Managing a fleet of vehicles can be one of a recycling company’s largest expenses. Even with a small fleet, the average annual maintenance can cost more than $1,000 per vehicle. Fleet owners and managers are increasingly turning to economical wireless fleet management solutions to help them better use and maintain these expensive assets.
WIRELESS ACCESSA wireless fleet management system takes location tracking to a new level by combining it with the ability to remotely monitor and collect data on vehicle speed, fuel consumption, mileage, stops, hours in service, idle time, engine diagnostics and more. This gives fleet managers the ability to identify issues, be proactive and fix problems early.
Wireless fleet management systems collect and transmit data directly from a vehicle’s engine computer and from a global positioning system (GPS). Fleet managers typically access and view specific vehicle performance data and monitor vehicle activity through a secure, easy-to-use Web application.
Wireless fleet management systems can also notify fleet managers via e-mail when an exception occurs within the fleet, such as when a vehicle has an engine problem. By identifying issues in near real time, managers can fix vehicle concerns before they escalate into larger problems. This helps ensure that vehicles are running and, therefore, being productive.
KEEPING TRACKWireless systems that track vehicle location use GPS technology to locate any vehicle at any time. A small device with an antenna is installed on the vehicle to transmit the exact location at regular intervals. This gives managers the ability to improve vehicle management, driver management and vehicle maintenance.
GPS location systems offer the ability to verify current location, historical location and the route of an individual vehicle, as well as an entire fleet of vehicles, from any computer, via the Internet. This enables the streamlining of dispatching, differentiation between business usage and personal usage and improved customer service by giving the user the ability to view where vehicles are at all times. It also helps managers to improve driver management by enforcing policies that encourage business-only use of vehicles and safer vehicle operation.
Some of the benefits associated with wireless fleet management with GPS location tracking are:
• Optimized Vehicle Routing—By analyzing driving patterns and historical location history, managers can choose routes that optimize workers’ schedules. This means the drivers can perform more jobs each day, resulting in increased revenues.
• Improve Customer Response Time—Using a Web-based map that displays landmarks, dispatchers can quickly see which driver is closest to a customer location. This allows for better routing, decreased fuel costs and more efficient use of resources. It also improves customer service.
• Accurate Driving Directions—Fleet managers or dispatchers can use the system to get driving directions to and from a vehicle’s current location by simply entering a street address. Dispatchers can e-mail turn-by-turn directions to a field worker’s cell phone, PDA or pager.
• Reduced Unauthorized Vehicle Usage—GPS location information can be used to verify daily route and stop locations as well as to check hours of vehicle usage. This information can be used to reduce any unauthorized or unnecessary vehicle usage, which can contribute to vehicle wear and tear. According to Consumer Reports, vehicle wear and tear often accounts for nearly 25 cents per mile.
• Setting Limits with Geofencing—Managers can establish a virtual fence, called geofencing, on Web-based maps. This allows them to pinpoint vehicles that venture into or out of unauthorized areas. To set up a circular geofence, the user simply enter the address of a location or landmark and the radius parameters. When a vehicle enters or exits the area, the system records the date and time it crossed the geofence. Managers can also run a historical report to identify vehicles that have crossed a geofence as well as schedule reports to be delivered to their inboxes daily, weekly and/or monthly.
The integration of remote vehicle diagnostics with vehicle location tracking not only provides additional value in vehicle management and driver management, but also improves vehicle maintenance. Without wireless fleet management, fleet managers may have to wait days or even weeks for drivers to report that a vehicle’s check engine light is on. However, with wireless fleet management, managers are notified automatically by e-mail when a vehicle registers a check engine light in the form of a specific diagnostic trouble code (DTC). This information can be provided to technicians so that they can begin their repairs immediately instead of spending time trying to diagnose the problem.
Wireless fleet management with diagnostic monitoring helps to lower fleet operating costs in a variety of ways, such as:
• Reducing Fuel Consumption—Monitoring unauthorized vehicle use, excessive speeding, miles per gallon and engine idle time can greatly reduce fuel usage/expenses. For example, if a truck burns 1.5 gallons of fuel per hour of idle time, a reduction of a few minutes per day can add up to big savings. The system can also be used to monitor idle-time by vehicle to determine which vehicles exceed a certain idle threshold. In addition, reports provide the ability to compare idle-time and fuel consumption between similarly operated vehicles.
• Reducing Maintenance Costs—Monitoring engine diagnostics remotely can help fix vehicle problems before they escalate into larger issues. By identifying maintenance issues early, wireless fleet management helps companies avoid larger repair bills and keep vehicles running longer.
• Automating Maintenance—Access to accurate mileage information is essential to a good preventive maintenance program. This allows for the scheduling of regular maintenance using odometer e-mail alerts when vehicles reach predetermined maintenance intervals. The wireless fleet management system can also be used to maintain a complete online service history, including recall notices, to improve a vehicle’s resale value.
• Reducing Emissions—Many states are instituting stiff requirements to reduce vehicle emissions. Wireless fleet management systems can continuously monitor vehicle emissions and ensure compliance while reducing repair costs by uncovering faulty emissions systems as well as reducing engine idle time, unnecessary vehicle use and speeding. In California, for instance, fleets that are equipped with a wireless fleet management system are not required to be physically smog checked once they are enrolled in the state’s free program.
OmniSource Corp., Fort Wayne, Ind., is one of North America’s leading metal recycling companies, with annual sales of $2.5 billion generated from 6 million tons of ferrous scrap and 900 million pounds of nonferrous metals.
OmniSource uses the Networkfleet wireless fleet management system for its fleet of 212 vehicles.
"We use Networkfleet to monitor idle time, out-of-route stops, lost-time pay requested but not justified, improper shifting of transmission, speeding violations and to monitor driver activity," Mike Moran, corporate transportation manager, OmniSource Transport, says.
OmniSource has avoided catastrophic vehicle failures, as its GPS system notifies the company of major coolant and oil leaks before they develop into serious problems.
Wireless fleet management also provides OmniSource with precise information on each vehicle, such as actual vehicle speed, engine idle time and miles-per-gallon. This timely information has enabled the company to take a more proactive approach toward vehicle maintenance and driver improvement.
"We originally projected a return-on-investment in 18 months. However, after installation and implementation, we found so many ways to use the system for improving operations that our actual ROI was about 10 months," Moran says. "This was the best investment for fleet management that we have ever made," he says of adding a wireless fleet management system to OmniSource’s operations.
For recycling operations, nothing is more important than keeping vehicles in top condition to support customer needs. Maintaining vehicles, including repair, upkeep and downtime, can have a huge impact on a company’s bottom line. A wireless fleet management system that includes both GPS location and diagnostic monitoring can help businesses reduce operating costs and keep vehicle downtime to a minimum.
The author is vice president of marketing for Networkcar, based in San Diego.
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