According to experts, the cost related to fleet and the operating costs in transport logistics account for more than 33%. We have already discussed in previous editions of USEFUL TIPS how cost can be reduced by planning optimal routes and monitoring cargo transportation in real-time. But additional savings can also be achieved by improving the discipline of drivers in the operation of vehicles - motivation and KPI become key in this context.
In recent years, the Eco-Driving quality control system (eco-driving, energy-efficient driving) has become increasingly popular, which involves organizing the control of vehicle operation parameters and evaluating the work of drivers based on certain criteria.
Proper implementation and use of eco-driving can significantly reduce the cost of fuel, wear and tear, equipment repairs, number of accidents and fines for traffic violations, as well as ensuring safety of transported goods and vehicles.
How does it work? First of all, you need to determine a set of key parameters by which you will evaluate the quality of vehicle management. As a rule, such criteria are: compliance with the speed limit, the manner of accelerating, braking, making turns, and the idle time with running engine.
Among the main areas for reducing transport costs, thanks to professional and careful driving, we can distinguish:
Fuel economy.
Modern vehicles require little to no pre-warming before driving, and reducing idling time is a direct way to reduce fuel consumption. Equally saving fuel is driving at low-medium engine speeds, observing the speed limit, reducing the number of sudden accelerations and braking.
Savings on repairs and maintenance.
Accurate and careful driving allows you to keep up vehicle performance longer, reduce the number of breakdowns of components and assemblies.
Driver discipline.
A driver who constantly violates traffic rules, "brings" fines and is regularly under the threat of losing his/her driver's license creates additional risks for your business, both reputation wise and material wise - due to delays of delivery, missing the set delivery windows, the need to pay a penalty to customers, damage to vehicles and cargo, etc. Monitoring the discipline of driving styles quickly allows you to identify inefficiency and highlight best practices. Via well defined and motivational KPIs you will be able to motivate drivers to do their best to become an Eco-Driving best practice example.
Safety of cargo.
The safety of cargo is the direct responsibility and liability of the carrier. As a result of sudden accelerations and de-accelerations of the vehicle, inertial forces can displace the cargo placed in the car body: if the cargo is fragile, this can lead to damage, and a strong displacement. This can lead to uncontrolled skidding and accident. This has an immediate impact on your insurance fees, as they depend a lot on how often you will need to use the insurance to cover transportation damages.
Therefore, responsible and economic driving is one of the most important guarantees for the safety of cargo transportation. For all its usefulness and effectiveness, the implementation of an efficient Eco-Driving system does not require you to purchase and install any special equipment beyond what you anyway have in use. Modern GPS trackers are usually equipped with accelerometers and allow you to visualize and control most of the above parameters by using a supportive software solution. In case you will use the option of retrieving additional vehicle data from the board computer via CAN-Bus adapters the list of such control criteria will increase to several dozens of parameters.
LiW receives real-time information from sensors installed on vehicles and automatically assigns penalty and motivation points to drivers depending on their driving behaviour. A wide range of customizable reports and dashboards allow you to receive data in a convenient, visual form (table, graphic). Data can be exported or transferred via an API integration to your ERP or inHouse IT system for further analytics.
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