Fleet Solutions That Works

Fleet Solutions That Works

When a large fleet required reducing operation costs by 10% the simplest answer turned into the best. Hooghiemstra Logistical Services implemented Cartrack’s fleet management technology to help track expenditure as well as monitor driver behaviour and route selection for Fabucon Logistics. This small seemingly unimportant fact had far reaching advantages, such as for the first time, both companies realised the exact amount of money it required to keep the business growing and going. “Cartrack’s fleet management technology greatly aided us to measure Fabucon’s actual fleet costs, its fuel costs in addition to driver behaviour,” Gjalt Hooghiemstra explains.

The main objective of Fabucon’s fleet management project was to reduce fleet operating costs by at least 10% as well increase driver behaviour by 50-60% and at the same time lowering carbon emissions and reducing accidents.

Utilising Cartrack’s extensive services and tools with fleet management such as driver behaviour telematics(braking, speeding, etc) helped Fabucon’s fleet vehicles be operated more optimally by the drivers.

The results of the implementation were very satisfactory, says Hooghiemstra. “The fleet routes are regularly evaluated utilising Cartrack’s tracking reports to ensure that the lowest possible travel distance is achieved. The telematics aspect of the package also ensured that there were no unplanned maintenance costs, largely attributable to a substantial reduction in speeding and harsh braking incidents.”

“We are also very pleased to report that there had been no major accidents in the fleet for six months, which is spectacular if you consider that it was over a distance of more than 140 000km, travelling seven days a week. The overall result is a much more controlled fuel cost, a dramatic decrease in accidents and a fleet that operates to its optimal capacity,” adds Hooghiemstra.
The project has also greatly enhanced Fabucon’s carbon footprint by reducing its carbon-dioxide emissions by 5.9 tons per year. “This was achieved by means of Cartrack’s fleet management technology, which was combined with driver training and the introduction of a driver incentive programme.

The end result for the inclusion of Fleet Management is something that is called driver scoring, which is essentially the measurement of a driver’s performance, based on the parameters that are set by the fleet owner. Driver scoring can be utilised to incentivise good driving and when it is combined with fuel consumption it can have a real effect on the business’ bottom line.
The best was yet to come however as Hooghiemstra Logistical Services received the Green Supply Chain Award 2011 for the best project (up to R1 million) in support of its fleet management implementation at Fabucon Logistics. “It is an enormous privilege to have our green efforts recognised by such a distinguished award,” says Hooghiemstra. “It once again highlights the fact that going green is no longer a choice, but a business imperative,” he concludes.