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Additional responsibilities imposed by recent legislation have increased the burden of care on employers and fleet managers. Tony Neill shows how to lighten it by managing risk the wireless way.
Business managers in the dark over the implications of the UK's recently published Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Bill should beware.
This latest piece of government legislation will make it easier to prosecute companies and public sector organisations where gross negligence has led to death. In view of this, companies and their fleet managers need to take resolute steps now to minimise occupational road risk - and telematics systems currently offer one of the most appropriate solutions.
As a consequence of existing health and safety legislation and regulations such as the Working Time Directive, duty of care is already a crucial board issue. Despite this, it seems many businesses have failed to recognise the dangers of not implementing a road risk reduction programme.
According to the Department for Transport, more than 3000 people die in road collisions every year, with estimates suggesting that a third of all accidents involve at-work drivers. Changes in the law, however, mean that failings by senior managers which lead to a death, could, in the future, result in unlimited fines. Furthermore, the stigma that would result from a corporate manslaughter conviction under the new legislation could prove even more damaging.
Risk Management Support
Existing telematics systems, which operate as communications and vehicle tracking tools between fleet operators and drivers, offer the opportunity for effective risk management support.
The evidence that has been amassed to demonstrate the effectiveness of vehicle tracking in reducing operating costs is unequivocal, but the latest solutions also offer a wealth of driver and vehicle information at employers' fingertips to manage risk. The technology isn't simply a means of saving money by cutting fuel bills and increasing efficiency, it will also save lives.
High-tech fleet management systems negate the need for communication between fleet operators and drivers by mobile phones, and the associated driver safety issues that this generates.
Moreover, vehicle tracking, something that has now been integrated with satellite navigation, offers full visibility and control over a company's workforce, 24 hours a day. Real time evaluation of drivers can identify those who are a danger to themselves and other road users behind the wheel.
By processing speed analysis reports at the touch of a button, managers can asses risks with the minimum of effort. This might tell them, for example, how much time individual drivers have spent travelling within specified speed parameters. If a member of a workforce is seen to be driving at excessive speeds, this can be addressed in driver debriefings, in line with the company's duty of care responsibility.
In addition to ascertaining issues of speed, another key question that will be asked by authorities when a company vehicle is involved in a major road accident is: "how many hours has the culpable driver spent 'at work' behind the wheel?" Managers need to be in a position where they can monitor drivers' behaviour and working hours data.
Inevitably, the introduction of advanced technology will bring with it it's own unique challenges - and duty of care is not the sole moral problem.
From the perspective of a workforce, a fleet management system can be viewed as an unwelcome intrusion into it's privacy, particularly if employees have use of company vehicles outside of working hours and are uncomfortable about their whereabouts being monitored.
If a company asset is being used for personal use however, it is reasonable to hold the view that monitoring it is a legitimate action. Today's tracking systems not only track vehicles while they are in use, but also when they're out of use and so they can lead to vehicle recovery if they're stolen.
Giving something back
Fears and objections can usually be overcome if companies take appropriate measures before introducing a telematics system. Management should write to all employees explaining to them in black and white, ass well as verbally, why the system is being introduced and what the benefits will be for both them and the company.
Where vehicle tracking has been combined with satellite navigation, employers can improve productivity while giving something back to field staff. Drivers can benefit from the likes of an accurate ETA to their destination and easy to read on-screen job instructions.
In addition, field sales staff no longer have to fill in protracted and time consuming mileage expenses sheets and can send appointments straight to their inbox back in the office from on the road. The latest systems can also be integrated with panic buttons to protect drivers who might be transporting high-value goods, or alerts can show if a vehicle has been stolen when parked outside a driver's at night - more often than not with employee's personal possessions left inside.
When the future application of telematics technology is considered, the possibilities are endless. With the latest integrated communications, fleet managers could soon be checking vehicle weight remotely, sending invoices or even diagnosing engine problems with just one in-cab black box.
The big mobile data technology companies are spending millions on telematics development, with a large numberr of tomorrow's applications set to emerge from the likes of Navman's R & D facility in New Zealand. The caveat emptor for businesses, however, should be to ensure their telematics system supplier inn this fast-moving market is financially robust and offers free software upgrades.
Blue sky thinking
Indulging in a little blue sky thinking takes us into the realms of using tracking transmission technology to send messages to a head office from a PDA. This may well prove to be the next killer application. An engineer, for instance, could use his PDA to check availability of replacement parts and send an invoice directly to the customer's requirements and integrate fully with its system.
Combined tracking and weighing technology is already offering employers the possibility of automatic alerts when their vehicles become overloaded, and as navigation devices become more advanced, integrated tracking and routeing products could soon be checking for problems such as heavy traffic and low bridges and re-routeing vehicles accordingly.
Bluetooth connectivity could be used to turn in-cab tracking and sat nav boxes into mobile phones, with phone menus automatically recognised and added to the functionality.
Future proofing
Whatever kind of fleet management and software system businesses select, they should always have future proofing in mind when establishing what they are looking for.
In most cases, investments are made in telematics systems because they are cash generative, improving productivity through more effective route management, enhanced navigation and the prevention of rest break abuse. Nevertheless, there are logical extensions of the technology, and in a fast moving economic and legislative environment, these could ultimately prove invluable business tools.
Tony Neill is Vice President for Europe, Middle East and Africa, Navman Wireless Business Solutions
For more details please call ETS on 0870 428 6268
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