Transportation technology company EROAD has signed a five-year contract with Fonterra to install fleet management hardware across its fleet of more than 500 milk tankers.
The deal is being described as “a big win” for EROAD which will provide Fonterra with electronic RUC and in-vehicle driver monitoring hardware as well as high-definition dual-facing dashcams which gather vital evidence in the event of an incident.
Fonterra will also mitigate the risk of roll-over events in its liquid tankers by installing EROAD’s collision and rollover alert solution. This hardware utilises vehicle roll-over alert technology and satellite communications to help ensure emergency services can be dispatched as quickly as possible if the worst should happen – including when the vehicle is outside cellular range.
Through its fleet of milk collection tankers and more than 1600 tanker operators, Fonterra completes an average of one farm collection every 15 seconds and collects around 16.5 billion litres of milk per year throughout New Zealand.
EROAD chief executive Mark Heine says the team is “incredibly excited” to be partnering with Fonterra.
“Creating safer, more sustainable roads is at the very heart of what we do at EROAD, and it’s clear that Fonterra is equally committed to these goals.”
Fonterra national transport transformation manager Malcolm Bailey says the dairy giant chose to partner with EROAD due to its innovation across a number of products such as telematics, eRUC and dash cams.
“Their ability to harmonise these products into an overall telematics solution, that meets our business requirements, will assist us in maintaining our market-leading commitment to health and safety. It is great to be working with another New Zealand-based team developing products here in Aotearoa.”
Fonterra national transport and logistics general manager Paul Phipps says the co-operative collects milk from shareholders all over rural New Zealand.
Partnering with an industry leader which delivers emergency and automated alerts through a 24/7 satellite solution for when drivers leave areas with cellular coverage was an important consideration, he says.
“This becomes a great mechanism in supporting our strategy of sending our valued employees home the way they come to work each and every day,” Phipps says.
Installation of EROAD across the Fonterra fleet is due to begin in mid-February.
