Tag: Telematics

back to school, school bus, student, tracking, telematics, gps, parents

Back to School Brings New Telematics Opportunities For Bus Fleets

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This month marks the back-to-school season, offering students across the country a mass exodus from lockdowns and a welcome break from online learning. These new beginnings bring with them opportunities for school administrators and third-party fleet managers to revamp their bus operations using technology and telematics data to make the school year safer and more efficient. Below we’ve listed some of GoFleet’s product and service offerings that are available to both schools and to the public to help keep kids safe.

 

GPS tracking of bus operations with Bus ETA

 

GoFleet’s Bus ETA app marks the first step in safety and communication between parents and their child’s school. Bus ETA is an app that allows school admins to provide live location updates of arriving or departing school buses. 

 

The app also allows parents to track their child’s bus to make sure it arrives/departs on time by allowing the parent to create routes and define which students (or “Travellers”) are assigned to those routes. Bus ETA is updated automatically, so that parents (or “Guardians”) have access to real-time updates on their computers, tablets, or mobile devices.

 

Bus ETA is integrated with ZenduIT ecosystem (same functionality as ZenduCAM alerts) to create and review multiple routes, monitor multiple travellers and allow their guardians to log their information in the event of an emergency. A 2-step verification process ensures safe guardian login.

 

Knowing when and where a school bus will be at any given time — and having that information available on a live app — improves efficiency by reducing wait times and avoids having to wade through a field of update calls from anxious parents. Routing and dispatching can be done quickly, providing a live location for all buses employed by the school and increasing visibility between parents and the school’s administration. 

 

The school can import and manage guardians and travellers while creating and managing routes from the travellers addresses. Conversely, guardians can track several bus routes and travellers from one mobile app while reviewing a history of arrivals and notifications. Ultimately, knowing when and where a bus will arrive allows families to organize their day without the fear of missing a ride to school. 

 

Tracking student safety with GO9 trackers

 

It’s all well and good to know where the bus is, but what if your child isn’t on it? Thankfully, Bus ETA can merge seamlessly with ZenduIT’s tracking system for a more comprehensive (and safer) solution. For example, our third-party GO9 tracker plugs directly into the vehicle to track its routes, and a traveller tag tracks the student’s mobility when used in conjunction with a GO9 + NFC reader. Whether you’re tracking your child’s bus, or tracking the bus and your child, our technology gives schools and parents peace of mind while promoting safe travel to and from school.

 

ZenduCAM for heightened safety

 

Our commercial dash cam solutions provide a wealth of options for fleets of all sizes. Connecting a product such as ZenduCAM to your buses gives you data sets for all kinds of cost-saving and safety-promoting initiatives, including:

  • Accident reconstruction: In the unlikely event of an accident, ZenduCAM helps you determine who was at fault, as well as the events that led up to the collision.
  • Road compliance: Dash cams keep your bus drivers accountable by preventing unsafe driving habits such as rapid acceleration, harsh braking and turning.
  • Passenger-facing cameras can help scan your precious cargo to keep them safe and accounted for.
  • Driver scoring and training: Your dash cam system provides an overall scoring system to help identify areas of improvement, incentivize good driving habits and keep drivers and students safe.

 

When integrated with GoFleet’s rich telematics ecosystem, Bus ETA can help create a 360 solution for schools and bus fleets. Through years of IoT experience, our specialists have a wealth of knowledge and an ability to recommend the right integration of apps and hardware for different verticals. We design, develop and implement premium automation solutions to help drive success — and your vehicles. Contact your GoFleet consultant today and see how we can bring your bus fleet to the top of the class.

school bus, fleet, gofleet, fleet management, school, back to school, bus eta, telematics

Spotlight on Telematics, Bus ETA and Back to School: A Conversation with Kemal Leslie

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Kemal Leslie, a strategic consultant to GoFleet, talks about Lord Selkirk School Division’s biggest pain points, and how GoFleet’s comprehensive and integrated telematics solutions solved some of their biggest back to school issues.

 

Tell me a bit about LSSD and the kinds of things they were looking for.

 

KL: They began working with GoFleet a few years ago to help them manage their bus fleet maintenance and location tracking. This also included management of driver operational safety. 

 

How did Bus ETA factor into the equation?

 

KL: At that time, they were also looking at Bus ETA as a solution, where a student or parent of a student, for example, could know when the bus is on its way to pick up or drop off, as well as the whereabouts of that vehicle. This has become a more popular solution over the last, I would say, five or six years, where parents or students want to know when to arrive at the bus stop. 

 

So it seems that Bus ETA also offers peace of mind?

 

KL: Well, for safety and security reasons, they received feedback that parents want to be able to track kids’ travel to and from school. They wanted an easy way to oversee their safety. That’s what the Bus ETA application really was about.  

 

What were the other components of your proposal?

 

KL: At that time, GoFleet implemented not only their bus tracking and status reports, but had also integrated another solution called On Command Connection with their Geotab telematics system, which is a diagnostic maintenance offering under Navistar. Their maintenance provider can track their buses and advise if any need to be repaired based on automated scheduling and alerts from real-time vehicle data; their maintenance team can call in a repair just by looking at the status report that’s provided through On Command.

Finally, Transfinder became the next third party integration for this solution. It’s a mobile application that tracks where the student is; if they are on the bus, when the bus is arriving, that type of thing. The system actually utilizes Geotab telematics data to manage the reporting within the application where the student might be at any given time, or where the bus is in terms of its daily trips.

 

So in terms of the evolution, it started as a fleet management application to manage the hardware, the equipment, location status, etc. And then student tracking for parents was integrated to centralize everything within their GoFleet solution.

 

That sounds really comprehensive. What are some other applications for this system outside of LSSD?

 

KL: Well, the entire solution could serve many verticals really, either in part or as a whole integrated solution. The fleet management piece can apply to any industry that requires management of their own automated fleet — it could be heavy equipment, trucks, small vehicles — any of that can be adapted to use this functionality. 

 

The same goes for the maintenance piece; to be able to connect to and manage the fleet without needing to bring in the vehicle, to have diagnostics established if there’s a problem with a unit and it needs to be called in. Those things can adapt to pretty much any industry.  

 

And what about Transfinder?

 

KL: I think that the Transfinder solution, as it relates to tracking when a vehicle is coming to pick someone up, certainly has its application in schools. But it would also have applications for other transportation clients, really any type of privatized or public transportation, the TTC for example. There will always be people who could use an app to tell them when to expect their ride. 

All in all, I think it’s a pretty robust solution; the equipment management piece, the maintenance piece and the transportation communication piece. Operators benefit from having a really strong, interconnected solution that provides important efficiencies.

Interested to learn more about how GoFleet’s solution could help your fleets unique needs? Contact us today by clicking the button below!

government fleets, telematics, gofleet, fleet management, productivity

How Government Fleets Can Benefit from Telematics Solutions

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Local government and public works agencies rely heavily on datasets to improve their operations, satisfy their constituents and plan their community more effectively. What typically remains top of mind for most government agencies is the safety and satisfaction of their citizens. To this end, telematics can help achieve these goals by providing visibility into the inner workings of their services and fleets, creating a partnership with the public rather than an autocracy.

 

From vehicle tracking to functionality, telematics can have a positive impact on government operations. For example, a winter maintenance fleet manager can have specific data at his fingertips, including when plowing occurred and when, and even how much salt is left in a vehicle. The right telematics solution will help save costs, improve safety and overall operational efficiency, and help fleet managers monitor the status of services while tracking their assets on a single platform. Here’s how telematics can improve your government operations.

 

Single sign-on

 

Not all government vehicles are plows and spreaders, which is why it’s important to be able to manage all assets within your organization through one system. Managing your entire fleet through one platform reduces training, reinforces information and highlights inefficiencies.

 

A centralized, cloud-based “single source of truth” allows you to track assets in real-time while managing their maintenance and controlling costs. Telematics can automate your processes and eliminate hours of manual data processing, giving you more time to focus on decision-making, training and efficient operations.

 

Automate and manage your assets

 

Government organizations provide essential services and critical infrastructure that support the daily activities of residents and businesses. In addition they are responsible for maintaining service level agreements, infrastructure planning, policy and ensuring the best use and deployment of expenditures and assets.

 

Because government fleet managers and leaders typically oversee a diversity of vehicles and assets (usually in the form of unique GPS tracking), an integrated telematics solution would offer full visibility into the operational data of all government vehicle types on a single platform, providing the tools to maintain compliance and road safety while reducing costs.

 

When you increase your fleet’s capabilities, you can measure material usage and ensure equal delivery of services within the community. Ultimately, these datasets lead to lower costs and a reduced environmental impact.

 

Asset health

 

Whether seasonal or otherwise, repairing infrastructure and conducting road work is tough on vehicles and assets. Telematics allow you to monitor asset performance to ensure you get the most out of them. When you track asset utilization, such as average daily mileage and service history, you can increase their lifespan and improve your bottom line.

 

The right telematics solution will compile both historical and real-time data usage so you can proactively decide how best to maintain and use your assets. From forecasting future repairs to predicting vehicle replacement, the fleet reports offered from telematics data give valuable insights into performance and maintenance, giving you a holistic overview of your fleet’s health.

 

Increase productivity

 

The unfortunate truth about many government operations is the tendency towards using old management methods, such as spreadsheets, that offer little to no insight into asset usage. When you don’t know the health of your fleet, you can’t prepare for potential work, which can lead to unplanned downtime and reduced efficiency. It is essential to have an automated telematics management system that can track and manage your fleet in real-time so you can maintain productivity.

 

Manage public perception

 

In the end, government fleets answer to the governed. Give your community access to visibility and help fight false claims with historical reporting and analytics. Provide proof of vehicle location and services rendered; show your constituents how to track vehicles themselves with a public map they can easily access and maneuver. Transparency can foster a positive relationship with the public and improve overall satisfaction. 

 

Use telematics to turn your fleet data into insights and action. Support your key government business drivers, including asset management, compliance, accountability, and efficiency. Contact your GoFleet specialist for your special offer, and schedule a demonstration today.

gofleet, difference, telematics,

The GoFleet Difference: Working With The Best

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If you’re ready to purchase a telematics solution for your fleet, you’re likely looking for a system that offers the following:

  1. A digital operations system that streamlines your work processes and allows for ease of management.
  2. Compliance with government mandates (now and future state).
  3. Opportunities to save money and optimize resources.

 

When it comes to electronic logging devices (ELDs) for your fleet, you have a wealth of resources to choose from. But what sets one product offering apart from the pack? How do you know if a telematics system can accommodate the size of your organization? Will the system you choose comply with the upcoming Canadian ELD Mandate?

 

We’ve curated the most important information you need to make an informed purchasing decision. Read below to see why GoFleet can offer you the most comprehensive, integrated data solution for your fleet, while saving you money in the short and long run.

 

Asset Tracking

 

Did you know that some telematics providers don’t offer asset tracking, but rather offer it via third-party applications? GoFleet has several asset trackers with a host of different functionalities. Having a proprietary software platform not only helps you track your fleet, it allows you to streamline your operations more effectively and efficiently, including maintenance operations, scheduling, purchasing, accounting, custom reporting and so much more.

 

Easy To Use, Easy To Save

 

Our proprietary ZenduCAM offerings take the stress out of fleet management with a simple “plug and play” feature; no hardwiring. Install the devices yourself without damaging your vehicles or voiding your warranty! Fleet tracking devices can also be moved from one vehicle to another without risk of damaging either, and a Y-Harness ensures your devices are tamper-proof.

 

GPS Tracking In Real-Time

 

GoFleet’s GPS technology starts when the vehicle does – even if it’s parked underground! We offer standard tracking at 15-second intervals, or our new active tracking, which takes place on a  second-by-second basis. What does this mean for your fleet? Up-to-date, accurate data that identifies ignition, trip distance, speed, time spent on the road, and even engine idling.

 

Scalable Offerings

 

We pride ourselves on our partnership approach to fleet maintenance. For the past 8 years, GoFleet has provided end-to-end telematics solutions for companies of all sizes, including small-to-medium fleets and enterprise organizations. Our telematics grow with your business; because of our hardware and software options, our clients can drive employee productivity, maintenance, fuel and inventory, while significantly reducing accidents and improving safety.

 

Improve Driving Habits

 

Every driver develops bad habits over time. In fact, driver behavior impacts over 30% of fuel costs and 90% of vehicle accidents! GoFleet’s vehicle tracking system allows you to give in-vehicle alerts and feedback, as well as safety reporting. Both options allow your drivers to identify and correct risky behavior on the road, which saves costs in damages and repair, while lowering your insurance company’s risk tolerance for your fleet. Better driving improves your bottom line.

 

Ensure Your Fleet Is Compliant

 

With the upcoming Canadian ELD Mandate, managers can’t afford not to be compliant; failure to do so will result in fines, loss of licenses or even being stripped of operating authority. Making sure your drivers are safe and maintaining high compliance standards are not only your priorities — they’re ours as well.

 

Asad Khan, Team Lead for Customer Success, says that GoFleet can determine and solution for compliance based on the size and structure of the organization. “Part of what sets us apart is our ability to develop solutions based on customer requirements. I would say we’re more of a boutique firm, because we actually have the capability to go into other markets,” says Khan. “One of the primary focuses for us is going into the government space. When you’re working with government contracts, there is a lot of compliance reporting, which we can offer as a digital solution.” By partnering with vendors such as GeoTab, GoFleet is well equipped to tap into government vehicles.

 

Our GPS fleet management solutions offer compliance options such as DVIR, HOS & IFTA. Hours of Service (HOS) regulations keep tired drivers off the road by establishing limits on when a driver can operate the vehicle, and for how long. As regulations are augmented, various rulesets can be added or removed, such as “Driver Duty Status”, which changes automatically once your driver begins to drive.

 

Reduce Paperwork

 

Paperwork constitutes a lot of time and administrative costs. Why not operate at greater efficiency with electronic log books? Our Driver Vehicle Inspection Report (DVIR) feature eliminates the need for paper logs and reduces the likelihood of human error.

 

We Believe In Customer Success

 

GoFleet understands that everyone has different business needs. Our partnership with your organization doesn’t end once we’ve sold you the products you need. “Once we’ve delivered the solution, we’ll try to determine from you what other systems you’re currently using,” says Khan. “A lot of clients are involved in ADP payroll systems, or they use Microsoft solutions for their ERP, things like that. So we’ll work with them to implement an integrated solution down the line.”

 

We believe in customer success — a holistic schematic of your business that identifies where it was, current state, and where it can go. We partner with our clients to identify pain points, offer solutions, and ensure that everyone is achieving their desired outcome. We’ll help you increase productivity and profitability in a way that makes sense for your business.

 

Going Above And Beyond

 

Khan says that one of GoFleet’s key differentiators is its level of expertise. “A lot of organizations are looking towards industry expertise. Many industries out there, they’re new to the whole telematics scene, they’re deploying things for the first time,” Khan says. “They’re looking to us to see how far we can take telematics to improve their business. ‘This is what you should deploy’. ‘These are the reports you’re currently using’. Having that industry knowledge and having somebody on the other end of the line, who actually knows what your day-to-day operations look like, that’s definitely key within today’s space.”

 

GoFleet Cares About The Environment

 

Our digital telematics solutions naturally reduce a company’s carbon footprint by eliminating paper logs and streamlining work processes. GoFleet’s approach to environmental responsibility extends beyond the office; our high-tech telematics technology reduces fuel consumption by identifying risky driving behaviour and capping your fleet’s HOS. Our systems improve driver productivity, safety and compliance — all of which result in improved miles per gallon (MPG) and fewer CO2 emissions.

 

GoFleet is solutions-based; as such, we care deeply about environmental impact and the role we play in it. We are continuously working towards a greener and sustainable economy, and continue educating our clients to do the same.

 

Conclusion

 

ELD’s protect your most valuable assets: your fleet, and the people who operate them. By offering a complete end-to-end telematics solution, curated specifically for you, GoFleet can help you optimize your business, lower your costs and maintain road safety while ensuring compliance throughout.

To  learn more about how GoFleet can help your fleet in regards of better managing maintenance, remaining compliant, keeping costs low, increasing driver safety or anything in-between, contact us today! We’d love to show you why we’re always the right choice when it comes to working with a telematics solutions provider.

smart sensors, waste management, bin fill

Smart Waste Management: Implementing Smart Sensors For Cost Savings

Posted on | by Victoria Gole | Leave a Comment on Smart Waste Management: Implementing Smart Sensors For Cost Savings

Businesses working with fleets incur many challenges and aim to improve their performance in aspects like maintenance, safety, and efficiency. Though, like any business, they work with a budget, and should look into telematics to help reduce their costs. When cost saving strategies are discussed, Smart Sensors must be mentioned.

 

Cost Saving & A Rise In Efficiency, A Result Of Smart Sensors

Smart Sensors reduce costs by making fleet processes efficient. They digitally record data on physical environments and analyze the information prior to transmitting it to a software database. They are designed to provide waste management fleets with fill levels in bins with utmost measurement accuracy. 

 

How Do Smart Bins Work

Fleets, specifically in the waste management industry will now be able to monitor all sorts of waste types including mixed waste, paper, plastics, glass, clothing, bio waste, liquids, electronics, metal, and more in bins and containers of any size and type. 

Their features continue with being robust, water and shock resistant sensors, as well as are functional within a wide temperature range while being able to measure from 3 cm up to 400cm. 

Furthermore, they can provide a fast data transfer by connecting to several Internet of Things (IoT) networks or General Packet Radio Services (GPRS).

 

How It’s Beneficial On A Daily Basis

These sensors can be positioned to report 24 times a day, or even every minute so dispatch teams can monitor in real time. When bins are filled over their pre-set fill capacity, vehicles can be dispatched immediately. 

For example, the sensors can be set so when a garbage bin is between 80 – 100% full, the bin will be added to the next route for being emptied. This can save time and resources on a daily basis. 

 

What Is Smart Waste Management

Smart Sensors are designed to be leveraged in several processes, but it’s most popular amongst the waste management industry.  This is because of its ability to improve dispatching and vehicle utilization during routes, which allows fleets to make data-oriented decisions to improve operational efficiency.

The Smart Sensor technology depends on internal sensors monitoring, a key environmental factor, and the integrated element of the Internet of Things (IoT) to remain connected. Such technology will allow management to reduce inefficiency and save on resources.

 

How Implementing Smart Sensors Leads To Cost Savings

With the use of smart sensors, bin fill levels can now be monitored so fleets can keep an eye out on when bins need to actually be emptied. This will prevent unnecessary trips where trucks locate bins and empty them when they are barely filled. As a result, fleets will only prioritize and use resources when necessary. 

 

Early And Long Term ROI

When fleets will begin to use their resources properly, they will see higher productivity and better use of vehicles, resulting in lower costs, as well as better efficiency. Since this will affect fleet management on a daily level, a return on investment will be seen almost immediately depending on fleet size.

 

Improved Customer Satisfaction While Being Competitive

A return on investment would also be evident in fleets that work with private businesses that require them to dispose of their waste. Fleets will only dispatch vehicles to private businesses when bins are near full, resulting in the customer being billed only when necessary. This process will give fleets happier clients all while remaining competitive.

Smart Sensors are yet to be introduced to several fleets, and resellers should consider taking advantage of the ways to help vehicle-based businesses to improve their cost saving strategies. When addressing waste management fleets, smarter dispatching based on bin fill monitoring should be discussed. For more information on implementing Smart Sensor technology, and how bin fill monitoring can be utilized to save on resources, contact us today.

school busses on the bus stop

Part 2: Telematics Solutions That Work For Any Vehicle Year In School Transportation

Posted on | by Burhanuddin | Leave a Comment on Part 2: Telematics Solutions That Work For Any Vehicle Year In School Transportation

In Part One we discussed how fleets, specifically in school transportation, have buses that include vehicle models of varying years. To read Part One click here.

In Part Two, we will discuss the specific solutions available on the market that school transporters and many other industries can leverage. 

The following solutions work for an entire fleet regardless of the age of vehicles or fleet size. 

 

Bus ETA

The Bus Expected Time of Arrival (Bus ETA) solution addresses the problem of time management between the expected time of arrival and when bus actually arrives. Parents and children can use the Bus ETA app on their smartphones to be aware of the bus’s arrival time and plan accordingly. Parents will now know where their children are at all times and reduce the number of frequent concerned calls.

To learn more, visit: https://www.gofleet.com/product/Bus-ETA 

 

Passenger/Driver Tags

Passenger and driver tags go hand in hand with the Bus ETA solution. Passengers can use these tags to scan when entering or exiting the bus and both parents and the school will be informed. It will reassure the school and parents of what the child’s location status is. When used by bus drivers, fleet managers can know exactly when a driver began a shift or confirm who is driving to ease reporting and organization.

To learn more, visit: https://www.gofleet.com/product/driver-id-nfc-technology/

 

ZenduMaintenance

ZenduMaintenance is an industry leading full maintenance management solution that ensures that fleet vehicles remain in safe and efficient working condition. By leveraging this digital solution that automatically collects engine data that is connected with the already in place GPS tracking solutions like Geotab’s GO9 device, the transition is seamless. It’s a quick and easy solution to reduce breakdowns by improving maintenance efforts.

To learn more, visit: https://www.gofleet.com/product/zendu-maintenance

 

GO Talk

While maintenance management solutions will reduce technical faults, it’s important to remember to also focus on communication solutions. Not only can these solutions keep drivers alert on the road with audio alerts, but drivers can also have two-way conversations if an unexpected event occurs. With GO Talk, school transportation drivers will be alerted of pickup or drop off changes as well as receive recommendations on how to improve driving habits in real-time.

To learn more, visit: https://www.gofleet.com/product/verbal-driver-feedback

 

ZenduCheck

With the ongoing pandemic, digital symptom monitoring solutions are in demand for schools that are open and are allowing for in-person education. By leveraging this solution within school transportation, fleets can ensure that drivers are not only healthy and symptom-free while completing their routes, but that children who are entering the bus are symptom-free as well. ZenduCheck works by prompting individuals to complete a screening survey and even works as a contract tracing tool if an individual is tested positive for the COVID-19 virus.

To learn more, visit: https://zenduit.com/protect-your-fleet-with-health-status-monitoring-solutions/

While this is just a short list specific to school transporters, these telematics solutions can be used by fleets with vehicle models of varying years and can include many others beneficial solutions. For more information on any of these solutions or for more information about how your unique fleet should be leveraging new technology that works with any model vehicle, contact us today. 

school buses parking

Part 1: Telematics Solutions That Work For Any Vehicle Year In School Transportation

Posted on | by Burhanuddin | Leave a Comment on Part 1: Telematics Solutions That Work For Any Vehicle Year In School Transportation

Many fleets understand how telematics solutions can benefit fleets, but often managers may be misinformed about how the solutions can be adopted by their fleet if their vehicles vary in age. Numerous solutions can be used by school transporters regardless of the make, model or year, continue reading to learn more. 

 

Why Telematics Solutions Are Important For School Transportation Fleets

Safety is of utmost importance and depends entirely on the decisions that drivers make. However, in some industries, there is even more stress placed upon safety as it can affect the lives of others. When discussing school transportation, this is visible as the driving behaviour and vehicle upkeep can not only affect the life of the driver, but of the students boarding as well. 

 

Safety and Telematics 

When addressing fleet safety, telematics can help support drivers with feedback and coaching by implementing driver scorecards, reports and alerts to ensure they know how to make safe driving decisions.

When discussing fleet safety and maintenance management, fleets are turning to systems that monitor and alert teams when maintenance checks or repairs need to happen. This ensures that unexpected breakdowns are drastically decreased and repair turnaround times are increased.  

 

Efficiency and Telematics 

Boosting efficiency can help school districts that face tight budgets accomplish more with less. By cutting down on idling time, speeding and inefficient bus routes, more money can be saved to ensure students have adequate transportation to and from school. 

While telematics may seem important to be used in all school transportation vehicles, sometimes fleets overlook it. Even though there are varying reasons as to why this is, many are simply misinformed about whether the technological advancements can actually be adopted and implemented. 

 

Why School Transportation Fleets May Initially Overlook New Technologies 

It’s not unheard of for school transporters, or any fleet for that matter, to have fleets that include vehicle models of varying years. With tight budgets, school transportation fleets are often seen to purchase new buses to replace older models that are no longer functioning. As a result, fleets have a variety of old and new buses, which in turn seems to cause a concern about whether telematics will be of use for the entire fleet. 

This poses the need for teams like GoFleet to share knowledge and insight to all-year inclusive vehicle solutions that fleets with varying makes and models can use.

 

Finding All-Year Inclusive Vehicle Solutions: Where To Start

As there seems to be miscommunication about model years being a requirement for using telematics solutions, our team has outlined four steps to take when searching for all-year inclusive vehicle solutions: 

1. Evaluate Your Fleet Needs

Before purchasing a new system or solutions to implement, managers must evaluate the current tools they have in place, as well their goals with utilizing telematics. Whether it’s to increase safety, lower costs or boost efficiency, these must all be determined to ensure the right solutions are later implemented. 

2. Do Your Research On Solutions

With your fleets needs in mind, it’s vital to research and find the right solution amongst the countless ones available while ensuring the age of the vehicle will not affect the success of the implementation. For example, if the priority is to cut down on fuel costs, looking for a solution to reduce idling time and monitoring driver behavior is the way to go. As well, it’s important to keep in mind that there are various solutions that work hand-in-hand with each other, in addition to being all encompassing. 

3. Review The Costs Of Implementation 

Fleets need to ensure that they make use of every dollar wisely. Setting aside and organizing the budget to adopt telematics may seem difficult, but it will result in great returns on investment. 

Systematic maintenance will avoid expensive repairs and result in the buses having longer life spans. Longer vehicle life span will also result from increased safety, and the frequency of school bus accidents will in turn reduce.

Although these telematic solutions can be implemented into the fleet at an affordable rate, agencies like Sourcewell can offer competitively, solicited purchasing contracts to get you these solutions and equipment at a discounted price. 

4. Speak With An Experienced Solutions Provider

Implementing telematics into your fleet can seem daunting, but by working with an experienced solutions provider you can rest easy knowing you’re in good hands. Working with GoFleet, an industry leader in this sector, will make the process simple as our team of industry specific specialists will ensure that your fleet receives a custom solution to drive your efficiency, safety and maintenance management as well as increase your ROI. To learn more about the right telematics solution for your fleet, get in touch with our School Transportation Experts.

To read more about the specific telematic solutions that can work for fleets with varying vehicle years, read the continuation in Part Two.

natural disaster, fire fighters, first responders, fire truck, telematics, dispatching, emergency

When Natural Disasters Strike, The Need for Telematics Increases

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Frontline workers and first responders are under enormous pressure, and sometimes, depending on the emergency, the pressure to help those in need will increase. During these situations, potential lack of efficiency, response structure and training will appear as fleets that are inexperienced or unprepared could make the wrong decisions. To ensure this never happens and that response teams are always ready, fleets responding to emergency scenarios must appropriately leverage telematics to boost training, overall safety and organizational efficiency.

 

The Stress of Responding to Natural Disasters 

Natural disasters can be complicated. As they often come with little warning and have unpredictable outcomes, response teams must be prepared for almost anything on short notice. Recently in 2019, the US faced 108 fatalities and countless casualties as a result of natural disasters which included wildfires, housefires, floods or storm surges, tsunamis or hurricanes, avalanches or landslide, earthquakes, thunderstorms or heavy rain, hail, blizzards, ice storms as well as heavy snow. With so many possible emergencies happening, teams but prepare for the worst by using the best solutions.

 

What Solutions Forward-Thinking Teams Are Using

It is predicted for natural disasters to continue and even increase as a result of human error or climate change, therefore, responders must continue to update how they respond to these types of emergencies by using telematics. 

With new technology such as GPS tracking and asset trackers, teams are leveraging location focused telematic solutions to prevent mistakes and monitor their response. Not only is this visible with knowing where teams are currently and where they may be dispatched, but also tracking what equipment is with which team member. For example, hydraulic rescue tools like spreaders, rams and shears (or otherwise known as the jaws of life) may be too large for every team to have in their vehicle. Meaning improved GPS location tracking can help ensure the right tools are sent promptly to the right emergency depending on the call.  

GPS tracking solutions can even help to ensure that individuals, specifically drivers are taking enough time off between calls or shifts. Often there is a concern of working overtime which may result in tired driving and accidents. Recording hours-of-service (HOS) or length of time on call through GPS data can ensure proper documentation is kept. 

Cameras that are facing both inside and outside of the vehicle are extremely beneficial for currency fleets. The footage collected is often used to reveal what happened while on-scene in terms of proper patient care and while travelling to a scene since first responders are required to drive fast to arrive quickly. Connected cameras can also help show proof or collect data to record time and routes of EMS events. 

 

What a 360 Solution for First Responders Looks Like 

With the aid of a telematics system, the problems that frontline workers face can be reduced or even eliminated. Here is a checklist every first responding fleet should go through when receiving their processes:

 

Is there proper communication between dispatchers and drivers?

Fleets can be equipped with software to provide drivers and dispatchers with firm communication. With good communication, dispatchers can easily guide their drivers through their tasks without risking mistakes. It will also help new drivers in being confident with the decisions they make and will prevent any overthinking during a critical situation.

 

Are dispatchers aware of all the asset locations and monitoring them?

GPS tracking solutions nowadays have the ability to allow dispatchers to get a real time update of the asset’s location. It can help in monitoring each and every step the driver takes, where they stop, where they speed and much more. 

 

Is the fleet doing tasks that could be avoided with advanced technology available?

Improving the workflow of simple daily tasks with the help of telematics solutions can help efficiency and organizational structure in the fleet. A perfect example would include keyless entry that makes a fleet truly keyless by transforming mobile devices into keys.

 

Are all the assets in the fleet being well maintained?

Vehicles in first responder fleets often go through a lot as they are required to arrive to a scene no matter if a sideway, curb or rugged road is in their way. When this happens and proper maintenance is overlooked, vehicles are at risk for more breakdowns and shorter vehicles lifespans. Getting oil checks done at the right time, checking for battery faults, and other maintenance checks should be done at the right time without delay to prevent a reduction in a vehicle’s lifespan.

 

What the Future Holds for Telematics in First Response Fleets

With technology rapidly evolving, it’s only a matter of time before the following solutions will be possible. Having a good idea of what to expect in the future can help first responders stay a step ahead.

Communication between first responder fleets will definitely see improvement. It could be evolved to help other fleets increase their response rates. During a potential accident on the highway, when more than one first responding vehicle is required to approach the scene of the emergency, the team receiving the call for emergency can immediately inform the rest of the team. This can come in a variety of solutions, whether it’s build-in messaging or live in-vehicle verbal driver feedback like in the GOTALK – it can’t be overlooked.

Along with strong communication, having an automatic dispatching system like ZenduWork can increase efficiency.  ZenduWork allows for easy dispatching and organization of routes, tasks, drivers and more. For example, in the case of a fire alarm being triggered, self-driving EMS vehicles and fire trucks can be dispatched. Upon arrival, the public can use the equipment in the vehicles to resolve the issue on their own.

With growing telematic solutions, first responders must take full advantage of these resources to improve public and fleet safety, as well their efficiency. Not only can it ensure their safety and proper use of resources, but it will help the public who are affected by the emergency. To learn more about how GoFleet can help implement the right solutions your fleet, depending on your current and future needs, contact us today.

GoFleet’s Yearly Review: Taking a Look at 2020 and 2021

Posted on | by Victoria Gole | Leave a Comment on GoFleet’s Yearly Review: Taking a Look at 2020 and 2021

This past year has been like no other. Over the course of the last 12 months our organization not only had to change the way we operate as a result of the pandemic, but we learned new ways in which we could help our customers who came to us with new and changing needs. With that being said, we believe it was critical to self-reflect on this year and share our findings with a yearly review. 

How Did GoFleet Grow as an Organization as a Result of the Pandemic? 

As an organization, we felt the impact of the pandemic as our customers and their businesses were directly affected. A positive result that arose was that we were able to connect with our customers more on a personal level to help them navigate the uncertain events that were happening. In fact, it made us appreciate the relationships that we formed with our customers and appreciate even more the work that they do on a daily basis. 

To help, we not only reflected on our business offerings and tried to help with cost-savings incentives to our customers, but we searched for more solutions that would better fit their unique needs and budgets at this time. 

As we are focused on building long-term relationships, this is something we are doing and will continue to do. 

What was GoFleet’s Goal in 2020 and what will be GoFleet’s Goal In 2021? 

At the beginning of 2020, GoFleet created a roadmap and listed various goals that we thought was important to work towards throughout the next 365 days. More specifically, we wanted to focus on sharing how Managed Services can help our customers not only improve their operations but save them time and money. In addition, we aimed to begin to network with OEM dealers while also being leaner as a company. With the course of the events that took place in 2020, it only encouraged us even more to reach those goals and remain successful. 

In 2021, we are excited to continue to grow our OEM Sales Program and our connections as we see this to be a valuable position not only for our company, but our customers as well. With such a program available, we can better help more fleets at the beginning of their journeys. In addition, we are looking to continue to further the expansion of Managed Services to non-traditional telematics services and data consulting as we are seeing positive possibilities from being Zenduit-powered.  

What Trends do you see Coming for Fleets in 2021? 

This year we believe that there are various trends that fleets must prepare for to remain successful. Below we list the trends and/or focuses that we anticipate: 

∙ More Electric Vehicle (EV) oriented insights and analysis as EV technology is advancing and zero emission regulations are discussed and put into place.

∙ OEM data integrations growing in popularity in comparison to aftermarket hardware integrations. 

∙ More car sharing and fleet pooling which leverage iox-keyless and sharing strategies to reduce the number of vehicles that a fleet has by using mobility apps to order and manage on demand.

 

A Quick Review: What did GoFleet do in 2020? 

A lot happened in 2020, keep reading to learn more about what happened! 

 

How Our Organization Changed: 

∙ We started working remotely as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic to ensure staff safety.

∙ We continued to work and adjust our approach to customer success.

 

How Our Offerings Changed:

∙ We partnered with Samsara to better help fleets.

∙ We leveraged Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) to improve safety in all fleets.

∙ We focused on promoting responder-to-vehicle (R2V) communication to improve public and first responder safety 

∙ We added a new support add-in on MyGeotab.

∙ We partnered with Drivewyze to help fleets improve efficiency.

∙ We launched GoFleet Health Check to help fleets digitally monitor the health status and potential symptoms of drivers.

 

A Few Customers We Helped: 

∙ We helped CR&R Environmental Services improve training and driver behaviour with the installation of ZenduCAM devices. 

∙ We helped DeCarolis Truck Leasing and Rental improve visibility, reporting, data collection, maintenance scheduling and more with Geotabs and Flex trackers.

∙ We helped Speedy Transport Group Inc lower unnecessary fuel consumption and increase overall productivity with the Geotab Drive app.

∙ We helped Forest Trotter with trailer made solutions to improve data collection and visibility. 

∙ We helped Rogue Transportation Inc avoid strains on work processes by leveraging new integrations. 

A lot happened in 2020 making it a year like no other. While our team was able to accomplish a lot, we want to take a moment to thank all of our customers and supporters. 

We are looking forward to what 2021 has to offer and how we can continue to not only help fleets in various industries improve their operations and save costs, but how we can drive change in the sector! 

safety-driven, telematics, fleet, technology,

Safety-Driven Technologies And Strategies Your Fleet Needs

Posted on | by Victoria Gole | Leave a Comment on Safety-Driven Technologies And Strategies Your Fleet Needs

The pandemic has drastically changed nearly every aspect of our lives. As Governments worldwide introduced lockdown measures aimed at curbing the coronavirus transmission, our cities will never look the same as before. People choose to spend more time at home, resulting in less traffic on roads. Knowing this you might be thinking that emptier streets usually translates to safer conditions for all road users, but data has shown that this is not the case. In the United States, early data indicates a 14% jump in fatality rates per distance driven in March 2020, according to the National Safety Council (NSC). Data also suggests rising speeding, harsh cornering and reckless driving activities since the beginning of the pandemic. The question is, why do we see a jump in dangerous driving behaviours during the pandemic despite our roads being emptier? What factors contribute to this change, and how could we refocus on road safety during high accident periods?

For businesses, aggressive driving behaviours are the leading contributing factors to roadway accidents and collisions, which can have a detrimental effect on a business’s operations. Any roadway accident could result in workers injuries and businesses paying out hefty fines, compensations or insurance premiums, which can be devastating to a business’s financial status in the long run. There is no doubt that companies should devote every effort and uphold a strong safety culture to maintain a safe workplace and protect all vehicle operator’s safety. In light of the pandemic, businesses need to preserve cash flow to secure corporations financial viability and cannot afford any operational mistakes or unnecessary spending. Cracking down on fleet drivers aggressive driving behaviours is the most effective way to reduce road accidents and cut down costs incurred from accidents. However, it requires a strategic and systematic approach to build the foundation for a sustainable and robust fleet safety culture. 

We also cannot neglect the fact that humans are not perfect. Even the most cautious drivers can make mistakes that may put them and the company’s assets at risk. This is why businesses and fleet managers need to supply drivers with the right tools to serve as an extra pair of eyes on the road, protecting them from any immediate road danger. There is a wide range of vehicle safety-driven products on the market, but telematics stands the test of time and brings the best of technology to life. A unique integrated approach allows telematics to combine the power of multiple types of safety-driven technology from eye-tracking, vehicle sensing and advanced camera technology, creating one streamlined set-up that provides the ultimate all-around safety support every company is looking for. We will showcase how telematics can power your fleet operations so that fleet managers never need to worry about operation safety again. 

 

The Dangers Of A False Sense Of Security

A false sense of security might explain why we see an increase in aggressive driving behaviours during the pandemic. Drivers are already used to congested roadways and slow traffic in urban areas prior to the pandemic. Now, under government-issued stay-at-home orders, there is a significant reduction in traffic on urban roads and highways. This inevitably causes many drivers who still need to travel to believe that emptier roads translate to easier and more comfortable driving conditions. They feel that less traffic means a much safer driving environment since the chances of encountering heavy traffic is greatly reduced. This false sense of security makes drivers believe that they are safe when they are actually not. The moment they decide to speed and commit other dangerous driving behaviours, they are not only putting themselves at high risk but also threatening the safety of other road users, such as pedestrians and cyclists. 

 

How To Build A Robust Fleet Safety Solution With Safety-Driven Technology?

In commercial fleet operations, this false sense of security cannot be tolerated.  Drivers may argue that speeding will help them to complete their work faster, but when an accident happens, the adverse impacts will far exceed what many companies can endure. The additional costs that resulted from the accident are just one side of the story, where many business owners underestimate how much an accident could hurt a business’ brand image and reputation. Imagine that a logistics freight truck is transporting an important load of time-sensitive critical shipments, and the vehicle got involved in an accident due to the drivers aggressive driving behaviours and careless driving. In this case, the shipment might get delayed or damaged, causing for a late delivery and an unhappy customer. Thus, in many ways, reinforcing safety-driven practices within the fleet is an important pillar to help your business secure customer loyalty and create a positive brand image. 

Establishing strong safety-driven practices within the organization and building an extensive driver training program is just one step in shaping a zero-incident culture. In today’s world, businesses face increasingly challenging and complex tasks, which require some of the most innovative solutions to address the most pivotal concerns. 

 

Live In-Vehicle Verbal Driver Feedback: Tailored Coaching, Perfect Driving

Wouldn’t it be great if every driver gets a virtual personalized safety assistant to provide live verbal instructions and reminders in helping them perform safe operations? If drivers forget to buckle up their seat belt prior to starting up the engine, our assistant will promptly remind drivers to do so. If drivers went over the posted speed limit, our assistant would ask the drivers to immediately slow down. This kind of seamless experience can only be found on the telematics device, and it takes your fleet driver coaching program and daily operations to the next level. 

State of the art spoken alert system uses real-time text-to-speech to issue messages to drivers if a user-defined violation has been triggered. This gives fleet managers the ability to tailor the system by setting up custom rules in the telematics platform. For example, fleet managers may want vehicles to slow down in specific areas, such as at the warehouse loading bay. Traditionally, they could only rely upon drivers to follow the posted speed limit, which in many cases, drivers may not notice the signs or just ignore them. But with in-vehicle verbal driver feedback systems, fleet managers can set up custom rules such as drivers must not drive vehicles at speeds higher than a certain threshold in the warehouse zone to restrict drivers’ behaviours in any geographical setting. Now, when drivers enter or travel within the warehouse zone at any speed higher than the predefined metrics set up in the system, the in-vehicle verbal driver feedback system will warn the drivers to slow down and record a rule violation if drivers continuously disregard the warning. Any rule violation will also trigger the system to send out a notification to fleet managers and record the event on file. 

We keep the device installation process of the in-vehicle verbal driver feedback system extremely simple with minimal work required. Just plug it directly into the compatible tracking device and it will become a driver’s best safety companion on the road. 

 

Collision Avoidance Technology: Your Extra Eye On The Road

We have spent a long time pursuing the answer these important questions: What can we do to save drivers lives at the most critical moment? When drivers face imminent danger, what can we do to best protect them and maximize their survival chances? We know that the few seconds before any collision or accident are absolutely crucial, and the driver’s actions and responses could make the difference between life or death. That’s why we want to adopt the most advanced vision sensing technology to create the last safety barrier drivers can trust.

The collision avoidance technology uses cameras, radars and sophisticated software algorithms to detect objects ahead. Blending with computational power, the collision avoidance system actively and continuously scans the road ahead, analyzes the vehicle’s surrounding environment and identifies probable and imminent hazards and threats. When a threat has been detected, the system is safety-driven and instantly issues both a visual and audible alert to warn drivers of probable danger. Compared to vehicles that were not equipped with collision avoidance technology, the equipped vehicles earns driver’s a few more valuable seconds to respond to immediate dangers, which prove to be life-saving and decisive in protecting the driver safety. 

The collision avoidance solutions are a form of safety-driven technology that can be used in more ways than just detecting objects around the vehicles. It has the capability of warning drivers when it detects the vehicle is about to cross the lane boundary without signaling to switch lanes. Other than detecting surrounding vehicles, the system can also detect pedestrians and cyclists, making it one of the most versatile safety tools that perfectly fit the urban road setting. We want our system to fit in your businesses workflows, and that’s why our system works in all weather conditions and has night vision capabilities for accident avoidance in any situation. 

The reduced traffic on roads during the pandemic might cause drivers to drop their guard and commit dangerous behaviours. Businesses cannot overlook the risks hidden behind their drivers unsafe driving behaviours. Though strengthening the corporation’s safety culture and practices is an important step in reducing the risks, equipping your fleet with the most advanced safety-driven technologies can further eliminate the chances of accidents and cut down the burden that accidents may cause to your business. Speak with one of our fleet safety specialists to learn more about how we can help your business to achieve zero accident fleet targets.