Teletrac Navman showcased its latest technology to improve fleet management productivity at this year’s Road Transport Forum (RTF) conference in Dunedin.
Innovation fuels productivity, and for the worker on the go, it’s about making sure they have intuitive, electronic tools to streamline processes.
Global management consulting firm BCG found the 25% of small to medium businesses (SMEs) that use mobile services more intensively tend to grow revenue up to two times faster than their competition.
When the driver and their truck are fully connected and feeding back real-time data to dispatch, it takes the guesswork out of operations and streamlines cumbersome processes.
Teletrac Navman was at the RTF promoting its latest, productivity-boosting tech which includes:
Sentinel: The NZTA-approved electronic driver logbook makes it easier for drivers and businesses to operate safely and in compliance with regulations.
Drivers can accurately log start, stop and rest times and can check the app to make sure they are taking breaks according to company regulations and the law.
Sentinel operates independent of mobile networks, so it doesn’t matter where in the country your drivers are, if they are out of mobile coverage, they’ll still get their rest alerts.
Teletrac Navman Asia Pacific vice-president Ian Daniel says the device is a great tool for driver safety and productivity.
“Electronic technology, such as the Sentinel logbook, supports drivers and operators to operate safely and in compliance with regulations.
“Our aim is to offer a full suite of technology to connect drivers and their vehicles – giving businesses data-based insights which they can use to improve both driver safety and overall productivity,” Daniel says.
NextGen: This powerful software is new to New Zealand and is specially designed for the transport and logistics sectors.
With NextGen you can access a range of apps for job management, driver, vehicle and delay tracking, checklists, e-documents and compliance measures such as the Sentinel driver logbook.
NextGen streamlines data and automatically turns the numbers into easy-to-read reports.
IFace: A robust in-cab device hosting job management and compliance applications, the iFace helps jobs run more smoothly as drivers have access to all-important information at their fingertips and can immediately send forms, messages and info to the back office.
The device is shock and water resistant and comes with a 5-megapixel camera, sign-on-glass functionality and an eight-hour battery life, so you can use the iFace rain or shine.
RUC Manager update: In 2017, Teletrac Navman was approved by NZTA as an Electronic Systems Provider (ESP) and introduced the electronic road user Charges system, RUC Manager.
Some of its first customers using the product have given some feedback on how it’s working for them.
This includes Swanson Transport managing director Jeff Smith who says RUC Manager has really improved cashflow.
“For trucks used for longer distances, we purchase in 8000 to 10,000 kilometre lots, and vice versa for those that do smaller distances.
The claims processed through RUC Manager generally get refunded to us within a week.
Under the old system it took around a month.
”
Mangonui Haulage operations manager Sean Sparksman says it’s “a smart little system”.
“In a business like ours, we’re not talking a few hundred dollars, we’re talking thousands in rebates.
And there isn’t a single bit of paper that needs filling out,” Sparksman says.
Traditionally, telematics was implemented for “dot-on-the-map” tracking to help get the job done, but today businesses are seeking full suites to impact the entire organisation.
As technology becomes even more of a mainstay in business, it will become increasingly useful for forward-thinking strategies that help you stay ahead of the curve.
