Telematics applications trebled
Issue: Spring 2009
The number of telematics applications currently in use in the UK’s road haulage sector has trebled during the past five years – and this figure will continue to increase.
External factors that drive this surge in demand include the need to combat vehicle and cargo theft, the inefficiency caused by congestion, the increase in vehicle insurance requirements and the demand for cost-effective navigational systems. Internal factors include the desire to improve speed of delivery, vehicle turnaround, the minimisation of time wastage, efficient route planning and reduced operational costs.
Within the haulage industry, the effective use of a fleet has always been a priority for operators. However, many companies are increasingly finding that they need to look even deeper into their operational activities to unearth further savings or ways to generate additional revenue. Historically, the main focus for many operators has been to look at monitoring their vehicles, understanding fuel usage and driver styles in achieving savings.
Reduce fuel consumption and your carbon footprint With profit margins becoming increasingly tight, the opportunity to save fuel is a major concern for hauliers. Research has already shown how variable speed limits can help to reduce fuel consumption, and vehicle-based systems that interact with other road users, could be the next stage for telematics.
The future possibilities have been highlighted by recent discussions with the Location and Timing Knowledge Transfer Network, a government body overseeing innovation in such technologies, on how telematics could be used to reduce fuel consumption, and therefore carbon footprint, in various types of transport.
There is inevitably a cost to implementing this kind of technology and, although the more efficient vehicle use has been seen by many, the majority of companies would be unlikely to adopt without legislation.
Corporate manslaughter An increasingly competitive logistics market, rising labour and fuel costs, European fleet and single market strategies, legal requirements of Health and Safety, Duty of Care and the Working Time Directive, and the need to implement risk management strategies will necessitate real time monitoring and management of whole fleet activities along with live and instant reporting and secure archiving of data.
The Corporate Manslaughter and Homicide Act, which came into force on 7th April 2008, makes its possible to prosecute an organisation by creating the obligation to a ‘duty of care’. For the first time, it also introduces the possibility of company directors being held criminally responsible for negligence leading to the harm of their employees.
The ramifications of not investing in the right mobile devices or functionality, to address aspects of the Act relating to the ‘lone worker’, are huge. Such technology is seen as the most cost-effective way to ensure compliance. It also provides lone worker staff with additional peace of mind.
Senior managers must now demonstrate they undertake appropriate health and safety risk assessments of lone workers and make safety provisions for those who could face a risk of violence. They must put contact procedures in place for emergencies, so that an alarm can be raised, and must facilitate prompt medical attention if there is an accident.
Having appropriate systems in place is now essential for any organisation whose employees carry out jobs in the community. Any company with a large mobile workforce, including sales and engineering field staff, all need to be looking to adopt such technology.
According to British Crime Survey figures from the HSE, 36% of lone workers fear an increase of danger in the workplace. The latest available figures (2002-2003) found 849,000 reported incidents of threats and actual assaults, giving lone workers a risk factor of 1.7%.
The Corporate Manslaughter and Homicide Act also comes down hard on speeding. If a driver is caught speeding in work time, their employer now has a duty to reprimand them and keep a record to show they have done so. If that driver then has an accident in which speeding was deemed a contributing factor, the employer could be held responsible.
Technology-driven telematics solutions The evolution of tracking has provided operators with practical logistics management tools. The old technologies that supplied GPS/GSM early vehicle-tracking systems have been superseded by far more technically sophisticated and technologically-advanced offerings, that, when properly implemented, transform what was once basic ‘tracking’ into full-blown fleet management solutions.
There is a market need for technology-driven telematics solutions to replace the basic tracking offerings that are still in abundance today and to provide scalable and future-proof, real time, whole fleet, management tools.
Technological advances have revolutionised commercial vehicle fleet management in recent years. However, the vast range of systems in the marketplace can make the choice for the operator somewhat daunting, even for those who are technically minded and experienced in such matters.
When discussing the requirements with a telematics supplier it is important to determine just what information and data is needed, and what is not. Therefore it is vital that the operator can clarify his needs and expectations from the outset. If a system is tailored to the operator’s requirements it should deliver the data he or she requires and no more. Remember, unnecessary data only adds to the costs. It is also essential to consider future needs during the decision making process. Whatever system is selected, it is crucial that it can be added to, at a realistic cost.
However, the success of any telematics system also depends on the capabilities of those employees using it. It is essential for operators to ensure that all system users – especially drivers, office personnel and warehouse staff – are fully trained, in order that both the company and members of staff realise the benefits of such technology.
● Andrew Green is Director of Marketing & Business Services at the Road Haulage Association.
For further information, visit: www.rha.uk .net
Published: 02/03/2009
