No one wants to spend their days filing paperwork or searching for the right document among the mountain accumulated over time or shoved into filing cabinets caked in dust.
Going paperless and digitising workflows across the business is a great way to eliminate time-consuming tasks and improve efficiency to combat manual tasks to make operations safer and also boost profitability.
The 3G shutdown, scheduled for the end of August this year, is also a great opportunity to reassess business processes and eliminate the old ways of doing things. Older 3G-reliant telematics systems will simply no longer be able to operate correctly after the shutdown date.
Transport operators who may be relying on those devices for everything from monitoring and improving driver behaviour to optimising fuel use and maintenance schedules will likely feel the effects.
If your devices communicate through 3G only, moving to 4G telematics will provide tangible business benefits according to Andrew Rossington, Chief Product Officer, Teletrac Navman.
“It’s faster, has more bandwidth and broader coverage, meaning you can use telematics applications that deliver more data from more places your fleet operates,” he says.
“Don’t look at the migration as a hassle but as an opportunity for organisational improvement that will deliver real business outcomes.”
For businesses that haven’t yet started the migration process, now is the time. Now, less than two months off the network being closed, the demand for devices and installers is high.
Transport businesses can begin the migration by starting a conversation with a Teletrac Navman representative about how to upgrade and harness the power of future-proofed telematics.
“Don’t forget, while you’re planning your migration, it’s also a stellar opportunity to start thinking about other ways to improve the way you do business — and first and foremost, the most significant way you can move forward is through digitising your processes,” notes Andrew.
Reducing costs and optimising maintenance schedules are among them. Fuel and maintenance are two of the biggest input costs an operator faces. With fuel prices constantly fluctuating, finding ways to lower fuel burn and optimise usage will majorly impact the bottom line of a transport operator.
How the driver operates the vehicle contributes to the volume of fuel being used as well as subsequent maintenance costs. Behaviours and habits like harsh acceleration, excessive braking, and prolonged idling are all aspects of fuel burn and maintenance that telematics systems will help you get a handle on.
Real-time alerts on poor behaviours via video telematics to both the driver and the back-office team, alongside scorecards, provide the opportunity for driver coaching to promote better on-road behaviours.
Jarratt Transport Solutions, based in the Port of Brisbane, estimates it saves 3000 litres of diesel per month simply by using telematics to promote better driving.
A scorecard generated by the Teletrac Navman telematics systems also creates a benchmark for measuring driver behaviour. The senior management team has organised a system to reward the top-scoring driver with a $500 monthly bonus.
“While $500 might seem like a lot, this amount is a ‘drop in the ocean’ compared to what the company saves through reduced fuel use and less wear and tear on its fleet,” says Andrew.
Better driver behaviour can also mean lowered maintenance costs.
Digitising maintenance schedules and understanding when the vehicle might need preventative maintenance using telematics also means, for fleets and operators, it’s possible to schedule work at the optimum time rather than waiting until something goes wrong.
Unscheduled downtime is a profit killer, so knowing when to do necessary work on the fleet will help boost profitability.
Keeping track of assets and understanding how they’re being used with a paper system is a hassle and won’t provide the data needed to optimise operations.
Manual paper systems can’t explain if an asset is being misused or taken outside of where it should be.
With asset tracking, fleets have insight into asset utilisation and analytics that will let them understand if there’s an opportunity to better deploy equipment and increase its return on investment.
“You will also know where all your tracked equipment, machinery or assets are at any given time,” says Andrew.
“Suppose it moves outside the geofenced area of your site, where it’s supposed to be. In that case, you’ll be notified if someone is using your equipment out of hours, potentially indicating asset misuse, and you’ll be able to recover assets quickly.”
Having this birds-eye view of all your assets not only improves resource allocation and utilisation but will, according to Andrew, also have the very real benefit of potentially reducing insurance premiums, lowering costs and boosting profit margins.
“Overall, going digital has real-world benefits besides reducing the hassle of relying on paper,” he says.
“Your safety and efficiency outcomes will improve, you’ll be able to coach drivers for better on-road behaviour, reducing fuel use and maintenance costs, and you’ll be able to know when, where and how an asset is being used.” Andrew adds,
“Data is the lifeblood of any organisation, and that’s doubly so for fleet managers. With Teletrac Navman’s paperless solutions, you can enter the digital world today.”