FLEET MANAGEMENT

Protecting millions of Rands worth of metal, the FM Communicator does the job.

When it comes to selecting a Fleet Management system, transport operators in South Africa aren't pressed for choice, with over 20 service providers vying for a slice of this lucrative market. Knowing exactly what you're looking for, what you expect the system to achieve is the natural starting point when deciding on a system, followed by a stringent investigation of what each system has to offer and the quality of its support and backup services. In the car-carrier business, effective driver management is a key ingredient for smooth operations and one of this sector's leading players erred on the side of caution before taking the plunge, writes Paul Collings.

We were growing increasingly frustrated with our very expensive but unreliable tracking system and knew it was just a matter of time before we replaced it," says Auto Carriers general operations manager, Bert Hofheys. "What we were looking for initially was a tracking system that could help us manage our drivers more effectively as well as streamline our routing and service scheduling."

Due diligence
After evaluating 15 different solutions, Auto Carriers (a division of Grinrod SA) opted for CI Omnibridge's VDO Communicator, distributed and installed by one of its accredited dealers, Autotronics. "We were a bit sceptical at first as to what the system could deliver," says Hofheys. "We didn't expect too much of it either. Although we had very basic management objectives we wanted the system to address, we wanted to see the system actually working before we were signed on the dotted line."

After installing the VDO Communicator in April 2006, followed by comprehensive user training, Auto Carriers adopted an incremental installation process and began using the system in November last year, says Hofheys. "It was by starting to use the system that it gained credibility with us. We soon realized that we had got a whole more than we bargained for. Every day we discover new things, but it is definitely the kind of system you have to use extensively before you understand its true potential. You have to work the system, you can't expect it to run itself."

Because of the complexity of the system, "training is just not enough," Hofheys says. "Head Office IT staff must become gurus in the system before it is rolled out to other offices and regions."

Drivers first
The VDO Communicator has advanced driver management capabilities, says Autotronics director, Deon Botha. "This is a key focus area for Auto Carriers. With more than 250 drivers in the 150 vehicle fleet, it is clear that by managing their drivers, they can manage their vehicles better and cut fuel and maintenance costs."

According to Hofheys, "the Driver Management tool rates all drivers in the fleet, and scores them on a number of predefined or personalized factors, such as over-speeding or over-revving, harsh braking, or using the vehicle without authorization, and at the same time measures the vital signs of the vehicle (oil pressure, engine temperature etc). By scoring each driver on the RAG (red, amber, green) report, management can quickly see which drivers are performing (green), or those that aren't (red), and can tailor-make training programmes to address each driver's shortcomings."

All about people
Achieving company-wide 'buy-in' is crucial if a FM system is to be effective and Hofheys believes that CI's fleet management system stands or falls on the people that use it. "Gaining employee confidence is vital. We expected push back from staff, particularly our drivers, but within two weeks they were all comfortable with it. They trust it and now actually prefer the VDO Communicator to manage their electronic log books because they don't want people meddling with their pay cheques."

Apart from improving employee relationships via the simple fact that fleet controllers can now address drivers on the road by name, the VDO Communicator is also being used to schedule routes, manage truck service dates, as well as driver and vehicle licencing. "Moving forward, Auto Carriers will use the data it receives from the VDO Communicator to not only improve running costs and operational efficiency but it will serve as a quality tool to assist our driver training academy, ensuring our drivers are the safest on the road," concludes Hofheys.