The top priority for most fleets is to ensure safety – not just of drivers but of those with whom they share the roads. Thus, most of the data that fleets collect and track is ultimately related to safety. Yet, most fleets are still trying to figure out what to do with all their data. While the term “big data” has been around for some time now, trucking companies are still getting on the big data bandwagon.
Big data refers to the large volumes of structures and unstructured data that fleets collect, both voluntarily and involuntarily, on a regular basis. This data could include everything from vehicle location to hours of service, fuel economy, video footage details, and more. Yet, the most important thing to remember is that it is not the volume of data that is the most important, it is how you use the data.
Why is Big Data Important?
The ability to access or analyze big data, especially in real-time as it streams in, can have an enormous impact on a business, particularly if it is used to predict the onset of an event or provide insight into how to transform a process or operation. Some fleet managers are beginning to call this “Actionable Safety Intelligence.”
Before the era of high technology and big data, fleet managers could only make guesses based on real-world outcomes. Analytics provides a historical and big picture look, connecting disparate elements of the business so that those in charge of a holistic picture of the operation. When these tools are available, there really is no reason why fleet managers
And there is a good reason why. By collecting data about the location, performance, usage and status of vehicles and drivers, fleet operators obtain meaningful, real-world information about the inner workings of their organization. This, in turn, can be used to change driver behavior, dramatically reduce crash rates and ultimately save lives.
There are a variety of driver safety, vehicle tracking and fleet management solutions out there. What’s eventually chosen depends on several factors, including:
- A business’s objectives
- The size of a fleet operation
- The level of visibility preferred
- Buy-in from stakeholders
- Legislative considerations
Entry-level asset tracking software enables fleet operators to trace the whereabouts of vehicles and drivers – a good solution for smaller, local businesses with short runs and few safety concerns. This means trucking companies big, middle-size, or small can benefit from using these kinds of solutions.
Vehicles can be located on a map, giving those behind the screens the opportunity to plot their next move, improve utilization, and reduce misuse and theft. These simple solutions are generally not extensible, meaning that features cannot be added later. Interoperability issues can be solved by investing in systems and vendors that use technologies that talk to each other.
Integrated fleet management solutions, however, offer much more potential and a higher return on investment, and are designed for fleets that place a high priority on ensuring safety. Powerful software allows operators to not only track, but to manage, monitor and measure the performance of their vehicles and drivers and be notified, in real-time, about events, deviations, infringements or impending dangers.
The software can alert fleet managers, for instance, when a driver is speeding, driving off route, or is involved in a crash. Fleets using these solutions report that they are saving $50-100 per vehicle, per month, after factoring in the cost of the solution. Some expenses are worth it as you make efforts to increase overall fleet safety.
Making Positive Change Using Data
Per year, there are roughly 389,000 large truck and bus crashes in the U.S. These crashes carry an estimated price tag of over $100 billion. What’s worse is that over 3,800 of these crashes result in at least one fatality.
With fleet management software, various add-ons and integrations become valuable tools to generate Actionable Safety Intelligence in pursuit of one important goal: to proactively protect drivers and businesses, reduce crashes and save lives. Efficiency gains are a bonus that help fleets quickly recoup their investment in the software while running safer, smarter fleets.
Driver behavior modification tools In-cab driving aids, audible in-cab driver coaching, and driver engagement apps are all powerful tools used to not only modify driver behavior, but generate important, actionable data when integrated into fleet management solutions.
Most aids gather and transfer information to the driver or the fleet manager through many features like custom data inputs, while driving alerts notify drivers of bad driving habits such as over-speeding in geo-fenced zones or driving over the road speed limit.
While these driver modification tools offer drivers a tangible opportunity to own the important process of continuous improvement, fleet managers can harness the power of driver and vehicle data for change.
ELD/Hours of Service Solutions
ELDs help with Hours of Service compliance, of course, but can also do more. The obvious side-effect of Hours of Service compliance is that it helps curb driver fatigue, making safety the number one benefit of ELDs and fleet management systems.
Most ELDs can track not only assets but driver behavior such as rapid acceleration, harsh braking and speeding, in order to create driver scorecards and coach drivers to improve their practices. Some ELD and fleet management systems also come equipped with integrated in-cab video, providing all the benefits already mentioned too.
All this together helps reduce crashes (which in turn can help reduce a fleet’s insurance rates) and save lives. In-cab video monitoring has proven time and time again to help improve poor driver behavior and overall fleet safety. Integrated in-cab video solutions allow videos to be automatically appended to driver profiles and tied to specific reports depicting specific triggered events, providing the opportunity for:
- Video-led driver coaching and training
- Post-crash analysis
- Crash prevention and reduction
- Subrogation of insurance claims
So, while in-cab video is a great way to spot and correct unsafe driving behaviors such as speeding, harsh acceleration, hard braking and corner handling, it also adds an important element to post-crash analysis, providing unprecedented insight (and irrefutable evidence) into what occurred in a cab and around the vehicle at the time of an incident.
This information is very useful when determining how to best handle claims, settle quickly to reduce settlement cost, or fight the claim knowing the video will exonerate the company from fault.
Collision, Fatigue and Distraction Prevention
Using specialized camera technology to track eye and facial behavior, these kinds of tools typically trigger a series of physical driver interventions, such as audible alerts or seat vibrations, to help prevent a crash. Truck drivers respond better to physical cues or audible alerts in the cab. In the era of virtual reality and interactive environments, provide tactile alerts is far more effective.
Available technology from several vendors offer integrations with fleet management solutions that generate triggered distraction and fatigue events. These events can be recorded and viewed in various shapes and forms and integrated into driver scoring to give clearer driving profiles. Using data to profile driving behavior is one of the best uses for it.
The outcome is that trucking companies can harness meaningful data before taking steps to make improvements and prevent future occurrences. Hazard prevention is at the core of everything a fleet or safety manager does.
There are some providers that offer integrated management modules. These modules offer the prospect of planning safe, achievable journeys. Typically, planned journeys are captured, then associated risks relating to the driver, environment and asset are identified before a risk rating of the journey is calculated. This way fleet managers can take a more proactive approach.
Once in progress, journeys and vehicles can be automatically monitored, from the initial stages of planning through to approval and dispatch with events being reported in real-time to operations staff. As a result, the safety of people, vehicles and cargo is prioritized.
Chances are that many fleets are already collecting much of the data referred to here as Actionable Safety Intelligence. How that is harnessed in order to set baselines and goals is a challenging prospect. In this new era of safety, there really is no excuse for not using all the tools at your disposal.
Find a partner who has the expertise, innovation and technology described above and can provide solutions that cut through the complexity of hundreds of thousands of rows of data in favor of clear, concise Actionable Safety Intelligence and the support to make it happen within your business.
from Quick Transport Solutions Trucking Blog https://ift.tt/2v7nm04
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