TRACKING THE FLEET
Page 35
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
Telematics play a vital role in PLM's push to reduce fuel usage. In the past three months, it has installed the Israeli-designed Traffilog black-box-based system across the fleet. According to Traffilog UK sales manager Ben Copitch, PLM has reduced its average mpg by more than 12% since it started to use the system. Incidences where engines were left idling for more than 15 minutes have also been reduced by over 50%, he says. Copitch adds that other benefits include: "Safety events, such as harsh accelerating, braking and turning were reduced by more than 22%, and the number of mechanical skills incidences, such as riding the brake and incorrect gear utilisation. were reduced by more than 75%,"
PLM has taken the 'full solution' from north London-based Traffilog. says Copitch: "It's a driver profiling and diagnostic maintenance system that provides information for fleet users," he adds. "We have more than 45.000 users in 18 countries. It's a system that will be of benefit to those operators interested in reducing their fuel consumption and their CO2 emissions."
It's also about safety. The Traffilog program collects information from a vehicles' onboard computer system and displays useful information via an intemet-based application. Managers can log in and see the information from the dashboard of a vehicle 'live'.
Managers rarely have time to sit and watch the dashboard instruments of their vehicles to see how their drivers are performing. To address this, the Traffilog solution provides a series of reports that managers can use to assess driver performance. The 'Driver Profile' graph shows hours of the day and days of the month. The dashboard-mounted 'Driver Manoeuvre Awareness System', with LEDs based on a traffic light idea, shows drivers in real-time, and will log any harsh acceleration, braking or turning events they make.