Tag: Telematics

school buses parking

Part 1: Telematics Solutions That Work For Any Vehicle Year In School Transportation

Posted on | by Burhanuddin | Leave a Comment on Part 1: Telematics Solutions That Work For Any Vehicle Year In School Transportation

Many fleets understand how telematics solutions can benefit fleets, but often managers may be misinformed about how the solutions can be adopted by their fleet if their vehicles vary in age. Numerous solutions can be used by school transporters regardless of the make, model or year, continue reading to learn more. 

 

Why Telematics Solutions Are Important For School Transportation Fleets

Safety is of utmost importance and depends entirely on the decisions that drivers make. However, in some industries, there is even more stress placed upon safety as it can affect the lives of others. When discussing school transportation, this is visible as the driving behaviour and vehicle upkeep can not only affect the life of the driver, but of the students boarding as well. 

 

Safety and Telematics 

When addressing fleet safety, telematics can help support drivers with feedback and coaching by implementing driver scorecards, reports and alerts to ensure they know how to make safe driving decisions.

When discussing fleet safety and maintenance management, fleets are turning to systems that monitor and alert teams when maintenance checks or repairs need to happen. This ensures that unexpected breakdowns are drastically decreased and repair turnaround times are increased.  

 

Efficiency and Telematics 

Boosting efficiency can help school districts that face tight budgets accomplish more with less. By cutting down on idling time, speeding and inefficient bus routes, more money can be saved to ensure students have adequate transportation to and from school. 

While telematics may seem important to be used in all school transportation vehicles, sometimes fleets overlook it. Even though there are varying reasons as to why this is, many are simply misinformed about whether the technological advancements can actually be adopted and implemented. 

 

Why School Transportation Fleets May Initially Overlook New Technologies 

It’s not unheard of for school transporters, or any fleet for that matter, to have fleets that include vehicle models of varying years. With tight budgets, school transportation fleets are often seen to purchase new buses to replace older models that are no longer functioning. As a result, fleets have a variety of old and new buses, which in turn seems to cause a concern about whether telematics will be of use for the entire fleet. 

This poses the need for teams like GoFleet to share knowledge and insight to all-year inclusive vehicle solutions that fleets with varying makes and models can use.

 

Finding All-Year Inclusive Vehicle Solutions: Where To Start

As there seems to be miscommunication about model years being a requirement for using telematics solutions, our team has outlined four steps to take when searching for all-year inclusive vehicle solutions: 

1. Evaluate Your Fleet Needs

Before purchasing a new system or solutions to implement, managers must evaluate the current tools they have in place, as well their goals with utilizing telematics. Whether it’s to increase safety, lower costs or boost efficiency, these must all be determined to ensure the right solutions are later implemented. 

2. Do Your Research On Solutions

With your fleets needs in mind, it’s vital to research and find the right solution amongst the countless ones available while ensuring the age of the vehicle will not affect the success of the implementation. For example, if the priority is to cut down on fuel costs, looking for a solution to reduce idling time and monitoring driver behavior is the way to go. As well, it’s important to keep in mind that there are various solutions that work hand-in-hand with each other, in addition to being all encompassing. 

3. Review The Costs Of Implementation 

Fleets need to ensure that they make use of every dollar wisely. Setting aside and organizing the budget to adopt telematics may seem difficult, but it will result in great returns on investment. 

Systematic maintenance will avoid expensive repairs and result in the buses having longer life spans. Longer vehicle life span will also result from increased safety, and the frequency of school bus accidents will in turn reduce.

Although these telematic solutions can be implemented into the fleet at an affordable rate, agencies like Sourcewell can offer competitively, solicited purchasing contracts to get you these solutions and equipment at a discounted price. 

4. Speak With An Experienced Solutions Provider

Implementing telematics into your fleet can seem daunting, but by working with an experienced solutions provider you can rest easy knowing you’re in good hands. Working with GoFleet, an industry leader in this sector, will make the process simple as our team of industry specific specialists will ensure that your fleet receives a custom solution to drive your efficiency, safety and maintenance management as well as increase your ROI. To learn more about the right telematics solution for your fleet, get in touch with our School Transportation Experts.

To read more about the specific telematic solutions that can work for fleets with varying vehicle years, read the continuation in Part Two.

natural disaster, fire fighters, first responders, fire truck, telematics, dispatching, emergency

When Natural Disasters Strike, The Need for Telematics Increases

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Frontline workers and first responders are under enormous pressure, and sometimes, depending on the emergency, the pressure to help those in need will increase. During these situations, potential lack of efficiency, response structure and training will appear as fleets that are inexperienced or unprepared could make the wrong decisions. To ensure this never happens and that response teams are always ready, fleets responding to emergency scenarios must appropriately leverage telematics to boost training, overall safety and organizational efficiency.

 

The Stress of Responding to Natural Disasters 

Natural disasters can be complicated. As they often come with little warning and have unpredictable outcomes, response teams must be prepared for almost anything on short notice. Recently in 2019, the US faced 108 fatalities and countless casualties as a result of natural disasters which included wildfires, housefires, floods or storm surges, tsunamis or hurricanes, avalanches or landslide, earthquakes, thunderstorms or heavy rain, hail, blizzards, ice storms as well as heavy snow. With so many possible emergencies happening, teams but prepare for the worst by using the best solutions.

 

What Solutions Forward-Thinking Teams Are Using

It is predicted for natural disasters to continue and even increase as a result of human error or climate change, therefore, responders must continue to update how they respond to these types of emergencies by using telematics. 

With new technology such as GPS tracking and asset trackers, teams are leveraging location focused telematic solutions to prevent mistakes and monitor their response. Not only is this visible with knowing where teams are currently and where they may be dispatched, but also tracking what equipment is with which team member. For example, hydraulic rescue tools like spreaders, rams and shears (or otherwise known as the jaws of life) may be too large for every team to have in their vehicle. Meaning improved GPS location tracking can help ensure the right tools are sent promptly to the right emergency depending on the call.  

GPS tracking solutions can even help to ensure that individuals, specifically drivers are taking enough time off between calls or shifts. Often there is a concern of working overtime which may result in tired driving and accidents. Recording hours-of-service (HOS) or length of time on call through GPS data can ensure proper documentation is kept. 

Cameras that are facing both inside and outside of the vehicle are extremely beneficial for currency fleets. The footage collected is often used to reveal what happened while on-scene in terms of proper patient care and while travelling to a scene since first responders are required to drive fast to arrive quickly. Connected cameras can also help show proof or collect data to record time and routes of EMS events. 

 

What a 360 Solution for First Responders Looks Like 

With the aid of a telematics system, the problems that frontline workers face can be reduced or even eliminated. Here is a checklist every first responding fleet should go through when receiving their processes:

 

Is there proper communication between dispatchers and drivers?

Fleets can be equipped with software to provide drivers and dispatchers with firm communication. With good communication, dispatchers can easily guide their drivers through their tasks without risking mistakes. It will also help new drivers in being confident with the decisions they make and will prevent any overthinking during a critical situation.

 

Are dispatchers aware of all the asset locations and monitoring them?

GPS tracking solutions nowadays have the ability to allow dispatchers to get a real time update of the asset’s location. It can help in monitoring each and every step the driver takes, where they stop, where they speed and much more. 

 

Is the fleet doing tasks that could be avoided with advanced technology available?

Improving the workflow of simple daily tasks with the help of telematics solutions can help efficiency and organizational structure in the fleet. A perfect example would include keyless entry that makes a fleet truly keyless by transforming mobile devices into keys.

 

Are all the assets in the fleet being well maintained?

Vehicles in first responder fleets often go through a lot as they are required to arrive to a scene no matter if a sideway, curb or rugged road is in their way. When this happens and proper maintenance is overlooked, vehicles are at risk for more breakdowns and shorter vehicles lifespans. Getting oil checks done at the right time, checking for battery faults, and other maintenance checks should be done at the right time without delay to prevent a reduction in a vehicle’s lifespan.

 

What the Future Holds for Telematics in First Response Fleets

With technology rapidly evolving, it’s only a matter of time before the following solutions will be possible. Having a good idea of what to expect in the future can help first responders stay a step ahead.

Communication between first responder fleets will definitely see improvement. It could be evolved to help other fleets increase their response rates. During a potential accident on the highway, when more than one first responding vehicle is required to approach the scene of the emergency, the team receiving the call for emergency can immediately inform the rest of the team. This can come in a variety of solutions, whether it’s build-in messaging or live in-vehicle verbal driver feedback like in the GOTALK – it can’t be overlooked.

Along with strong communication, having an automatic dispatching system like ZenduWork can increase efficiency.  ZenduWork allows for easy dispatching and organization of routes, tasks, drivers and more. For example, in the case of a fire alarm being triggered, self-driving EMS vehicles and fire trucks can be dispatched. Upon arrival, the public can use the equipment in the vehicles to resolve the issue on their own.

With growing telematic solutions, first responders must take full advantage of these resources to improve public and fleet safety, as well their efficiency. Not only can it ensure their safety and proper use of resources, but it will help the public who are affected by the emergency. To learn more about how GoFleet can help implement the right solutions your fleet, depending on your current and future needs, contact us today.

GoFleet’s Yearly Review: Taking a Look at 2020 and 2021

Posted on | by Victoria Gole | Leave a Comment on GoFleet’s Yearly Review: Taking a Look at 2020 and 2021

This past year has been like no other. Over the course of the last 12 months our organization not only had to change the way we operate as a result of the pandemic, but we learned new ways in which we could help our customers who came to us with new and changing needs. With that being said, we believe it was critical to self-reflect on this year and share our findings with a yearly review. 

How Did GoFleet Grow as an Organization as a Result of the Pandemic? 

As an organization, we felt the impact of the pandemic as our customers and their businesses were directly affected. A positive result that arose was that we were able to connect with our customers more on a personal level to help them navigate the uncertain events that were happening. In fact, it made us appreciate the relationships that we formed with our customers and appreciate even more the work that they do on a daily basis. 

To help, we not only reflected on our business offerings and tried to help with cost-savings incentives to our customers, but we searched for more solutions that would better fit their unique needs and budgets at this time. 

As we are focused on building long-term relationships, this is something we are doing and will continue to do. 

What was GoFleet’s Goal in 2020 and what will be GoFleet’s Goal In 2021? 

At the beginning of 2020, GoFleet created a roadmap and listed various goals that we thought was important to work towards throughout the next 365 days. More specifically, we wanted to focus on sharing how Managed Services can help our customers not only improve their operations but save them time and money. In addition, we aimed to begin to network with OEM dealers while also being leaner as a company. With the course of the events that took place in 2020, it only encouraged us even more to reach those goals and remain successful. 

In 2021, we are excited to continue to grow our OEM Sales Program and our connections as we see this to be a valuable position not only for our company, but our customers as well. With such a program available, we can better help more fleets at the beginning of their journeys. In addition, we are looking to continue to further the expansion of Managed Services to non-traditional telematics services and data consulting as we are seeing positive possibilities from being Zenduit-powered.  

What Trends do you see Coming for Fleets in 2021? 

This year we believe that there are various trends that fleets must prepare for to remain successful. Below we list the trends and/or focuses that we anticipate: 

∙ More Electric Vehicle (EV) oriented insights and analysis as EV technology is advancing and zero emission regulations are discussed and put into place.

∙ OEM data integrations growing in popularity in comparison to aftermarket hardware integrations. 

∙ More car sharing and fleet pooling which leverage iox-keyless and sharing strategies to reduce the number of vehicles that a fleet has by using mobility apps to order and manage on demand.

 

A Quick Review: What did GoFleet do in 2020? 

A lot happened in 2020, keep reading to learn more about what happened! 

 

How Our Organization Changed: 

∙ We started working remotely as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic to ensure staff safety.

∙ We continued to work and adjust our approach to customer success.

 

How Our Offerings Changed:

∙ We partnered with Samsara to better help fleets.

∙ We leveraged Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) to improve safety in all fleets.

∙ We focused on promoting responder-to-vehicle (R2V) communication to improve public and first responder safety 

∙ We added a new support add-in on MyGeotab.

∙ We partnered with Drivewyze to help fleets improve efficiency.

∙ We launched GoFleet Health Check to help fleets digitally monitor the health status and potential symptoms of drivers.

 

A Few Customers We Helped: 

∙ We helped CR&R Environmental Services improve training and driver behaviour with the installation of ZenduCAM devices. 

∙ We helped DeCarolis Truck Leasing and Rental improve visibility, reporting, data collection, maintenance scheduling and more with Geotabs and Flex trackers.

∙ We helped Speedy Transport Group Inc lower unnecessary fuel consumption and increase overall productivity with the Geotab Drive app.

∙ We helped Forest Trotter with trailer made solutions to improve data collection and visibility. 

∙ We helped Rogue Transportation Inc avoid strains on work processes by leveraging new integrations. 

A lot happened in 2020 making it a year like no other. While our team was able to accomplish a lot, we want to take a moment to thank all of our customers and supporters. 

We are looking forward to what 2021 has to offer and how we can continue to not only help fleets in various industries improve their operations and save costs, but how we can drive change in the sector! 

safety-driven, telematics, fleet, technology,

Safety-Driven Technologies And Strategies Your Fleet Needs

Posted on | by Victoria Gole | Leave a Comment on Safety-Driven Technologies And Strategies Your Fleet Needs

The pandemic has drastically changed nearly every aspect of our lives. As Governments worldwide introduced lockdown measures aimed at curbing the coronavirus transmission, our cities will never look the same as before. People choose to spend more time at home, resulting in less traffic on roads. Knowing this you might be thinking that emptier streets usually translates to safer conditions for all road users, but data has shown that this is not the case. In the United States, early data indicates a 14% jump in fatality rates per distance driven in March 2020, according to the National Safety Council (NSC). Data also suggests rising speeding, harsh cornering and reckless driving activities since the beginning of the pandemic. The question is, why do we see a jump in dangerous driving behaviours during the pandemic despite our roads being emptier? What factors contribute to this change, and how could we refocus on road safety during high accident periods?

For businesses, aggressive driving behaviours are the leading contributing factors to roadway accidents and collisions, which can have a detrimental effect on a business’s operations. Any roadway accident could result in workers injuries and businesses paying out hefty fines, compensations or insurance premiums, which can be devastating to a business’s financial status in the long run. There is no doubt that companies should devote every effort and uphold a strong safety culture to maintain a safe workplace and protect all vehicle operator’s safety. In light of the pandemic, businesses need to preserve cash flow to secure corporations financial viability and cannot afford any operational mistakes or unnecessary spending. Cracking down on fleet drivers aggressive driving behaviours is the most effective way to reduce road accidents and cut down costs incurred from accidents. However, it requires a strategic and systematic approach to build the foundation for a sustainable and robust fleet safety culture. 

We also cannot neglect the fact that humans are not perfect. Even the most cautious drivers can make mistakes that may put them and the company’s assets at risk. This is why businesses and fleet managers need to supply drivers with the right tools to serve as an extra pair of eyes on the road, protecting them from any immediate road danger. There is a wide range of vehicle safety-driven products on the market, but telematics stands the test of time and brings the best of technology to life. A unique integrated approach allows telematics to combine the power of multiple types of safety-driven technology from eye-tracking, vehicle sensing and advanced camera technology, creating one streamlined set-up that provides the ultimate all-around safety support every company is looking for. We will showcase how telematics can power your fleet operations so that fleet managers never need to worry about operation safety again. 

 

The Dangers Of A False Sense Of Security

A false sense of security might explain why we see an increase in aggressive driving behaviours during the pandemic. Drivers are already used to congested roadways and slow traffic in urban areas prior to the pandemic. Now, under government-issued stay-at-home orders, there is a significant reduction in traffic on urban roads and highways. This inevitably causes many drivers who still need to travel to believe that emptier roads translate to easier and more comfortable driving conditions. They feel that less traffic means a much safer driving environment since the chances of encountering heavy traffic is greatly reduced. This false sense of security makes drivers believe that they are safe when they are actually not. The moment they decide to speed and commit other dangerous driving behaviours, they are not only putting themselves at high risk but also threatening the safety of other road users, such as pedestrians and cyclists. 

 

How To Build A Robust Fleet Safety Solution With Safety-Driven Technology?

In commercial fleet operations, this false sense of security cannot be tolerated.  Drivers may argue that speeding will help them to complete their work faster, but when an accident happens, the adverse impacts will far exceed what many companies can endure. The additional costs that resulted from the accident are just one side of the story, where many business owners underestimate how much an accident could hurt a business’ brand image and reputation. Imagine that a logistics freight truck is transporting an important load of time-sensitive critical shipments, and the vehicle got involved in an accident due to the drivers aggressive driving behaviours and careless driving. In this case, the shipment might get delayed or damaged, causing for a late delivery and an unhappy customer. Thus, in many ways, reinforcing safety-driven practices within the fleet is an important pillar to help your business secure customer loyalty and create a positive brand image. 

Establishing strong safety-driven practices within the organization and building an extensive driver training program is just one step in shaping a zero-incident culture. In today’s world, businesses face increasingly challenging and complex tasks, which require some of the most innovative solutions to address the most pivotal concerns. 

 

Live In-Vehicle Verbal Driver Feedback: Tailored Coaching, Perfect Driving

Wouldn’t it be great if every driver gets a virtual personalized safety assistant to provide live verbal instructions and reminders in helping them perform safe operations? If drivers forget to buckle up their seat belt prior to starting up the engine, our assistant will promptly remind drivers to do so. If drivers went over the posted speed limit, our assistant would ask the drivers to immediately slow down. This kind of seamless experience can only be found on the telematics device, and it takes your fleet driver coaching program and daily operations to the next level. 

State of the art spoken alert system uses real-time text-to-speech to issue messages to drivers if a user-defined violation has been triggered. This gives fleet managers the ability to tailor the system by setting up custom rules in the telematics platform. For example, fleet managers may want vehicles to slow down in specific areas, such as at the warehouse loading bay. Traditionally, they could only rely upon drivers to follow the posted speed limit, which in many cases, drivers may not notice the signs or just ignore them. But with in-vehicle verbal driver feedback systems, fleet managers can set up custom rules such as drivers must not drive vehicles at speeds higher than a certain threshold in the warehouse zone to restrict drivers’ behaviours in any geographical setting. Now, when drivers enter or travel within the warehouse zone at any speed higher than the predefined metrics set up in the system, the in-vehicle verbal driver feedback system will warn the drivers to slow down and record a rule violation if drivers continuously disregard the warning. Any rule violation will also trigger the system to send out a notification to fleet managers and record the event on file. 

We keep the device installation process of the in-vehicle verbal driver feedback system extremely simple with minimal work required. Just plug it directly into the compatible tracking device and it will become a driver’s best safety companion on the road. 

 

Collision Avoidance Technology: Your Extra Eye On The Road

We have spent a long time pursuing the answer these important questions: What can we do to save drivers lives at the most critical moment? When drivers face imminent danger, what can we do to best protect them and maximize their survival chances? We know that the few seconds before any collision or accident are absolutely crucial, and the driver’s actions and responses could make the difference between life or death. That’s why we want to adopt the most advanced vision sensing technology to create the last safety barrier drivers can trust.

The collision avoidance technology uses cameras, radars and sophisticated software algorithms to detect objects ahead. Blending with computational power, the collision avoidance system actively and continuously scans the road ahead, analyzes the vehicle’s surrounding environment and identifies probable and imminent hazards and threats. When a threat has been detected, the system is safety-driven and instantly issues both a visual and audible alert to warn drivers of probable danger. Compared to vehicles that were not equipped with collision avoidance technology, the equipped vehicles earns driver’s a few more valuable seconds to respond to immediate dangers, which prove to be life-saving and decisive in protecting the driver safety. 

The collision avoidance solutions are a form of safety-driven technology that can be used in more ways than just detecting objects around the vehicles. It has the capability of warning drivers when it detects the vehicle is about to cross the lane boundary without signaling to switch lanes. Other than detecting surrounding vehicles, the system can also detect pedestrians and cyclists, making it one of the most versatile safety tools that perfectly fit the urban road setting. We want our system to fit in your businesses workflows, and that’s why our system works in all weather conditions and has night vision capabilities for accident avoidance in any situation. 

The reduced traffic on roads during the pandemic might cause drivers to drop their guard and commit dangerous behaviours. Businesses cannot overlook the risks hidden behind their drivers unsafe driving behaviours. Though strengthening the corporation’s safety culture and practices is an important step in reducing the risks, equipping your fleet with the most advanced safety-driven technologies can further eliminate the chances of accidents and cut down the burden that accidents may cause to your business. Speak with one of our fleet safety specialists to learn more about how we can help your business to achieve zero accident fleet targets. 

 

airport ground operations, aircraft, aviation, pandemic, telematics, fleet

Fly High With The Right Tools For Your Airport Ground Operations

Posted on | by Victoria Gole | Leave a Comment on Fly High With The Right Tools For Your Airport Ground Operations

The airline industry has been hit hard by the ongoing pandemic. Dropping travel demand, travel restrictions at the borders and travellers lack of confidence in airplane travel has put the global aviation industry into the biggest financial crisis since 9/11. Airlines are struggling, with many in danger of immediate collapse, and experts predict that it will take years for the industry to fully recover from the impacts of the pandemic. It’s not just airlines that are suffering from low travel demand and astronomical revenue loss; many support sectors in the air transportation field, such as the airport ground handling service, airline catering service, airport retails and commercials, are all experiencing the turbulence of pandemic. Job cuts and salary adjustments have already become way too familiar in these sectors in the past few months as the coronavirus pandemic has wiped out tens of thousands of jobs in the aviation field and grounded most of the airline fleets. 

 

Unprecedented Challenges And New Opportunities For Airport Ground Operations

With the positive incoming news regarding the development of vaccines and planned mass vaccination happening soon, hope is on the horizon. In fact, even though during the pandemic period we saw a sharp decline in passenger volumes across the board, cargo flights were booming in business as they formulate vital links and connections between countries. They are the critical workforce in the global logistics network, transporting and distributing time-sensitive and temperature-sensitive pharmaceuticals, personal protective equipment and vaccines between countries. Additionally, as the coronavirus testing technology continues to evolve, rapid testing has been widely applauded by the airlines as a scientific and effective method to restore traveller’s confidence in airplane travel along with the ease in border restrictions and quarantine rules. In the foreseeable future, with vast immunization across the world, the establishment of travel bubbles between countries, and the introduction of immunity passports, we are expecting travel demand to quickly pick up soon. 

Extraordinary times call for extraordinary actions and responses. Airport ground handling crews are the most pivotal group of employees working the frontlines by supporting the airport operations and aircraft movement 24/7. Most work directly for airlines or contracted ground handling companies, and their positions and tasks can range from providing customer service, ramp services and conducting aircraft maintenance. We will primarily focus on the ramp service crew and see how their work enables the airport to function smoothly throughout the pandemic. We are also going to explore how technology tools power them through the everyday workflow. 

Ramp agents are responsible for a variety of tasks, including loading and off-loading baggage and cargo, directing planes to and from their gates, de-icing airplanes, operating baggage carts and pushback tractors and many more activities. It requires a collaborative effort between multiple departments to service each aircraft. In busier airports, ramp service agents may need to service multiple aircrafts at the same time, which demands a high level of precision, accuracy and efficiency. 

Airport operations and air traffic movements follow a strict set of schedules and plans where each flight is assigned with a dedicated take-off and landing slot. Any ground operation delays for a flight could have a domino effect on other flights, resulting in a more wide-spread delay across the airport and disrupting regular traffic flow. Air traffic controllers have to reassign new departure windows to each following aircraft and adjust airport departure rates and arrival rates to bring the airport operations back to normal. The longer the airplanes are sitting at the gates, the more money airlines are losing. Airlines need airplanes to stay in the air as much as possible to turn profits. Airplanes sitting on the ground will keep burning cash as airlines need to pay crew members as well as aircraft and ownership costs. Lengthy delays could also negatively affect passenger satisfaction. During the pandemic, airlines were focusing on preserving cash flow and revamping their operations and business models to survive this challenging period. Any ground delays can further impact a business’s long-term financial status, which threatens the airlines future. Poor on-time performance can also drive away loyal customers, which is a huge loss for any airline during the pandemic and may slow down the economic recovery of the business after travel demand picks up again. 

All of this demonstrates that airport ground handling service must be done in an efficient and cost-saving manner in the post-pandemic world to support the recovery of the aviation industry. The new standards pressure the ground service contractors to use the least possible labour and adopt all cost-cutting measures but maintain the same level of service and quality. It may seem impossible to balance these conflicting factors, but modern technology has showcased proven solutions that help ground service contractors and agents to fly through operational tasks with mobile computer vision.

Introducing telematics — one of the most reliable and widely adopted assets and human resource management systems that completely transforms how ground operation managers and equipment operators navigate their day. We will go through 8 different ways of how telematics can simplify workflow, maximize productivity, drive down costs and secure operations. 

 

Stay On Top Of The Operations

When you have so many airport assets and vehicles to manage, you need to stay on top of the entire operation. With telematics, getting a full picture of the fleet and operations on any device could not be easier. Our scalable system automatically compiles all the critical information and displays it on one simple intuitive map which gives you full visibility and control of the operations.

 

Streamline Work Process From Start To Finish

Our system can be easily integrated with airport systems and IT infrastructures, where the system automatically establishes work orders, determines priorities and assigns work to equipment operators. The whole process takes into consideration multiple factors, including aircraft pushback time, arrival time, the amount of workload for ground handling agents and an estimation of how long it will take to complete the work. The system algorithms are designed to optimize and best utilize the available resources to ensure timely pushback of every flight. By giving equipment operators a clearer view of their upcoming tasks and the information of the aircraft they need to service next, they can more efficiently plan out their day and improve their productivity.

We also focused on providing a simplified workflow for fleet managers. Our innovative dashboard is the ideal place where fleet managers can find a summary of all the real-time fleet critical metrics and data. Our system can automatically notify fleet managers if a disruption happens during the ground handling operations that may result in a pushback delay for the aircraft, so that fleet managers can be alerted and take appropriate responses such as dispatching extra resources to mitigate the impacts. 

 

The Most Expansive Customization, Right In Your Hands

The airport is a very unique and special setting where rules need to be strictly enforced. We provide the most expansive list of software and hardware customization options, so you can have complete freedom to create systems, dashboards, maps or hardware packages that best serve your interests and key focuses. Geofencing is a powerful tool in our system where fleet managers can set up predefined boundaries, establish special rules and restrictions to control asset movements and provide clear instructions to asset operators. It allows fleet managers to draw zones around places of work to create a highly organized workflow that drastically improves airport operation efficiency. 

 

Safety Is A Top Priority

Safety is a top priority in any workplace. This is especially true for airport operations, where any collision and accident can be costly and catastrophic. This is a place where safety rules have to be strictly enforced, and no mistake is allowed. In responding to the stringent safety measures and standards, telematics solution providers offer a comprehensive 360-degree protection solution that could have a meaningful impact on the operations. The collision avoidance technology, driver distraction camera and all-angle vehicle camera system, form a multi-layered safety protection net that effectively reduces the possibility of collision and accidents. The driver scoring dashboard is the first-of-its-kind in the industry that adopted advanced sensing technology to assign a safety score for each equipment operator, helping to promote good driving behaviours among the fleet. 

 

Real Saving That You Can See

Throughout the pandemic, we learned that businesses are putting an increased focus on cost management. For heavily impacted sectors, such as the aviation industry, companies and airlines are searching for every opportunity to cut down on unnecessary costs and preserve important cash flow. For ground operations, fuel is one of the top expenditures and managing fuel consumption has been the number one priority for ground service contractors and airlines. However, you cannot effectively cut down on fuel consumption without first knowing all the fleet’s critical energy consumption data and metrics. Telematics is the central platform enabling fleet managers to monitor fuel consumption, set up targets for minimizing the costs and to keep an eye on the overall fleet costs. Our package includes leading sensor solutions, helping fleet managers extract vital information from vehicle parts and components. Our software utilizes advanced algorithms and machine learning models to analyze data and create tailored step-by-step solutions to assist fleet managers in driving down costs. 

 

Small Steps, Big Difference

We deeply care about the environment, and that’s why we integrate features allowing fleet managers to measure the fleet’s environmental and carbon footprint. Our vehicle’s onboard sensors can help fleet managers track drivers’ behaviours such as harsh braking, engine idling that directly affect fuel consumption and carbon footprints. The road navigation system integrated with our telematics platform always assigns equipment operators with the most efficient route to their destinations in the airport, slashing both carbon footprints and fuel spending. 

 

Your Asset, Now Secured

Fleet managers never want any unauthorized individual to operate airport equipment. Our telematics solution packs in an encrypted onboard driver authentication feature where only operators and personnel that hold the authorized ID card can access and operate the vehicles. This type of controlled access can clearly reduce unauthorized equipment usage and eliminate injuries to untrained, non-qualified crew members.  

 

Protect Your Fleet – With Proof

Accidents that happened at the airport can be devastating and extremely expensive. Think about what if one of the ground handling equipment collides and damages the airplane; who should be responsible for the damage? When it comes to determining liability and responsibility, fleet managers need to equip the vehicle with the right tool, such as dash cameras, to help them document the event and analyze who was at fault. It’s a handy add-on that can protect your business and prove your operators are not at fault during an accident, which can save your business from paying hefty compensation that you actually should not be responsible for. 

The aviation sector will prevail and bounce back eventually. Though nobody can be certain about when people will be confident to fly again,  airlines and ground handling companies are devoting all efforts to ensure they can navigate through the turbulent time and come back in a stronger position. The effects of the pandemic will be felt in aviation for several years to come, but we are ready to give a helping hand.

Our industry-leading telematics solutions provide the necessary support to help your business deliver high-quality service during the pandemic and build resilience to endure hardship. Speak with our industry-specific specialists to discuss how we can help your businesses to fly high during this unprecedented time. 

Utilisation of Your Tech Stack

Maximize Your Existing Tech Stack To Get Ahead In 2021

Posted on | by Victoria Gole | Leave a Comment on Maximize Your Existing Tech Stack To Get Ahead In 2021

As businesses round up the year, it’s the perfect time for teams to perform a review of business operations. This allows management to see what processes and projects are working towards their long-term goals and how their finances stack up. When it comes to fleets, the process is no different. However, in addition to reviewing processes and projects, it’s critical for fleets to see how they can utilize their existing tech stack to help them further get ahead.

 

2020 Overview: Adjusting To A New Normal 

2020 was a unique year. For many, it was the first time they truly expected industry uncertainty and long-haul transporters definitely went through a moment of change. As regulations, demand and driver processes were adjusted, with the right driver and utilization of tools, teams were able to power through it. 

For nearly all fleets, 2020 caused operations to change by increasing health and safety protocols, PPE and more. Some fleets also decided to put attention towards their current processes and technologies within their fleet by focusing on using performance or finance boosting tools. Some found this easy to do as they leveraged their existing tech stack. 

As a result, leveraging existing tech stacks is a critical recommendation for all long-haul transporters, to help them get ahead in 2021.

 

Leveraging Telematics And Connected Networks Already In Place 

Nearly all fleets are already digitally connected by some form of a GPS or fleet tracking device to optimize routing, complete routes efficiently and to monitor hours-of-service (HOS) or driving times. 

When looking to maximize existing tech stacks, it’s important for fleets to leverage these already in place networks that connect to already installed hardware. Doing so will immediately increase route completion performance. 

One advantage is to leverage bypass programs that require no hardware as installation is digital. Regardless of where vehicles are, operations can change for the better almost immediately. During a time where social distancing and PPE measures are heightened, this is a major benefit. 

 

Leveraging A Tech Stack With GO9 Devices  

Fleets that are fitted with Geotab GO9 fleet trackers are used for several reasons including GPS tracking, HOS tracking and engine diagnostics. These already in use devices can also leverage the connected network it relies – by installing the unique Drivewyze Weigh Station Bypass Program fleets can truly meet global expansion dreams. 

While Drivewyze did not invent the weigh station bypass program, they did modernize it. By leveraging relationships and connected networks, they were able to implement a program where over 47 states and provinces allowed them to operate by using the safety scores of fleets, as well as other credentials, to allow vehicles to have a green light to pass and not have to pull into weigh stations. 

 

A New Efficiency Tool: Hardware-Free Weigh Station Bypass Programs 

A weigh station bypass program works by using vehicle GPS location data from a GO9 device in correlation to the GPS location of weigh stations, as well as unique weigh in motion scales strategically embedded in highways prior to a station. If a weigh station is participating in the program, the vehicle will have their fleet information and weight calculated from the motion scales automatically and this data will be cross referenced against screening rules to determine whether they are required to pull in. Typical screening rules include: 

  • Fleet safety score
  • Weight of vehicle while approaching station 
  • IFTA payment completion 

Many fleets find that they are authorized to pass stations approximately 98% of the time, immediately resulting in saving resources and time. In fact, most fleets report approvals of preclearance more often than not and notice a near immediate ROI when a truck receives just one or two bypasses a month. For drivers who find they are held up at weigh stations this is a game changer. 

 

Weigh Station Bypass Programs In Real Life 

Over the last year, weigh station bypass programs have thrived as they have been leveraged by fleets to streamline workflows when it comes to driver delivery times. When speaking to Drivewyze’s Weigh Station Bypass Program, they remained agile when encountered with recent pandemic restrictions. 

 

The COVID-19 Shutdown 

During the COVID-19 pandemic many cities and countries shut down for a period of time, resulting in various businesses being closed or services being halted. For long haul trucking, it was felt most as several truck rest stops and weigh stations were closed for a short period of time. As a result, many drivers were unsure of where they could safely stop to rest so resources were overused and HOS records were affected, as they drove around looking for a safe place to stop.

To help long haul fleets, Drivewyze accelerated their development of new features to automatically allow their systems to monitor the location of open rest stops and even provide data on their capacity level.

 

Becoming Part Of A Response Plan 

During the COVID-19 pandemic, many offices were instructed to enforce remote working options when possible. For some fleets, as part of their response plan, they took this time to proactively work towards upgrading their fleets by enrolling them into a bypass program. Because the program is completely digital and is free of hardware installation, the implementation of Drivewyze’s program was able to happen instantly. This resulted in improving operational efficiencies and social distancing measures as they did not have to pull off the highway into a weigh station.

After this unexpected year that many fleets have had, it’s hard to tell how 2021 will be. It’s critical for long haul fleets of all sizes to do what they can to elevate their existing tech stack to help them remain successful in the new year.

To learn how weigh station bypass could benefit your fleet, speak with one of our long-haul transportation specialists about receiving a Weigh Station Analytics report to see exactly how much time and money your fleet could save, or inquire about a free trial to experience the service in-cab.

 

Written by: Victoria Gole, Marketing, Branding & Communications Specialist at GoFleet

Contributions by: Doug Johnson, VP of Marketing at Drivewyze

gofleet, customer success, telematics, fleet

GoFleet’s Approach To Customer Success

Posted on | by Victoria Gole | Leave a Comment on GoFleet’s Approach To Customer Success

Over the last 10 years, our three offices in Canada, the United States and the United Arab Emirates have been dedicated to helping hundreds of customers and businesses worldwide to step up their games in the fleet management sector and transform their fleet into a productivity machine. Now it’s time to have you on board with us on this exciting journey and experience the GoFleet difference. 

 

Who Is GoFleet? 

We are in the business of connection and digitalization, offering fleets of any size a tailored solution that helps them grow and succeed, all powered by telematics. At GoFleet, our vision is to bring the most powerful hardware, simple but useful software, and exceptional services together to delight every customer. Collaborating with industry-leading partners and blending in our own unique solutions, advantages and expertise, we believe we can provide you with the right answer for any challenge and pain point you encounter. 

 

What Does GoFleet Do?

GoFleet provides pioneering end-to-end fleet management hardware and software solutions covering every link of fleet operation, from asset tracking, vehicle health monitoring, dispatching, routing to safety management, vehicle maintenance and data storage. Our wide range of products can address customer’s pain points and challenges in every single fleet management aspect, including fuel management, asset tracking, maintenance diagnostics, drivers’ behaviours monitoring and training, routing and dispatching, electronic logging devices and many more. All our products are built and designed upon the foundation of our commitment to improving your fleet management experience in five core objectives: productivity, safety, optimization, compliance and expandability. 

We have previously worked with countless customers from a diverse range of industries to show them how we keep our commitment and transform their workflows from the bottom up. Boston Pizza, one of Canada’s largest and leading casual dining chains, put our telematics tracker into real-world testing and installed it on every delivery vehicle. Since day one, the franchise owner immediately noticed an improvement in delivery efficiency and customer satisfaction across the board. Our tracking solution helps to streamline deliveries and significantly reduce wait times for both delivery drivers and customers. With access to delivery vehicle real-time locations and status, the kitchen chef can now make sure the order is prepared and fresh out of the oven right when the next delivery vehicle is back at the restaurant to pick it up. This ensures that food is not sitting around waiting to be picked up, and customers can receive the freshest and warmest food as fast as possible. 

Our partnership with CR&R Environmental Services further showcases our determination to help businesses in improving fleet safety performance. CR&R Environmental Services is an innovative waste and recycling collection company serving more than 3 million people in numerous countries. Prior to contacting us, CR&R Environmental Services experienced multiple instances where vehicle cameras were not recording or functioning. The camera is an essential piece of equipment used to record video footage of the operations, and an unreliable camera system is simply unacceptable. Loss of footages may put businesses in a disadvantageous position if liability disputes arise when one of the company’s vehicles gets involved in a collision or accident. CR&R Environmental Services reached out to us to see if we can offer an innovative safety solution to replace their current one. Our team worked hard and delivered on promises by leveraging telematics’ power and brought on a highly reliable and capable 360-degree camera system alongside an intuitive software platform. After the implementation, the CR&R Environmental Services noticed an increased level of visibility, reliability and productivity compared to their old system. They feel more confident in their ability to review driving footage in case of an accident and use these videos to train drivers and improve drivers’ skills. 

System integration and optimization are at the core of every product we create. Every piece of equipment, hardware and software we designed works seamlessly together. We deeply understand many customers are frustrated by the incompatibility between different systems and platforms, and it’s our job to bring them all together into one unified fleet management platform that enables you to do everything anywhere. All you have to do is focus on what matters and leave the rest of the hassles to us. 

 

Why Does GoFleet Care?

We take great pride in our products and in building relationships with our customers. We put people, product quality, innovation, environment, the end results, and your feedback at the forefront of everything we do at GoFleet. We deeply care about each of these aspects, and that’s why we adopt cutting-edge technologies to enrich each of them. 

 

People

Everyone’s safety is our top priority. We introduced a range of safety products all aimed at protecting your fleets drivers’ safety. From the driver distraction camera to the collision avoidance system, they are life-saving tools that can make a big difference at the most critical moment. They also give fleet managers and drivers extra peace of mind and an extra layer of protection during everyday operations. 

Our industry-leading customer service team is at your service no matter what problem you encounter in using our products. We provide easy and hassle-free device installation and training guidance so that you can implement our products across the entire fleet in just a matter of time. We offer remote diagnostics support to quickly assess and resolve your issues without the need for you to wait for a technician to come and help. The 24/7 support directly from product manufacturers is included with our ProPlus subscription, and if necessary, we will send in technicians to your sites to help you fix the issues and get your vehicle back on the road as fast as possible. 

 

Quality

We know that you have high expectations for product quality and want a product that works as promised and marketed. That’s why we conduct rigorous testing to ensure each one of the products we ship meets or exceeds our stringent quality standards. Additionally, we know that you want a device that doesn’t compromise and works in any weather conditions and environments. Most of the hardware products we sell are waterproof, shockproof and highly durable, giving you the freedom to use them in any environment. 

 

Innovation

Innovation is in our DNA. We strive to bring you the best and latest technology and incorporate them into our products. We want you to fully experience and utilize our products for a long-lasting period. That’s why we keep adding new features and fix any bugs by frequently pushing new software updates to your device and system. We are committed to bringing in the best available technology such as artificial intelligence and machine learning algorithms to make your products even smarter throughout time, so when you own our products, you not only gain the right tools to tackle any current challenges but also fully prepare yourselves for the future. 

 

Planet

We care about our environment deeply. The first step we are undertaking is helping businesses and fleets to convert their entire workflow to a paperless model. With all the fleet data stored over the cloud database, we can truly digitalize how information is being used, analyzed and shared within the corporation. We are also incorporating environmental metrics and benchmarks into our vehicle tracking dashboard to allow fleet managers and drivers to access the vehicle emissions and fuel economy information throughout their operation. 

Another initiative that we are taking to safeguard the quality of our living environment is providing the right tool to help businesses’ existing fleet transition into a fully electric vehicle fleet. Working directly with electric vehicle manufacturers, we have developed unique capabilities to access electric vehicles’ data and ensure your electric vehicle has strong data support. We are also working around the clock to expand our support to new models over time. We understand the migration to an electric vehicle fleet is not an easy task; it’s a process, and it takes time. But rest assured, when you are ready to make the move, we have already set the foundation and have the right tools ready for you. 

 

Feedback

The process is important, but for any business, we know that you also value the results. You want to see the improvement in numbers yourself. We have created a comprehensive fleet dashboard showcasing data on fleet performance and efficiency, allowing you to track improvement percentage and return on investment. Based on this data, you could gain a sense of how much improvement our products provide to your fleet operations.   

We are always happy to discuss and hear what you think about our products and services. Our customer support team makes follow-up calls and consultations after your purchase and implementation to ensure the solutions work well for you. And of course, if you encounter any issues with our products, our technical support team is always here to help. 

 

Where Is GoFleet Heading?

We pride ourselves on being an innovation-driven organization, and we will keep innovating to integrate the best and latest technologies to the existing systems and platforms. Utilizing the power of artificial intelligence, machine learning, big data analytics and 5G wireless communication technology, we can truly take the whole fleet management platform to new heights. 

We are also fully prepared for the massive transition from gasoline and diesel fleet models to the electric vehicle fleet model. All of our products have been optimized for either fleet structure, and we are working hard to add support for new electric vehicle models every month. But we want to look even further ahead into the future of commercial fleets. Many of the foundational works have already been undertaken to prepare for the development and transition to autonomous vehicles. We always want to stay ahead of the competition and have the products ready for you, so you can have unlimited choices of how you want to expand your fleet. 

At GoFleet, we keep adapting to constant changes. The pandemic has drastically changed the operational model of many businesses. We are here to make sure our products fit our customers’ changing needs and standards. There is a growing demand for remote fleet management, so we bring the best software to your mobile device, giving you easy access to all the fleet statuses and information on the go. There is a rising trend of high precision and specialized transportation activities, so we offer advanced temperature and humidity monitoring sensors to help your business conquer challenging tasks. As the world is becoming more connected and globalized, we also focus on providing more localized optimization for your fleet. This includes providing convenient software features such as the weigh station bypass service to help your fleet better navigate through your local community. During the current turbulent period, we recognized that we have an even greater responsibility to respond and cope with the unpredicted changes and market trends to create tailored products that meet your businesses’ core needs, but it also gives us valuable opportunities to show you what our products can do for your business.

At GoFleet, our approach of doing everything with passion and professionalism has driven us to success to date, and our commitment to our customers is what motivates us to reach new heights. 

Contact us today to speak with one of our many industry or solutions specialists to assist in nearly anything fleet related! 

smart warehousing, telematics, ble, beacon, warehouse,

How Smart Warehousing Depends on BLE Technology

Posted on | by Alan | Leave a Comment on How Smart Warehousing Depends on BLE Technology

The growth of globalization and e-commerce has prompted the rising need for more efficient and cost-effective inventory management solutions to improve warehouses’ operational efficiency. Asset managers across industries have concluded that the warehouse information management system is an essential pillar to effectively facilitate large-scale warehousing tasks. In fact, it’s been noted that smart warehousing is an ongoing trend that needs to be monitored. 

However, the COVID-19 pandemic has posed greater challenges to warehouse operations worldwide. This is because staffing issues and physical distancing rules make today’s warehouses hard to operate without adequate technologies and automation. The pandemic also has a trickle-down effect on the supply chains, which forces businesses to adopt innovative solutions to keep a close eye on inventory and stock. 

In adapting and shifting to the “New Normal”, finding and implementing a smart warehousing solution is a primary task for asset managers. Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) technology is the perfect solution to achieve the most efficient logistics operation possible and keep track of the asset movements. 

We will show you why BLE has the leading edge over other solutions and how it can transform your businesses’ warehousing operations in the real-world. 

 

What’s BLE?

BLE is a simple highly-automated wireless local data network that enables informational communications between assets. There is no barcode, no paperwork and no wire needed to operate the network. It’s as easy as attaching BLE beacons to the assets, plugging in readers to the power outlet and powering on a cloud database to see all the information. 

The initial investment costs of a BLE system is very low, and the installation process is fast and simple. Best of all, because most smartphones have Bluetooth connectivity already, they can be used as a reader and mobile end device to receive and display information with compatible asset management applications installed. 

This is extremely important for smart warehousing since the workforce is constantly moving between warehouse aisles and shelves. Having all the information they need in the palm of their hands is a huge productivity booster for all employees as they can clearly see, track and monitor all assets on the go. 

 

Why Use BLE?

As the name suggests, low energy consumption is what makes BLE technology special. BLE beacons use low amounts of power on a battery that can last anywhere from one to five years. Because they are so reliable, it requires very little maintenance work to keep those beacons running. 

Beacons will automatically alert the asset managers in advance before the battery runs out so managers can order a replacement battery or a new unit in time. The high versatility of BLE technologies means that asset managers can use them in a wide range of settings. As BLE beacons run on its own power and can function without a SIM card or mobile signal, they can be placed anywhere. 

Some common placements of beacons are: 

  • Forklifts or other moving or stationary commodities
  • Human assets
  • Self-powered assets

Product customization is one of the top considerations for asset managers when choosing tools and solution packages for their businesses. BLE solutions satisfy business needs by offering a wide range of unique customizations. It can track temperature and humidity, perfect for cold chain inventory management or temperature-sensitive commodities tracking. Customers can choose to pack in an accelerometer into the BLE beacons, which is essential to detect drop or article orientations for high-valued or fragile commodities. From the software end, asset managers can set geofencing boundaries, which provide enhanced safety protections for critical items – an alarm will be triggered if the item enters or exits virtual boundaries. 

Additionally, the authentication feature can be built right into the BLE, allowing improvement to be made in the warehouse security management field. Many warehouses are high-traffic spots and supply chain integrity and security can be easily compromised if businesses do not value the importance of security. By implementing a BLE-based security network, warehouse managers can now keep the warehouse secure by only granting people wireless access to places where they need to enter. This could protect employees’ safety and deter theft and damages to the commodities. 

 

How Does BLE Come Into Play With Smart Warehousing?

When it comes to a highly localized environment like a warehouse, we believe there are four essential aspects that managers should focus on when implementing smart warehousing management techniques. Directing the focus to these four aspects can enhance employee productivity and operational efficiency – and the BLE solution plays a big part in each of these areas. 

 

  • Getting The Foundation Right

Creating the ideal and optimal warehouse space layout is a precondition of facilitating efficient asset management and inventory tracking. Warehouse asset managers need to identify current traffic bottlenecks in the warehouse and make every effort to reduce travel time between the commodities storage spaces and the fulfillment centre and optimize inventory placement. This analysis work could not be done without first learning the assets historical performance data and travel patterns. 

Asset managers need a reliable tool that can be easily attached to each moving asset to collect vital information that helps them gain deeper insight into potential conflict points in the warehouse that may slow down the operations. Historical data is also crucial in assessing inventory placement and seeing what kinds of improvements can be made to optimize the pick-up efficiency. 

Defining zones and stocking rules can be an especially helpful strategy in warehouses that store multiple types of inventory with different handling and storage rules. For asset managers, you want to make sure that you are putting time-sensitive inventory and short-term storage items in an easily accessible location and place long-term non-perishable goods in the back of the warehouse. In any of these scenarios, the BLE-based inventory tracking system can help the asset manager monitor all the goods movements to make sure they are stored in the right location. This system can truly help warehouse facilities set themselves apart as a highly-efficient hub that can handle and store any kinds of goods.

 

  • Live Inventory Tracking

Forget about all the cumbersome manual entries work and complicated paperwork needed for inventory tracking and recording. The BLE-based warehouse management solution can record all the inventory changes and tag all received inventory. With the power of advanced computing, the system can automatically plan out the best location to store the inventory depending on the inventory types, as well as the fastest route to a destined storage zone.

Inventory counts are widely considered one of the most challenging tasks in large warehouses. The BLE system can handle it with ease as it provides real-time accurate inventory information and reports it to asset managers with an unparalleled level of detail and clarity. It streamlines and digitalizes the entire inventory tracking process and reduces the costs of paying dedicated personnel to count and record the inventory manually. With the proper configuration set up, the system can automatically alert asset managers if inventory is running low or the stock level is abnormal. 

The BLE-based system can also assist asset managers in finding free storage spaces in the warehouse. A common scene in a warehouse setting is that staff are storing inventory in the closest shelves to the loading and unloading bays for convenient access, leaving many shelves at the back of the warehouse underutilized. The BLE system accurately calculates the warehouse spaces based on the real-time inventory count to provide warehouse managers with a complete picture of the warehouse’s available storage spaces. There is a very good chance that warehouse managers will find ways to make use of the underutilized storage spaces and discover new potentials to expand warehouse capacity. 

 

  • Utilizing Equipment And Assets More Efficiently

Making the most out of material handling equipment and tools in the warehouse can significantly improve overall operational efficiency and reduce costs. Similar to tracking inventory, asset managers can attach BLE beacons to any kind of equipment and tools to track their usage. 

The forklift is one of the essential pieces of equipment in the warehouse, and by attaching BLE beacons to the forklifts, asset managers can track their locations and collect travel patterns of these forklifts. By analyzing the equipment usage patterns, assets managers can identify idle assets and reduce equipment idle time. 

It also helps asset managers optimize the storage location of equipment to make sure they are easily accessible by staff and workers. The BLE system presents a huge opportunity for creating an integrated operational platform that links equipment, personnel, assets, and inventory together and creates a streamlined warehouse workflow. 

 

  • Unlocking The Power Of Artificial Intelligence And Big Data

Artificial intelligence and the adoption of big data analytics will have fundamental impacts on warehouse operations and completely reimagines what the BLE system can do. 

By attaching BLE beacons on each moving asset, they can map out the entire warehouse path network and allow the system to utilize computational power and artificial intelligence to draw out the best routing for every trip. The system can predictively identify bottlenecks by analyzing historical trip data and patterns and reroute equipment operators to reach the destined zone. This could eliminate as many traffic conflict points as possible in the warehouse and put every vehicle and equipment on the most efficient route. 

Another crucial improvement of the AI-powered BLE system is combining multiple work orders into one trip to reduce unnecessary trips. The system can smartly identify any work orders that can be done within one trip and assign the optimal routing to operators to collect all patches along the way. 

With a BLE network in place, warehouse managers can observe a significant improvement in the facility’s capability to handle more orders because of a more streamlined inventory management solution that can automatically record every step of the inventory storage process. The data collected from equipment and inventory movement will be calculated and analyzed by the system to help warehouse managers identify equipment idle time, space availability, average travel time and a wide range of performance indicators. From there, warehouse managers can assess where there is room for further improvement and optimization.

BLE based inventory management and tracking solution is the future of smart warehousing management. Warehouse managers need a constant flow of information and data that is connected to equipment and inventory systems to effectively manage a constant flow of goods. Contact us to speak with a BLE solution expert to learn how we can leverage BLE technologies and create a customized solution package so you can achieve smart warehousing management. 

 

Contributors:

Alan Zheng, Content Writer 

David Herrington, Product Manager

winter operation programs, winter, snow plow, gps, telematics, winter operation departments

What’s On The Horizon For Winter Operation Departments

Posted on | by Victoria Gole | Leave a Comment on What’s On The Horizon For Winter Operation Departments

As the weather begins to get colder and with many cities around the world already seeing snow, it’s time for winter operation programs to kick their initiatives into full gear. For many departments this includes performing comprehensive research on how they can improve their efforts. 

Sound familiar? Keep reading as we will discuss the various factors that winter maintenance fleets must stay on top of and how new technology is critical in their success. 

 

How Some Winter Operation Departments Are Falling Behind 

Depending on several factors including budget, need or even manpower, some winter operation fleets fall behind in terms of leveraging smart technologies. What this means is that many fleets may not be utilizing new strategies, initiatives or technologies. As a result, certain operational efficiencies are automatically lost causing a decrease of productivity, optimization, and visibility.

What should winter operation programs look out for to know whether this is happening to them? 

First, they should look at the operations of their competitors or the industry as a whole. This is a critical first step to easily see whether you’re behind in certain areas. Fleets should look out for the following: 

  • How other municipalities or fleets can share mapping information publicly on a visible and modern map solution 
  • How other teams are maintaining workflow and reporting easily and efficiently 
  • Productivity or costs that are quickly diminishing 

Next, teams should research best practices online and see what the conversations surrounding new initiatives are. 

 

Things That Every Fleet Needs To Know About 

Things are constantly changing – it’s evident. However, it’s important to know what GoFleet, an industry leader in 360 fleet solutions, has observed and thinks is important for fleets to know about.

 

Smarter Software Than Just GPS 

Certain software solutions are already widely used. Often this incorporates basic GPS tracking solutions to ensure the location and route of a vehicle is known. This allows on a basic level, for teams to monitor compliance and route completion. 

Where things get innovative, is when software is leveraged to utilize this GPS data to monitor more data. Pushing data into software with algorithms that leverage GPS information visually is how the data can be displayed publicly. Often this is via an embedded code on a website that automatically pulls real-time information that the fleet pre-categorizes to be available to the public. By doing this, it allows winter operations departments to be transparent so civilian drivers can better plan routes and ensure that safe roads will be used for travel. 

Additionally, this map data can be manipulated to show compliance on an internal level. Efforts can be reviewed for efficiency and steps can be taken so roads are cleared in adequate times. Reports can also be created to prove that compliance is met at all times. How is this possible? Geofencing – a tool which divides map locations into zones to section off tasks or designate tasks and routes. 

To summarize, connected software solutions allows for the following to be completed within winter operation fleets:

  • Vehicle optimization and fuel usage reports to ensure efficiency  
  • Fleet compliance to regulations in regards to snow clearing 
  • Driver behaviour reports to ensure safe driving is monitored 
  • Resource utilization reports to monitor quantity and location span of where resources are used – this can include fuel, salt and even sand 
  • Geofencing to track progress, next routes and restrictions 

 

Connected Hardware Options

Hardware may seem obvious, it’s not that simple. There’s more to hardware in winter department fleets than one may think. By leveraging connected hardware solutions and sensors to track pre-existing hardware, even more intel can be collected on fleets – this is a necessity for winter departments reviewing current operations. 

By leveraging connected hardware, more data can be collected. Meaning the above points related to software solutions can in fact be accurate so proper actions can be executed. Not only does this include GPS tracking such as the GO9 device, but also a dash camera system, driver ID system and much more. Integrating these products and connecting them internally allows for the following: 

  • The GO9 monitors HOS compliance, GPS location, engine performance and more
  • Dash cameras can monitor and record not only driving events or accidents, but whether the driver is attentive to the road ahead
  • Driver ID systems ensuring that the right driver is operating the proper vehicle and the timing of shiftwork 

For aspects of the vehicle that don’t allow for an initial connected piece of equipment like plows, salt or sand dispensers, sensors can be leveraged. Installing smart sensors to track various vehicle actions or tasks ensures complete visibility. In regards to winter department vehicles, sensors monitor when plow equipment is used – proper tracking of route and work commencement can happen as the sensor will detect when the plow is truly in operation (being down or up). As well, sensors can display a proper picture of resource utilization throughout a route and whether certain locations were over or under served. This ensures resources are not wasted to keep costs low. 

 

Have All Of This In Place? This Is What Is On The Horizon… 

If you’re one of the winter department operations who have all of this in place, it’s still important to stay up to date with future trends. This will ensure that your team is prepared with new tools and strategies in upcoming seasons. The following is predicted to be introduced: 

  • Intelligent camera technologies will use artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning to improve data collection from equipment via smart city networks 
  • The environment will become a larger focus as electric snow plow vehicles are leveraged to reduce carbon emissions and lower operational costs 
  • Vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-infrastructure communication will evolve on a 5G network that will provide fast lines of communication 
  • Operations can be automated as autonomous vehicles are introduced to eliminate human error and costs 

While much of the information stated above is directly related to winter operation departments, the same technology and thinking will be seen in other industries. If you’re interested in learning more about how your fleet, regardless of the industry, can improve or better prepare for future technical challenges, contact us today. 

Transporting Vaccines

There’s No Room for Error When Transporting Vaccines

Posted on | by Anna | Leave a Comment on There’s No Room for Error When Transporting Vaccines

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected everyone’s day to day life and significantly disrupted businesses’ routines and operations. People are all anxiously hoping for an end to the crisis and a return to normalcy, as soon as possible. 

After months of patiently waiting, everyone remains cautiously optimistic that a vaccine is on the horizon – in the near future. The only question is when will it be widely available? By asking the question “when”, we don’t mean when the vaccine will be ready or approved, but rather when will the majority of the population have access to the vaccination. 

Distributing and transporting vaccines tends to be an even greater challenge than the development of vaccines. The fragile characteristic of medical logistics and strict transporting requirements, especially on a global scale, is very problematic. 

 

The Logistics Challenge For Vaccines

The logistics network capacity, especially cold-chain network capacity, is simply not enough to support distribution at this scale. Vaccines are temperature-sensitive high-value commodities. They are required to be transported in a climate-controlled environment, from beginning to end, to protect the quality and the effectiveness of vaccines. 

The difficulty of cold-chain transportation is that each tool and equipment used in the logistics system must be specialized to meet the rigid cold-chain regulations and laws. Any breach in the cold chain could result in the whole batch of vaccines being unusable – an expensive mistake that no logistics company can afford to make. 

What makes the transport process of the COVID-19 vaccines even more challenging is that some COVID-19 vaccines require a significantly more stringent transport environment than the conventional vaccine. Conventional vaccines are usually stored at temperatures between 2°C and 8°C, while some COVID-19 vaccines require to be transported at temperatures below -80°C. 

This further poses obstacles to logistics companies as only a small subset of available logistics infrastructures and equipment can handle these kinds of transport requirements. 

Furthermore, vaccines are usually shipped within the belly hold of the passenger aircraft rather than the dedicated cargo aircraft as it can help vaccines get closer to the final destination. The reduction of commercial passenger flights due to low demands and global travel restrictions caused by COVID-19 create more chaos in the distribution chain, forcing specialized freight trucks to play a greater role in moving vaccines to rural or remote locations. 

 

Vaccine Storage And Transportation Guidelines

All levels of government and health authorities have set out clear guidelines and rules on how to safely store, transport, and handle vaccines. Vaccines transporters and couriers have the responsibility to protect vaccines from heat, excessive moistures, light exposures. Couriers should designate trained individuals to manage and monitor the entire process of vaccine transportation. 

Protecting the cold chain’s integrity is the top priority of any couriers, and couriers should be equipped with the appropriate equipment, vehicles, and tools to prevent any temperature breach. 

Truck vehicles with a dedicated insulated storage container equipped with thermometers and fail-safe door closing mechanisms should be used to transport vaccines. Vaccine temperature must be maintained within a certain range dictated by vaccine manufacturers’ instructions throughout the trip. The door of the truck container should be kept closed as much as possible. 

It is important for couriers to monitor and keep track of temperature periodically to ensure that the cold chain is maintained. A temperature log that documents the vaccine temperature along the trip should be kept for future inspection or review. Couriers must report any cold chain accidents or breaches that occurred during the trip to the local public health department seeking further instructions on vaccines’ use or disposal. 

 

Transporting Vaccines: Leveraging Telematics With Limitless Functionality

Temperature Monitoring Sensors

The complexity of the vaccine cold chain makes it difficult for humans to monitor and keep track of the whole process, and this is where telematics technologies supports the movement of temperature-sensitive cargo. Precision temperature sensors are the key tool in collecting and providing accurate ambient temperature reading of the container to the drivers and fleet managers. 

This is different from the traditional temperature monitoring sensors that only measure the blower output air temperature. Ambient temperature reading provides a much more accurate representation of the actual temperature in the trailer as it takes into consideration the conveyor effect of cold and warm air variations caused by opening and closing doors. Smart temperature sensors also have one huge advantage over traditional technology – thanks to its high digital connectivity. Drivers and fleet managers can receive real-time updates and alerts of container temperature, so early intervention could be taken when a problem happens. 

 

Moisture and Humidity Monitoring Sensors

Temperature is not the only metric that matters when transporting vaccines; moisture and humidity are the other two essential metrics to consider and monitor when moving vaccines. This is especially critical when transporting vaccines in high humidity regions, where there is a risk of moisture damage caused by condensation. Modern-day telematic sensors have functionality to measure, analyze, and report these readings in real-time to drivers and fleet managers, offering them a comprehensive look at trailer status. 

 

Motion Detection And Optical Sensors

Frequent opening of the trailer door is one the top factor resulting in a cold chain breach. The trailer’s temperature can drastically change within a short period as warm air flows into the container when leaving the door open. For example, studies have shown that temperature can fluctuate up to 10°C when doors are left open for 5 minutes. 

The governmental guidelines recommend that couriers should keep the door locked as much as possible to reduce the introduction of warm air and direct sunlight to the trailer. This is why optical sensors and motion detection sensors are necessary tools in helping drivers and couriers to monitor door status. They can immediately notify drivers and fleet managers in case of a door problem, lock failure, or improper door handling. Because of these sensors’ high sensitivity, any slight changes in the ambient environment could be captured and automatically reported to drivers and fleet managers so proper actions could be taken, avoiding expensive mistakes. 

 

Smart Analytics And Troubleshooting System

When a temperature breach happens, couriers and fleet managers need to react and identify root causes to prevent further damage and financial loss quickly. However, finding the root causes might not always be an easy process, as there could be many factors contributing to a cold chain accident. 

Having a smart telematics solution package can simplify the troubleshooting process and save valuable time and money for couriers. Many telematics tools that focus on temperature monitoring can provide real-time analytics of historical data and generate cold-chain custody reports. Fleet managers can even access and retrieve historical data from anywhere and identify issues. 

Generating and keeping a copy of the cold chain custody report is also a mandatory step in fulfilling regulatory requirements. Preparing a historical record of the trailer’s temperature is required for any potential inspections, and the telematics solution completes all the data organization and analysis for you automatically. 

 

Cloud-based Data Storage Solution

The advanced cloud-based data storage solution included in telematics solutions ease the process of storing complicated data history and all the paperwork. The combination of smart hardware and convenient software shape an uninterrupted connect workflow giving drivers and fleet managers maximal visibility and control of key assets. 

Best of all, all the temperature monitoring sensors, humidity and moisture sensors, optical and motion sensors are integrated into one simple plug-and-play tracking device that is low-cost and easy to install. Installation can usually be completed within minutes, eliminating any impacts on your fleet operations. 

The transportation and distribution of COVID-19 vaccines require a collaborative global effort between all levels of transport chains. A small mistake in the cold chain transport can undermine the quality and effectiveness of the entire batch of vaccines, costing businesses and couriers substantial money. 

Investing in smart temperature monitoring and asset tracking solutions can help businesses and couriers avoid making expensive mistakes and accidents and accelerate the safe distribution of COVID-19 vaccines across the world. 

Did our piece about transporting vaccines interest you in learning more about how telematics technology can help your fleet? Speak with one of our cold chain tracking specialists to see how to upgrade your fleet and technologies to prepare for the upcoming challenge.