Webfleet: telematics can help tackle current challenges
Software provider Webfleet Solutions has explained how telematics technology can assist transport fleets facing a current plethora of operating difficulties.
Beverley Wise, regional director for Webfleet Solutions UKI, highlights a variety of issues that are contributing to a challenging operating climate – including fuel costs hitting record highs, traffic congestion, mounting pressure to decarbonise, restricted vehicle availability, burgeoning health and safety regulations, Brexit-related red tape and an HGV driver shortage disrupting global supply chains.
“Against this backdrop, targeting increased margins may seem like an insurmountable task,” said Beverley.
“But a new dawn of technological optimism is breaking to help businesses chart a course to an increasingly profitable future.
“The transport industry is facing unprecedented levels of innovation, with digital investments promising ever greater efficiency gains and smarter ways of working.”
Data can justifiably lay claim to being the ‘new oil’ with connected technologies, says Beverley – and the insights they impart can open the door to more informed decision-making, cost savings and improved service delivery.
“For many, the pandemic has already acted as a catalyst for change,” she said.
“Recent Webfleet Solutions research found that three-quarters (74 per cent) of UK fleets adopted more digital solutions since its onset…
“Telematics solutions have never stood still and the latest developments are playing a significant role in supporting cost-effective decarbonisation and risk management.
“Diesel consumption, and the associated costs, has long been better managed by monitoring and actioning telematics data on everything from vehicle location, routing, scheduling and driver behaviour scores to maintenance and fuel card information.”
Today, systems such as Webfleet can now offer dedicated software that signposts the electrification potential of LCV fleets, says Beverley, allowing EV operations to be optimised through a range of connected tools.
“Insights are available for everything from mapped charging infrastructure and vehicle charging insights to real time battery levels and remaining driving ranges,” she continued.
“Elsewhere, HGV fleets continue to leverage telematics data to reduce an increasingly wide variety of operational costs. By digitising order management processes, for example, daily workflows can be automatically loaded onto drivers’ in-vehicle terminals, the sequence of customer visits optimised, and drivers routed directly to their destinations.
“Missing assets, such as trailers and machinery, pose another costly issue for the hauliers, but asset tracking solutions can provide full visibility over their position and usage, helping ensure they remain on their radar.”
Digitisation also presents compelling opportunities to ease fleets’ administrative burden, Beverley added.
“Retrieving tachograph data, for example, can be particularly laborious, but tachograph integrations with telematics systems allow for the remote downloading and the sharing of data with third-party analysis software,” she said.
“All the while, the crusade to improve driver recruitment and retention is boosted by technology solutions that helps to make their working lives simpler, safer and less stressful.
“Telematics can help reduce journey times through improved routing, while mobile apps on tablet-style driver terminals can automate a range of daily business tasks.”
Beverley also highlighted the recent launch of Webfleet TPMS, which continuously monitors tyre pressure levels and tyre temperature.
“Manual pressure checks can be time consuming and slow leaks difficult for drivers to detect,” she said. “Webfleet TPMS automates this process.”
