Adam Moore, purchasing manager of Contact Electrical, a Tasmania-based electrical services company, talks with Fleet Auto News about the company’s use of vehicle telematics.
FAN: How many vehicles in your fleet? How many other assets?
AM: We have 124 vehicles in the fleet and 16 trailers.
FAN: How many vehicles/assets is telematics installed in?
AM: We have 111 installed into vehicles only.
FAN: Can you list some of the top features of your telematics system and ascribe their benefits?
AM: The key features for us include being able to monitor fuel economy, speeding, servicing, and knowing where vehicles are to allocate the closest vehicle to another job. The ability to run a report for a previous day to confirm a staff member’s timesheet if there is any doubt is another top feature.
FAN: How long have you been using telematics and how has it changed the way you manage the fleet/assets?
AM: We have been using vehicle telematics for nearly two years now. The only real change has been the ability to have the vehicles serviced when they are due and not have to wait for the driver to notify us.
FAN: Do you have all the features you need? More than you need?
AM: I think we have plenty of features. We are able to see the real-time movement of the fleet, we have the ability to run a report of a vehicles’ movements from a previous day, and we get notifications when vehicles are due for service. The options available are more than enough for our company.
FAN: Is it entirely managed in-house and what staff resources does it require, or do you have an arrangement with a consultant?
AM: We manage it in-house. I liaise with the provider if there are any problems, or if I need help to create a report etcetera. We have 25 office staff who can access the system to look at the location of vehicles or run reports.
FAN: Do you have any advice for an organisation considering adopting telematics for their fleet?
AM: I would recommend they look into it, not only for the vehicle monitoring, but it can save you time and money on sending the nearest staff member to an urgent job, monitoring fuel economy on older vehicles or curb speeding amongst your fleet.
Contact Group was founded in Launceston in 1986 and now also has offices in Hobart and Burnie. The group have a design and construction division for industry and dwellings, as well as a residential services group. Contact Group provides high-voltage installations, street lighting, emergency call out services, and as such is dependent on a reliable fleet of vehicles.
