...continued

"Our pilot fleets are reporting fuel savings of between five and ten percent, reductions in wear and tear up to ten percent as well as significant decrease in vehicle downtime. We can now say with confidence that the potential savings per vehicle fitted with FleetBoard are in the region of R60 000 per year," explains Pascal Weiss, Sales and Business Development Manager of FleetBoard". With a highly skilled technical support team on hand to assist, FleetBoard customers are able to improve efficiencies by identifying which drivers need coaching, where trips can be optimised and when best to schedule vehicle servicing."

Hijack Control
Truck hijacking statistics over the last couple of years have shown that thieves are increasingly targeting cargo rather than the truck itself. Robbing rigs of bounty means either unhitching the trailer and coupling it to a 'getaway' truck and plundering its load on the roadside or in a warehouse near the scene of the crime.

MiX Telematics' Horan says it is essential that drivers are able to communicate with home-base in the event of a hijacking. This can be done with the addition of 'voice kits' for the FM units. "The FM Communicator and the FM Tracer's Voice Kits enable the driver to automatically dial one of four numbers at the push of a button."

Further protection can be gained by installing a Matrix Vehicle Tracking MX 1 as back-up for recovery only, adds Horan. "This unit has proved itself by being the first unit on the market to use RF and GSM technology to enhance the recovery rate of the vehicle."

Another new player in the local FM/tracking arena is PFK Electronics with its Autowatch range. According to Ben van Rooyen, P FK'S Divisional Head of Telematics: "Tracking systems must have a programmable health check to automatically inform either the control room or end user on a daily, weekly or monthly basis that the system is active and fully functional. The unit must also have a movement sensor with auto response so if the vehicle is illegally moved or towed the unit can automatically wake up and report to the control room. This coupled with a unique Driver ID tag (such as the PFK hands free Walk-Up-Walk-Away remote) ensures that only the authorised driver can drive the vehicle.

Digicore's Rousseau explains:"Off-route and timed-route reporting can indicate deviations from a set route and/or time slots for reaching and leaving waypoints, which could highlight risk to cargo. By reporting immediately (and historically) when and where vehicles have stopped, cargo doors have been opened or a trailer hooked off, C-track highlights potential risk to management.

Trailers can be tracked by means of the C-track Assist Trailer with its patented low power consumption. Remote door opening can also be implemented, putting the control as to when and where cargo doors are opened in the hands of management.

According to Tracker's Crocker: "Tracker can install sensors that will detect when a vehicle cargo door is opened, immediately notifying the fleet or risk manager. Combined with route adherence and optimisation technology, tracker is able to protect the cargo. Tracker is installed and used successfully by both cash in transit companies as well as courier companies that move high value goods."

Vehicle damage control
There can be no arguing the fact that ongoing driver training is the best way to prevent both vehicle abuse (which increases maintenance costs) and collisions. While FM systems alert fleet managers to risky incidents regarding vehicle operations (speeding, over-revving, harsh braking etc.), there can be no substitute for actually seeing the risky driving behaviour occurring.

DriveCam is an in-cab video camera that captures all risky driving events in the form of 12-second video clips that show what happened in the cab and on the road ahead, immediately prior to the incident and immediately thereafter.