For small businesses like CreativeXteriors, risks associated with accidents and safety issues with the vehicle fleet can be significant. According to their fleet manager safety is the number one priority for the company.
Telematics as a Solution
In order to address their safety concerns, CreativeXteriors turned to Geotab to implement a telematics program. By using a telematics system, they wanted to decrease the company’s accident rate, and ultimately save costs on vehicle damage and repair. According to their fleet manager, “Our goal has been to keep this company accident-free and we were happy to add a tool that could help us continue to do that.”
By utilizing telematics, CreativeXteriors can track which drivers were hard braking or how well they were stopping when pulling a trailer. The data, however, is only useful if something is done with it. “It doesn’t replace the human being, but it is a good business tool,” the fleet manager said. Using the real-time data allowed CreativeXteriors to talk to drivers immediately when they saw bad behaviors.
The Results of Telematics
“Results happened instantly with us,” the fleet manager reported. “Infractions went down, and speeding and braking issues decreased.” He also commented that driving habits have improved, resulting in reduced wear and tear on the company trucks. “We didn’t have any major problems with accidents, but once our guys knew they were being monitored, we had zero issues on everything.”
The primary goal of implementing telematics was to minimize accidents, but accidents do happen. In one situation, the driver of a limo who hit one of the CreativeXteriors trucks claimed he wasn’t at fault. The telematics data proved he was at fault. In fact, it was able to prove details such as which lane the CreativeXteriors truck was in at the time of the accident.
Additional Benefits
Additional benefits realized by CreativeXteriors included the ability to provide better and more accurate customer service responses, improved route management, and better management of vehicle maintenance alerts. According to the fleet manager, drivers don’t always tell management when a maintenance warning turns on. “Now, it pops up on our screens and we can get the truck in for an assessment before something goes wrong.”
Learn How Telematics Can Benefit Your Company
Contact Doering Fleet Management at 262-395-4700 and ask for a Telematics Specialist to learn how telematics can help your company. Doering has an expert team of Geotab telematics specialists and can help you design the customized program.
