According to statistics from the Department of Transport, one in four road casualties in 2012 involved a business car driver and each year an estimated third of those drivers will be involved in some sort of traffic accident. For employers looking to guard their assets, minimize costs and, of course, protect their employees on the road, telematics systems can be key. RAM Tracking, a leading UK provider of vehicle tracking systems, reports that comprehensive telematics systems can allow fleet managers and drivers to increase safety and trim costs. However, companies have to be proactive about the data gleaned from tracking systems, Chris McClellan, CEO of RAM Tracking, cautioned.
Fleet managers need to enforce strict safety standards and implement training courses for drivers based on the analytics gathered from black boxes. Telematics can alert managers to consistent problems across their fleets, which they can then correct with further instruction and information for their drivers. “Many [telematics] providers will design bespoke fleet-wide training courses focussing on specific problem areas found as a result of using vehicle tracking, with a wide variety of training available to suit specific company needs,” McClellan said.
This training can be offered in-house, online, or at external training centres, McClellan said, to suit each company and minimise disruptions to the working day. These courses ensure all drivers are aware of the company’s motoring policies and the risks and consequences of dangerous driving behavior, including speeding and the use of mobile phones.
“The responsibility of implementing driver training is in the hands of fleet managers and tracking identifies problems that need to be fixed. Everyone can get into bad habits, but it is important that company drivers don’t become another casualty statistic,” he continued.
These bad habits don’t just cause traffic accidents: high speeds, sharp accelerations, idling, unnecessary detours lead to higher fuel costs for companies. Telematics tracking systems and training courses can help fleet-based businesses unlock generous fuel savings, in addition to increasing safety.
Since adopting RAM Tracking’s telematics systems, Cargo Motor Factors Ltd has reported a healthy £300 savings in their monthly fuel costs, company director Lloyd Begley said.
“The best feature of the RAM system has to be the ability to see when how long a vehicle has been idling, the lads no longer leave the vans ticking over during drop-offs, this alone has enabled us to reduce our fuel consumption by 15%,” Begley said.
