Coventry, UK: Fraikin has installed some 3,000 telematics and camera systems to the home delivery fleet of an unnamed supermarket.
Fraikin also helped train around 8,000 drivers to use the new equipment that provides the supermarket with data.
The project included Masternaut that provided the telematics system and SureCam the cameras.
The project was designed to improve safety and reduce the environmental impact of the 3.5-tonne van fleet, capturing operational data on vehicle performance, as well as monitoring driving habits to help driver training.
Lorraine Sculley, fleet management account director, Fraikin, said: “The ultimate goal was to install the new systems with minimum impact to the day-to-day running of our customer’s fleet. It was an extremely complex process that involved many moving parts and a host of supporting players – but in the end everything went seamlessly, highlighting the total fleet management solution we are able to provide.”
The installations were carried out over over two months, mostly out of hours to reduce vehicle down time. Fraikin worked with Diareyes to carry out the installations. The UK was segregated into 45 regions to track the location of each vehicle, ensuring as many vehicles as possible could be fitted in one visit from Diareyes engineers.
“When working out the fitting schedule we had to consider a number of factors, not least the location of the 300-plus relief fleet which has assets constantly moving from store to store. The logistical challenge was to minimise the need for re-visits so that we were able to keep on schedule and on budget,” Sculley said.
Once installed, the supermarket’s regional managers needed training as well as around 8,000 drivers.
The final stage of the project centred around the detailed analysis and reporting of the newly acquired operational data from Masternaut’s ‘in-cab coach’, a small, dashboard-mounted device that provides live feedback on driver behaviour, with alerts triggered through excessive idling, harsh acceleration, braking and speeding. The telematics data can also help vehicle utilisation.
Fraikin uses this information, along with any required SureCam footage, to supply a weekly report highlighting how each vehicle is performing, helping to promote safe driving and ways to lower operating costs and improve sustainability.
“We were quickly able to show how important the information this technology provides can be – our initial report highlighted that idling times were excessive across the fleet. By monetising that data, we could show exactly how much that idling time was costing, meaning the customer could implement immediate changes to reduce costs and environmental impact too,” Sculley said.
Fraikin is also working with the supermarket to access the Can-bus of each vehicle to monitor for faults and determine pre-emptive maintenance or adjust schedules based on how intensively each vehicle is operating.
