Many people believe that environmentally-friendly fleet upgrades are cost prohibitive. In fact, the opposite is true: proper mobile fleet management technology not only lessens a fleet’s impact on the environment, its improvements to an operation’s overall efficiency saves money in the long run. This white paper outlines several historical approaches to a greener fleet and why they fail. It discusses how new fleet management technologies can improve a company’s bottom line, and lists several policies that managers can implement immediately to save money and the environment, all at no cost.
If you haven’t heard by now, Federal Transit Authority (FTA) Administrator Peter M. Rogoff recently announced a $775 million competitive grant program for its Bus and Bus Facilities “State of Good Repair” initiative. The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) has also recently released several “Notices of Funding Availability (NOFA),” outlining new grant opportunities for transit systems. To read more about these funding opportunities, go here.
If applying for grant funding is unchartered territory for you, or if you would like to gain more clarity around the process, the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Transportation Policy at DOT is presenting a seminar, “How to Compete for a DOT Discretionary Grant” on May 18 in Washington, DC. For more information, click here. The DOT website will also make a webcast available at http://www.dot.gov/
Understanding the basics of the technology used is important for any person working in fleet management. Simply put, much of the technology used in fleet management can be described as “machine-to-machine,” or “M2M” for short. Essentially what this means is that two or more machines communicate to one another. If you plug an iPod into a USB slot on your stereo to control the iPod via the stereo and listen to music through different speakers, you are employing M2M technology.
In the world of fleet management, M2M technology connects machines of various different types together, and most often by a wireless connection. For example, a vehicle can have a sensor embedded into its engine to monitor gas usage, speeds, idling, and excessive braking. As the information is collected, the sensor transmits it over a wireless data network. The information is received in a separate office where it is stored and analyzed.
Collecting this information is highly beneficial to a company because it saves both time and money: if, for example, a vehicle has engine trouble the company will be automatically informed and can repair the vehicle before it falls into disrepair. There is also no need to service a vehicle when it does not need work done, saving time (vehicle downtime), money (the cost of servicing) and fuel (bringing a vehicle in from the field).
Getting the Most Out of an M2M System
There are various ways of wirelessly connecting two machines, and they all have pros and cons. A reputable vendor will assist you in setting up, running, and trouble-shooting problems. Knowing which system will best provide the functionality you need, at an affordable price will take research, but is worth the time invested. M2M solutions can bestow multiple benefits on a user, including improved customer service, more efficient processes, reduced operating costs and a sharpened competitive edge.
M + 2 + M = Success
Industries of all kinds are filled with success stories from implementing M2M technology. To learn how real-world businesses have applied M2M technology, click here to read the full article from Integrated Solutions: For Wireless, Mobility and RFID. Also included is a useful glossary of terms common to the M2M industry.
Deciphering data entry and completing paperwork is a big time waster, when you could be using your efforts elsewhere. An inefficient work order process consumes valuable time and increases overtime costs. Automating and simplifying the work order life cycle can save you at least 20 minutes per job, eliminate data entry requirements and reduce overtime hours.
This animated demo breaks down an automated work order management system so you can see how the technology provides electronic work order dispatching, in-vehicle navigation, automatic vehicle location (AVL) and time-stamped job details to increase efficiency in the field and in the office.
We’re very pleased to present an educational webinar next Thursday, November 12 at 1:00pm (MST). ‘7 Steps to a Successful Transit ITS Implementation’ will give you an overview of the implementation process as well as tips and suggestions to help make the process run smoothly. Even if your implementation is far in the future, this is a great way to learn what to expect. You’ll also learn best practices on change management and how to prepare your staff for the new technology in order to secure acceptance.
The webinar will be presented by Gregory Osmond. Gregory has over six years of project management experience, overseeing technology implementations for more than ten fleet-based organizations. He has special expertise in technology integration—ensuring all hardware, software and on-board devices work together seamlessly.
As I discussed in my previous post ‘Wireless Communication: Freedom at a Cost’, sending data over wireless networks can be expensive. Cellular networks are the most commonly used public data networks for fleet applications because of their broad coverage areas, but are costly because they charge per byte sent. With a private network like WiFi (802.11), transmitting data is free after the initial hardware investment, but the coverage area is limited by how many access points are installed and their location in respect to the vehicles. Access points can only be installed at private properties owned by the fleet, such as dispatch centers and storage yards, so the coverage area will never be large enough to include the fleet’s entire operating area.
However, a WiFi network will be able to reach vehicles at the beginning of the day as they leave the yard and at the end of the day when they return. Although this accounts for a relatively small amount of time, it may end up including a large amount of the data sent to a vehicle each day. For example, many dispatch applications send a manifest to each vehicle at the start of the day. The manifest is usually large, often 10 or 20 times bigger than the real-time location/status messages sent periodically throughout the day. If the manifest is sent while the vehicle is in WiFi coverage, the organization won’t have to pay for any of that data on their monthly plans. Once you factor in end of day uploads (such as high resolution GPS logs) and software updates, a fleet could end up transmitting more than half its monthly data over WiFi.
So while it’s not practical to use WiFi as the only means of sending data to vehicles, it will save an organization a significant amount of money if used as a supplemental network. When evaluating a mobile data system you should make sure both the mobile devices and the server software are capable of supporting simultaneous cellular and WiFi network connections. They should also be able to give the WiFi connection higher priority and automatically switch to it as soon as a vehicle moves into coverage. Lastly, ensure that mobile software updates can be scheduled to occur overnight and only transmit over the WiFi network.
A blog for those of us who live and work in fleet management. Topics include engine diagnostics, driver safety, mobile workforce management, CAD/AVL, vehicle maintenance, truck distribution, global computing, work order management, and field services.
Free White Paper: Decreasing Driver Distraction
With driver distraction being a leading cause of vehicle accidents, selecting an in-vehicle computer for your fleet that lets you control when drivers/device interaction is crucial to your fleet’s safety, as well as your bottom line.
