THE DEFINITIVE TRUCKING SITE

Nov/Dec 2008

With significant attention being paid to the intricacies of on-board vehicle tracking and fleet management systems, the role of voice communication as an essential tool in driver management has been overlooked. 

Let’s face it; data communication is faster and more economical than voice. With data you can send or collect a lot of information in a fraction of the time it would take to talk to someone. Obviously it also costs a lot less. 

However, while on-board fleet management systems use data communication to collate such information as road speed, vehicle location, engine revs, idling time and so on, when it comes to managing the driver, voice communications remains the medium of choice. 

Truck operators say voice communication provides real time control and allows them to resolve problems on the spot. In layman’s terms this means that when fleet managers send drivers an SMS they are often left wondering if the driver received it, or if he or she did receive the message, did they understand it and realise its urgency. 

So no matter how sophisticated onboard fleet management systems may get, voice communication will always be with us. 

Sitting among a group of road transport operators at a recent industry function, this journalist asked how many of them actually spoke to their drivers. Of the eight sitting around the table, seven said voice communication was integral to effective driver management. 

There was a fair mix of radio trunking and cellular telephones. In most cases those who gave their drivers cell phones had them restricted so the driver could only use them to contact the head office or one of the depots. 

Those utilising trunked radio said it was cheaper and more effective than using cell phones. One operator with ten trucks hauling coal for Eskom gives his drivers unrestricted cell phone usage but monitors it. 

From talking to these operators it was obvious that voice communication has led to increased vehicle productivity, the elimination of errors as well as enhancing operational discipline. Ultimately it seems that, if used correctly, voice communication is able to reduce overall operating costs. 

FleetWatch also spoke to trunked radio network supply company, Fleetcall, MD Neels Botha and sales and marketing manager Sue Ranson. 

Asked what they consider the primary the role of radio trunking to be, they say, like any management system, the  principal objective is to enhance customer satisfaction. 

Ever since mobile communications and vehicle tracking systems became available in the late 1980s and early 1990s, fleet managers have strived to reduce operating costs and improve efficiency and productivity, thus eliminating check calls from drivers and making the dispatchers’ work easier. While a principal function of the communications was to convert voice communication into data, drivers and dispatchers still had to initiate each communication. 

Today many of these functions have been automated, enabling drivers and managers to focus on their core activities. 

One of the primary benefits of wireless fleet management solutions is eliminating the need to contact drivers regularly for status updates, or worse, relying on the drivers to contact the office. 

Fleet operators use these web-based fleet management systems to monitor vehicle location and can estimate arrival times. They only contact the driver if a potential problem becomes evident. 

“Direct uninterrupted communication with the drivers helps improve on-time deliveries while optimising vehicle and driver efficiency,” says Botha. “Ultimately it reduces overall operating costs.” 

Further to this, he says, talking directly to the driver improves response time to changing conditions such picking up new loads, re-routing, managing exceptions such as delays, breakdowns or other emergencies. 

On a more practical level, Botha says a major benefit of radio trunking is that it allows unlimited airtime for a fixed monthly cost. Fleetcall has its own national network and is not linked to Telkom or any of the major cellular network operators. 

It provides the full scope of fleet management services including GPS vehicle tracking, vehicle monitoring and all the rest. 

Each user has an individual private communication line which allows group calls and can interface with land line and cellular telephones. The system is designed to utilise whichever medium is the fastest. 

Typical users include short and long haul fleet operators, courier companies, security companies, cash-in-transit companies, emergency services and so on. 

Added to this, Botha says, fishing companies use the system and even the Gautrain is installing a radio trunking service. 

In the end, the strengths of radio trunking lie in its ability to utilise the fastest and most direct communications protocol, its inherent privacy and security and its wide-area roaming capability, not forgetting of course that fixed monthly costing.