Big brother is watching you

With fuel costs rocketing by 28% last year alone, investing in wireless fleet management solutions could be the best way to catapult your vehicles into the 21st century. The telematics technology and the real time data systems involved can lead to considerable energy efficiency gains through enhanced routing, the elimination of private or unauthorised mileage and the better allocation of vehicles. Finding out which van is closest to a job couldn’t be easier.

Transport operators can typically reduce fuel consumption by 15% through purchasing a system such as Navman’s M-Nav 650, which allows businesses to send job instructions to their workforce via text message and to give satellite navigation instructions at the same time.

Lancashire-based company Craven Services is a prime example of a company that has significantly lowered its communication costs while cutting back on time spent on paperwork. Managing director Max Craven was wrestling with a serious communication problem. Keeping in contact with his team of 12 engineers, who spent most of their time on the road responding to urgent emergency calls, was causing a real financial headache. After introducing a fleet management system from Navman, he was quick to recognise the benefits. “The system enables me to communicate accurately and quickly with my fleet of vehicles,” he says. “The system has also made us more productive. As each instruction is noted on the PC, I already have a record of which drivers are where and the particular job they are doing.”

Installing a fleet management system can also save lives. It is safer than relying on mobile phones whilst driving, and contractors can assess the speeding risk by running off speed analysis reports at the touch of a button. More than 3000 people die in road accidents every year and estimates suggest that a third of these involve drivers at work. With the new corporate manslaughter bill in place, this has never been more of a pressing concern. Duty of care is already an essential board issue due to current health and safety legislation and regulations such as the Working Time Directive. Failings by managers that lead to death could result in unlimited fines.

It’s not the cost that’s the issue, but the lack of trust.

Tony Neil, vice president of Navman Wireless Business Solutions says: “Vehicle tracking offers full visibility and control over a workforce, 24 hours a day. Real time evaluation of drivers can identify those who are a danger.”

While this has obvious advantages, it is important not to lose sight of the fact that vehicle operators may resent such levels of intrusion. A good working relationship may be compromised by the suggestion that trust is an issue. David Hill, chief executive of Hills Electrical and Mechanical agrees: “Everyone thinks of it as the spy in the cab. It’s not the cost that’s the issue, but the lack of trust. Would you work with a camera over your desk?”

Focusing on the positive aspects, such as the added convenience of satellite navigation with onscreen instructions and an accurate ETA may offset any misgivings, especially in the case of small companies whose employees are constantly moving from job to job. Hill admits that negative considerations only outweigh the positive due to his company’s size. “Our employees tend to be doing the same projects for long periods of time. It can pay dividend for smaller companies.”

A mixed response from contractors indicates that fleet management is not a viable option for all. Involving employees in the decision-making process is a good starting point. In some cases, employers can improve productivity while giving something back to their staff, actually making their working lives easier.