Utilising Data For Smarter And Safer Business

At the New Zealand Road Transport Forum Conference in Christchurch on Saturday 29 August, Christchurch, Paul Rugg gave the industry an update on what's happening with data.

There's a lot of talk thrown around about big data, using data and being smarter with your data. But what does it mean for the freight transport industry in New Zealand? How can we use data to do smarter and safer business?

The Ministry of Transport's Intelligent Transport Systems plan, launched last year, talks about systems in which,

"Information, data processing, communication, and sensor technologies are applied to vehicles, infrastructure, operating and management systems, to provide benefits for transport service users"

The private sector, including companies like Teletrac Navman, has an important part to play in the Government's plan.

Enhancing efficiency

GPS-based fleet optimisation products and services include real-time vehicle tracking – being able to see your whole fleet at a glance – and data analytics – inspecting, transforming and modelling data to discover business insights and support decision-making.

This enables freight transport operators to monitor, measure and improve operational costs and efficiencies – making their business smarter.

For example, you can use a telematics system to increase the fuel efficiency of your fleet, through measuring driving style, speed, and time spent idling – all factors which can push up costs.

If you know a truck is being driven too fast or abruptly braking too often, you can work with the driver to improve their skills – and decrease your costs.

By increasing fuel efficiency and improving vehicle maintenance, telematics systems help freight transport operators to meet productivity and carbon emissions goals.

Improving safety

The other key industry trend is an increasing concern for driver safety – there has been plenty about this in the news recently as the Health & Safety Reform Bill makes its way through Parliament.

Now that the Bill has become law, the term PCBU will come into common usage.

A PCBU is a Person Conducting a Business or Undertaking. The PCBU has the primary duty to ensure the health and safety of workers and others, so far as is reasonably practicable.

The new legislation brings a number of changes, including a greater requirement for proactively identifying and minimising risks and hazards, and greater personal responsibility when things go wrong.

Telematics will become an essential tool for freight operators to document their health and safety programmes.

For example, if you have a detailed understanding of how your drivers are driving, you're in a much better position to work with them to improve skills and change habits.

A growing market

Research firm Frost & Sullivan estimates that the Australian commercial vehicle telematics market will grow at a compound annual rate of 25 per cent by 2020. The growth will be driven by government regulation, a growing concern for driver safety, a need for efficient, reliable fleet movement, and improving fuel efficiency and vehicle maintenance.

These are all elements present and pressing in the New Zealand market, and we're starting to see the same growth here.

New Zealand is a nation with a large proportion of small to medium sized enterprises (SMEs) and there are times when productivity and compliance are challenging for these businesses.

Even for smaller businesses, scaleable commercial vehicle telematics systems are a big help in improving overall management disciplines.

When you're working in a tight market, with very tight margins and struggling to find drivers, you really need to know the numbers to stay in business.