, and more. A more extensive list about what should be checked can be found here. 

 

 

If a vehicle is placed on the road when there is a pending problem that requires repairs, it places the driver and others around the vehicle at risk. One way to combat the issue of poor maintenance is to use a maintenance management software solution. Solutions like Zendu Maintenance monitors not only the activity of the vehicle but it places the data in algorithms to determine and schedule when preventative maintenance should happen.

 

 

Proper Incident Investigations And Training 

 

As briefly mentioned, to reduce fleet collisions, managers must not only offer the right training, but complete proper investigations into driving incidents when they are reported. This includes using all of the available data and reports to determine what the cause of the incident was and put efforts in place to reduce the likelihood of a similar incident happening again.

 

For example, if an incident occurred because your driver was distracted and speeding while on the road, you can review dashcam footage as well as engine data to confirm the speed they were travelling at, as well how they were distracted (whether they were looking at scenery or even a mobile device). After this is confirmed, the information can allow for a new training module to be created and assigned to the driver to complete. This ensures that they are aware of how their behaviour puts themselves and others around them at risk, while showing how they can act more safely. 

 

Encouraging Safe Driving Habits

 

Similar to the above tip of management conducting proper investigations into driving incidents and implementing new driver-focused training, management must also encourage overall safe driving habits! This means constantly having drivers review training material surrounding this topic, sending out internal communication with tips or even conducting one-on-one driver driving to highlight poor driving trends that are happening. 

 

Some safe driving habits that can reduce fleet collisions are: 

  • Following distance while driving
  • Maintaining visibility 
  • Anticipating turns 
  • Keeping attention forward

 

 

Tech Adoption Via Telematics

 

The last way management can reduce fleet collisions is to adopt and embrace new technologies. This not only speaks to hardware solutions that have been designed to boost safety (such as dash camera solutions or electronic logging devices) but telematics software solutions as well! While some newer commercial motor vehicles are being fitted with such innovative tools while at the factory through OEM (original equipment manufacturer) programs, it can still happen for fleets with older vehicles. There are now a number of simple-to-install plug-and-play style devices that can have software solutions integrated via satellite connectivity. Such hardware and software can automatically collect data about the trip route and driver behaviour so management can always know how their drivers are performing. So when an incident happens and management is alerted by the telematics solution, they can quickly and efficiently address it. Not to mention, there are innovative devices that can be installed within vehicles to monitor the road ahead, alerting the driver if the sensors detect a possible collision coming. 

 

Safety should always be a top priority in fleets regardless of their size or purpose. Whether the driver is transporting large amounts of cargo or the driver is a technician who is travelling to their next site visit, you can’t risk them behaving dangerously on the road. With the above tips management should have the right insight to begin to reduce fleet collisions. However, if you’re looking for a little more guidance in how you can increase safety in your fleet to reduce accidents and dangerous behaviour, contact us today! With our experience and knowledge of nearly every industry, we’re confident that we can address all of your safety concerns with cutting edge technology. 

How Commercial Transportation Is Impacted By COVID-19

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In recent news, not only has the medical community been affected by the outbreak of coronavirus, but the global supply chain as well. On March 11, the World Health Organization declared the recent outbreak of COVID-19 as a pandemic due to its sudden and concerning spread. In order to combat the spread of the virus, the public has been told to practice social distancing and many businesses have even been told to close their doors. However, it’s important to note that these are not the only changes that are happening as a result of the outbreak. In fact, the commercial transportation sector is finding that the public’s new way of living (as a result of being impacted by COVID-19) is also changing their operations. 

 

Below we discuss an overview of how the transportation industry is affected by leveraging fleet data provided by Geotab via intelligent solutions. Please note that the data was gathered on April 10, 2020, via their blog. 

 

How The World Is Impacted By COVID-19

 

With coronavirus infection numbers growing, there have been numerous efforts put into place to limit the spreading of the virus. One effort, the closing of numerous borders, may have affected travel, but not commercial transportation. Borders still remain open for those transporting goods because of the increased need of supplies and equipment in wake of the city lockdowns, community social distancing and more. 

 

Initial Changes In Commercial Transportation 

 

When discussing how essential the transportation sector is, as they are still able to travel across borders for deliveries, it’s important to highlight how there has even been movements towards making transporting essential cargo easier. Specifically the Emergency Declaration issued by the FMCSA and the Essential Freight Transport Exemption which was put into effect by Transport Canada. Both of which focus on adjusting the hours of service (HOS) regulation that drivers within the transportation sector must abide to. These changes allow drivers to drive over the maximum HOS in their country (meaning strict HOS regulations have been changed as a result of COVID-19). However, even though transportation seems more important than ever as they provide relief to communities needing essential supplies, it’s important to look at how the volume of commercial transportation vehicles may be changing. Specifically how the volume (which includes the number of trips and the amount of fuel used) has changed since the month of February.

 

Affected Volume In Activity 

 

As one can imagine, there are countless changes happening to various industries. But when speaking to transportation, a decrease in commercial vehicle activity has been noted. Analyzing data that was collected from Geotab (from the dates March 15 to April 10), a noticeable decrease can be noticed in the percent of normal activity. With a baseline starting before March 15, continuing to April 10 – the time when many countries and industries started to be greatly impacted by COVID-19. Below is a graph which depicts the longitudinal view of commercial traffic volume that is being discussed. Specifically measuring the number of trips relative to normal activity, as well as the type of vehicle used. 

Source: Geotab; The impact of COVID-19 on commercial transportation and trade activity 

 

As illustrated on the graph, various vehicles including heavy-duty trucks (HDT), medium-duty trucks (MDT), light-duty trucks (LDT), multi-purpose vehicles (MPV), as well as cars declined over time in regards to the amount of activity tracked. 

 

This decline is visible in a heatmap provided by Geotab when looking at data in regards to operating percentages and locations (micro regions in the U.S. and Canada). The chart compares what the normal operations percentage was in February 2020, to currently, in April 2020. 

Source: Geotab; The impact of COVID-19 on commercial transportation and trade activity

Source: Geotab; The impact of COVID-19 on commercial transportation and trade activity 

 

In terms of Canadian changes, when looking at data from most recent weeks, compared to data from February 1 to March 15, Canada appears to be operating at 74% of normal commercial transportation activity. It’s important to note that the Maritimes is operating at the lowest when compared to normal – 67%. In comparison, the U.S. has also felt a large impact. The U.S. is operating at an average of 75% of normal commercial transportation activity. Reporting that the State of New York and New Jersey are the most impacted. They are only operating at 55% of normal activity. 

 

In brief, some other changes to highlight are; 

  • Ontario operating at 76% in comparison to 97%
  • Quebec operating at 68% in comparison to 99%
  • The West (US) operating at 68% in comparison to 100%
  • The Mid-Atlantic (US) operating at 74% in comparison to 100% 
  • The Midwest (US) operating at 76% in comparison to 98%  

 

Affected Fuel Usage 

 

With countless vehicles contributing to the commercial transportation sector, it’s also important to look at how these vehicles and usage are changing in terms of fuel during this time. Specifically looking at how fuel usage may be impacted by COVID-19 through decreasing commercial transport activity. 

Source: Geotab; The impact of COVID-19 on commercial transportation and trade activity 

 

The graph depicts that at the start of March 2020, there was a steady quantity of fuel being used among commercial vehicles. The data focused on vehicles that included buses, HDT, LDT, MDT, MPV, and passenger. A general decrease started on March 15, and continued until March 26. Since the end of March, the use of fuel in most cases did not recover to quantities previous to COVID-19, but is occasionally going through dips.

 

It is important to note that decrease was not as apparent within the trucking economy. Some may assume this is because while some operations may have changed, many commercial vehicles are still essential to transport supplies and equipment during this time. When reviewing the data of how the fuel usage of buses and passenger vehicles has dropped greatly, many assume it is because those vehicles are typically not operating at a high frequency due to health and safety recommendations. This includes how the public has been told to work from home (so there are less commuters) as well how the public is told to socially distance themselves from each other and stop public gatherings or events (so there is less travelling for leisure purposes).  

 

During This Change, Safety Is Critical 

 

With commercial transportation still remaining steady (with only minor dips) in terms of fuel use and volume, it’s safe to say that the industry is still steady. What this means is that even at a time where so much is in flux, the transportation sector is critical for many communities as they can provide essential supplies among other necessities.  

 

However, with so much uncertainty surrounding coronavirus and how businesses are impacted by COVID-19 in terms of safety and the length of the pandemic, it’s important for those who are on the frontlines to do what they can to stay safe. One way when speaking to the transportation sector, is for drivers and other delivery personnel to monitor for potential symptoms. Proactively monitoring for coughs, fevers and other signs of viruses can help reduce the possible and unknowing spread of the virus. Especially when speaking about individuals who are travelling constantly and moving cargo. Tools like ZenduCheck, a digital symptom monitoring app, allows drivers and other essential personnel to monitor their health. To learn more about how symptom monitoring can be useful in promoting safety in fleets, click on the button below. 

Keeping Commercial Transportation Personnel Safe During COVID-19

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On March 11, the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 to be a pandemic. Due to the uncertainty and fast spread of the virus, numerous community and country-wide initiatives were put into place. This included but is not limited to, the closure of borders, city-wide lockdowns, social distancing and the temporary closure of businesses. However, even though many businesses have been closed or employees are working from home, some organizations are essential during these times. For example, commercial transportation is essential at the moment as drivers are helping to provide communities with relief by delivering supplies and equipment. Something that many cities and towns can’t go long without. But what does this mean for those within the transportation sector? It means that now, more than ever before, we must work tirelessly to keep commercial transportation personnel safe. 

 

Recommendations To Keeping Commercial Transportation Personnel Safe

 

Since commercial transport drivers are still required to travel and come in contact with numerous individuals, it’s important for fleets to do what they can to ensure that team members remain healthy. Recently, Transport Canada has released information on how this can be successfully completed because if a driver does not take the right precautions, they may not only contract the virus, but they could unknowingly spread it. Some of the recommendations by Transport Canada and the CDC (the US Department of Health and Human Services, Centre for Disease Control and Prevention) include focusing on vehicle cleaning, personal hygiene, social distancing and health status monitoring. 

 

Health And Safety Tips

 

Thoroughly Cleaning Vehicles And Equipment 

 

Throughout the outbreak of COVID-19, it has been stressed more and more to continuously clean and disinfect the spaces or items that we come in contact with. This not only includes the homes we live in, but even the vehicles and equipment we are using – especially for drivers in the transportation industry. In fact, Transport Canada recommends for regular cleaning of equipment and vehicles to keep commercial transportation personnel safe. This means drivers should not only have access to the right supplies to complete continuous cleaning tasks, but guidance in what should be disinfected daily. Below are some reminders and tips.

 

What Drivers Need To Complete Cleaning 

 

  • Personal protective equipment such as gloves
  • Disposable paper towels and absorbent materials
  • Disposal bags 
  • Cleaning agents and disinfectants

 

What High-Touch Surfaces Should Be Cleaned

 

  • Keys or fobs 
  • Starter buttons
  • Door and grab handles 
  • Pads, armrests, seats and seat adjusters, glove compartments, pickup tailgate handles, and sleepers
  • Steering wheels and shift levers
  • Consoles, dashboards, touch screens, power window and power door lock switches, as well as radio and climate control buttons
  • Turn signals and wiper stalkers

 

Maintaining Personal Hygiene 

 

In addition to properly cleaning vehicles, fleets are also directed to stress more importance on personal hygiene to keep commercial transportation personnel safe. This focuses on limiting the risk of an individual unknowing spreading the virus as well as unknowingly contracting the virus. As the virus can be contracted by an individual simply touching their face or eating food without cleaning their hands, this is something that can’t be forgotten about. The following are some personal hygiene reminders.

  • Cover mouths and noses with a tissue or with a sleeve when coughing or sneezing
  • Limit the sharing of personal items to stop the spread the virus 
  • Wash hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds – especially when touching objects such as door handles or even cargo
  • Not touching faces with unwashed hands 
  • Using an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60%-95% alcohol if water and soap is not available to wash hands with 

This is essential for drivers who are travelling as they could be coming in contact with individuals who have the virus or surfaces where the virus is. 

 

Take Part In Social Distancing 

 

Even though drivers in the commercial transportation industry are unable to practice social distancing as much as others, it is still recommended for them to do what they can to participate. Social distancing is the act of creating distance and space between individuals in an attempt to curb the spread of germs and viruses. This works under the theory that with more space between each other, there will be less contact made, and thus, less of a possibility of a virus being spread among the public. With this being said, drivers should be reminded to limit the physical contact that they may have with other team members, receivers or other personnel on their routes, as well as their family members or roommates when they are at home. This can not only limit a driver possibly contracting the virus while they are on route, but spreading it to others regardless of if they are working.

 

Health Status Monitoring 

 

The CDC recommends for individuals to limit the spreading of illness by conducting health status monitoring. This type of monitoring focuses on having individuals who may come in contact with the virus to watch for possible symptoms over 14 days (or more if they are continually at risk for exposure). This is critical for drivers to take part in as they could come in contact with the virus during their daily routes.

 

Watching driver health speaks to looking for obvious signs of sickness and infection. When speaking about COVID-19, the most common symptoms are similar to the cold or flu, however also include fever, cough, difficulty breathing as well as pneumonia. While new information is developing regarding COVID-19 and some cases have been noted to have unusual symptoms, it’s important to stay up-to-date with news from health officials. 

 

One important part of health status monitoring is temperature monitoring as a fever is typically a sign of illness. As some individuals can spread coronavirus without showing any concerning symptoms of the virus, many are turning to body temperature monitoring to watch for fevers that the individual may not be aware of. When a fleet enforces a temperature monitoring policy among their team, it is important for the following steps to be properly communicated so accurate readings are recorded. This is recommended to be completed during the pre-trip inspection as well as periodically throughout the day as required by management. 

 

The following are steps to successfully complete temperature monitoring: 

  • Turn a clean thermometer on 
  • Place the tip of the thermometer (where it reads your body temperature) under your tongue 
  • Hold it until the device beeps 
  • Review the temperature 
  • Record it in a logbook along with whether there are any symptoms 
  • Clean the thermometer to disinfect it 

Image Source: CDC; CARE, Check and Recovery Everyday

 

If the thermometer records a high temperature or a fever (100.4°F/38°C or higher), it is recommended that the individual stops working immediately and calls their fleet manager. At this point, next steps can be discussed (typically stopping all work duties until the fever resides or further testing is completed). As well, drivers should continue to maintain proper personal hygiene, monitor for additional cold, flu or virus symptoms, and participate in social distancing.

 

For additional information regarding symptoms, please visit: https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/diseases/2019-novel-coronavirus-infection/symptoms.html

To take the self-assessment tool offered by the Government of Canada, please visit: https://ca.thrive.health/ 

 

Electronically Monitoring Health Status

 

When discussing health status monitoring, many fleets want to have more visibility of the temperatures and possible symptoms of drivers. In times like this, electronic logbooks are a great option. Free apps like GoFleet Health Check act as a digital recording tool for drivers to input their daily temperatures and overall health status to help ensure they’re not showing common symptoms of coronavirus (such as a cough or fever). Drivers simply record their temperature with a thermometer, input the reading as well as whether there are additional symptoms, then continue with their route if there is no risk of being sick. If a high temperature or numerous symptoms are inputted, the health status monitoring solution will alert the driver that they are at risk and prompt them to stop all work, contact their manager, and take part in safety practices to reduce possible spreading of the virus. 

gofleet, health check, zenducheck, symptom monitoring,

For more information about using the app for free, please contact [email protected]

 

As concerns surrounding the virus continue, it’s important for management to do everything they can to keep commercial transportation personnel safe as they are essential to providing relief to many communities. For further tips on how to reduce exposure and spreading of the virus, be sure to follow government health officials as information is always changing.

GoFleet Update: Implementing Remote Work Initiatives

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For years, work has typically consisted of employees entering an office to complete their job. However, as technology has advanced to provide consumers with great gadgets or services, it has also advanced to make the workplace more accessible. This speaks to the use of new tools to allow for remote work opportunities to be possible in countless organizations. Recently, due to recent concerns of the COVID-19 outbreak, we felt the need to protect our team and others by encouraging them to participate in social distancing by implementing remote work initiatives. 

 

Remote Working From Home

 

As GoFleet is a provider of tools and technology, we see first-hand how innovation is changing businesses. As part of this, our team has always utilized innovative tools to help us better help our customers. Luckily, this technology has also allowed for remote work to be an option for staff. Investing in portable devices and communication software has previously provided us with the means to always complete the highest level of work, regardless of the task. This includes providing team members with laptop computers, laptop accessories such as headsets or mouses, workflow management systems, as well as internet-based conference meeting accounts.

 

Technology Is Changing And So Are We: Our Remote Work From Home Initiatives 

 

Due to recent events and the spread of COVID-19, the GoFleet team has elevated its remote working policy to protect the health and safety of team members. By making remote work from home a default for our employees, we are doing our part in attempting to stop the spread of the virus through social distancing. As mentioned before, we believe that our innovative nature and the tools that our team has available can help us remain productive while we practice social distancing. 

 

How Our Team Is Staying Productive 

 

Like many other organizations, maintaining productivity and quality work is a top priority during times of remote work. So, prior to encouraging our team to work from home, we did vigorous research to see how else we could help them succeed while they were remotely working. We implemented the following: 

 

  • The act of scheduling regular meetings to maintain communication and reduce isolation or miscommunication 
  • A policy regarding what a proper work environment would consist of – a quiet room that has a clear work space, minimal distractions in addition to a proper internet connection 
  • Clear project deadlines via workflow management systems so work does not fall behind and schedules can be organized accordingly 
  • Open discussions to speak about and address work blockers

 

Since much of the effects that COVID-19 will have on work spaces are still unknown, it is important for organizations to continue to research how they can help their team. Not only by encouraging a safe and healthy workplace, but by providing them with guidance about how they can remain successful at this time.

Do you have some tips for teams who are new to working remotely? Comment below!

Is Your Commercial Contracting Business Maximizing Its Telematics Potential?

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When it comes to moving a business forward, many look to implement new tools and strategies to accommodate changing processes and requirements. Recently, the focus for organizations is to streamline processes to not only ensure accuracy and employees responsibilities, but to boost finances. Within the commercial contracting field, telematics can accomplish this and more, specifically with the implementation of new and powerful management systems.

 

What Are Management Systems

A management system is a telematics solution that is used by numerous business owners and managers to grow their business and achieve their long term goals. Not only can these systems work to increase workflow, but these systems also allow for expandability while keeping costs low or reducing them even further. Although the features of management systems can vary, typically solutions can be adjusted to allow for custom mapping or GPS features, dispatching, maintenance, visibility and tracking. The focus is usually streamlining and automating data collection, complying to rules and regulations, as well as streamlining processes. Even though management systems can be applied to nearly any industry in one way or another, one industry that is seeing great potential from using it is commercial contracting or construction. 

 

Why Commercial Contracting Businesses Are Seeing Success

Increased Visibility 

Management systems are praised for visibility. When speaking about commercial contracting businesses, visibility from solutions allows managers to better supervise their teams, resulting in greater management of the overall business. 

For example, since management systems offer live vehicle tracking and equipment tracking integrations, the location of employees and available equipment are always known. So when a call comes in, a dispatching manager can properly dispatch the closest worker who has the right training. Or, managers can dispatch the employee who has the proper tools and equipment, ensuring that they are maximizing their teams efforts by sending someone who can complete the job.

 

Less Downtime 

In addition to live gps fleet tracking, these systems are able to conduct maintenance monitoring for connected vehicles so companies face less downtime and gain larger profits. Not only is this apparent in regards to deploying efforts (as the system will ensure that the right employee with the right skills or equipment will arrive), but in regards to asset quality. This concept speaks to the monitoring of tools, equipment and even the vehicles themselves to ensure they are in peak working performance. As management systems gather specific data that is applied to predetermined algorithms, it is possible to learn when to schedule maintenance.

For example, sensors and diagnostic devices can be installed to monitor vehicle performance. Prompting managers to determine when maintenance should be scheduled. This allows teams to stay productive as sudden breakdowns that cause vehicle downtime happen less often.

 

Boosted Safety 

Lastly, depending on the nature of your commercial contracting business, you may find that your team is frequently dispatched to rural job sites alone. With management systems, managers are able to integrate a number of safety solutions to better protect their lone workers. One to highlight is the Man Down System which offers remote location management. This is through the increased communication from a device that can sense when a worker is injured or falls, resulting in a triggered motion sensor and thus, transmitting a notification requesting the assistance of management and EMS services. 

Regardless of what your focus is for 2020, a management system is a tool that countless contracting businesses are seeing benefits from. Not only are managers and owners noticing that they are able to have more visibility on their team, but they can find ways to integrate maintenance and safety features. 

If you’re interested in learning more about the management features that are available, or what integrations could best fit your unique business needs, contact us today! We’ll be happy to speak with you to learn exactly what you may want to invest in so you can see success in the new year!