The Goldthorpe-based business says the system has proved to be invaluable, reducing its total fleet mileage by 1.5 million miles, halving the accident rate and improving driver behaviour from a baseline 68% score to 97%.
“With over 1,000 drivers, we needed a solution that would enable us to identify higher risk drivers and work them to reduce that risk,” says Matthew Hammond, Altrad’s head of fleet, plant and equipment.
“For us, driver risk management to us is not about trying to find fault with drivers, it is trying to identify the high-risk drivers and, through education, make them better drivers.”
He adds: “We tried other systems before Trakm8 and they drove us mad. My team spent all day trawling through data, whereas Trakm8 guides us straight to the data we need.”
The operator’s initial target was to use the system to save one million miles per annum through better fleet utilisation, but it saved 1.5 million miles resulting in a fuel saving of 11%, says Hammond.
In addition, Altrad reckons it is saving £20,000 a year by using Trakm8’s Connectedcare alerts to identify potential vehicle problems before they occur.
Hammond explains: “One example of this would be through the potential clogging of the diesel particulate filter. A large proportion of our fleet does low daily mileage, resulting in the vehicles not being able to undergo a full regeneration cycle… Through the use of telematics, we can be alerted to potential, early stage issues on these vehicles and can take preventative action to avoid garage time. This data alone has saved the business in excess of £20,000.”
Altrad has installed Trakm8 on 300 of its light commercial vehicles and now plans to roll it out across the fleet over the next few months.
“Telematics can make such a difference if you commit the resources to properly utilise it,” says Hammond.
“What it can give us as a business is phenomenal. It impacts every part of the business.”