Teletrac Navman’s electronic work diary solution, Sentinel, has been approved by Australia’s National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR).
It means truck drivers no longer have to keep written work diaries for regulatory purposes and can instead opt for an electronic alternative.
While the industry has long used electronic work diaries (EWDs) for managing driver work and rest within transport organisations, written diaries were still required to prove compliance with fatigue laws.
The NHVR’s approval signifies a significant milestone for both Teletrac Navman and the wider transport industry.
The voluntary use of an EWD eliminates the risks associated with written diaries, including lost or damaged documents and takes away any guesswork.
EWDs also simplify record keeping for drivers and provide better toolsets for them to understand their capacity to work or need for rest.
Teletrac Navman’s NHVR-approved EWD solution provides a real-time dashboard of fatigue information and driver hour status for transport operators with the new AI-powered software platform TN360.
For drivers, the EWD device lets them view their current status, rest break calculations and available work hours on an in-cabin device. They receive real-time notifications before a rest break is required, making it easy to stay safe and plan rest as needed.
Teletrac Navman chief product officer Andrew Rossington says the EWDs “streamline and simplify the whole process of logging driver hours, both from a safety and operational standpoint”.
“EWDs empower drivers to manage their own compliance, give managers peace of mind that their drivers are safe, and make it easy for everyone to stay compliant and keep records of driver work and rest times,” he says.
“With EWDs now available as an alternative to written work diaries, Australia’s transport industry will be able to effectively manage fatigue risks, reduce the administrative burden of maintaining records, and be assured they are always compliant with safety regulations.
“Digitising processes will also help the industry tackle growing demand and a shrinking pool of drivers. This kind of technology is set to assist a new generation of drivers, ones who will be more familiar with a device than they are with pen and paper,” Rossington says.
Teletrac Navman pioneered EWDs and fatigue management solutions in Australia, with its first solution, Sentinel, coming to market in 2008. The solution has been continually updated since then based on customer feedback for a comprehensive EWD solution.
The Sentinel solution is currently being used by over 40,000 drivers across Australia.
Teletrac Navman says these customers will be able to move to the new NHVR-approved solution at no additional cost from December 1, 2020.
The new solution is also available now for all new clients of Teletrac Navman from this date. Organisations such as Lindsay Australia and Aldi will be among the first to install the new system.
Lindsay Australia fleet quality and efficiency manager Nick Lindsay says his company looks forward to embracing the technology “and the many benefits it will provide”.
Aldi logistics director Kelly Wells says the company is investing in technology to maintain its safety trac-record.
“We truly believe that our transport operators will benefit from the efficiency and reliability that comes from a paperless logbook and we look forward to EWDs being made available to our entire national fleet.”
