Enjoy our two part discussion about optimized routing with Sean Stenson. Each part runs about 15 minutes. We asked Sean some tough questions to get you the answers you are looking for. Learn how automating your routing process can be a game changer.
It is no mystery that video footage will have a major impact in the event your driver is involved in an accident. Four of the six ways on our list are clearly related to managing risk and reducing insurance related costs.
1. Some commercial insurers offer a direct discount for having dahscams. Dash cams reduce overall risk and streamline the claims process resulting in lower premiums.
2. Protection from false claims against your drivers. Many damage claims are based on one persons word against another. DashCam recordings of events can shut that down in a hurry.
3. Protection from staged crash claims is another benefit. Commercial trucks are often the targets of criminals staging crashes or personal injury incidents because commercial pockets tend to be deeper than individuals, and some commercial trucks follow a predictable routine. DashCam footage proves what really happened.
4. Having video footage speeds up the claims process resulting in less vehicle down time, quicker reimbursement, and less time spent testifying. All of these present additional ROI.
5. DashCams help you to prevent future collisions by identifying & correcting distracted driving behavior through event triggered video captures. Fewer accidents also mean fewer premium increases, but that is just the beginning. The cost of an accident adds up fast. Bent metal, damaged goods, vehicle down time, employee down time and injury related costs, services/stops missed, and potential litigation top the list. It is not uncommon for the final cost of a commercial vehicle collision to exceed $100,000.
6. Often overlooked by management is Driving Attitude. Why? Because they have no way to know unless they ride with the driver, OR, have dashcams. Honestly, in cab footage can be uncomfortable to view, but it offers insight into much more than if a driver is smoking in the vehicle or using his cell phone. A driver with a great attitude looks a lot different on camera than a driver with a bad attitude. When I see video of a driver who is calm and collected, smiling, sometimes singing along with the radio, I think yes, he enjoys his job and I want a driver like that to deliver my goods and services. When I see video of a driver who looks angry with the world or makes inappropriate hand gestures at others, even the one who is rocking out – more focused on the music playing than the job at hand, I think wow, hope they never send that one to my door.
From a business perspective, knowing who to encourage is just as important as knowing who to counsel. And there is scientific data to support that attitude affects driving behavior. According to Science Direct, “Hazard response times and eye tracking data suggest sadness can have a negative impact on driving behavior.” Your odds of getting in a collision are 10 times higher?when you’re angry or sad, according to Virginia Tech’s Transportation Institute. Notice in the video below from our CrewChief DashCam, the driver’s expression during the harsh braking event as it starts and the hard turning event at about 20 seconds.
We can all relate to the fact that driving while upset or angry will bring out aggressive driving habits. We are not suggesting that you spend a lot of time evaluating in cab driver footage, but noticing the body language that indicates attitude during your routine review of event triggered video could help you to identify drivers that need some coaching or encouragement. Over time a Manager can learn a lot about a drivers strengths and weaknesses by viewing the in cab video. Also, if you are concerned there might be issues with a driver, a quick review of in cab footage may give you some perspective regarding those concerns.
DashCams certainly provide the measurable dollar ROI, but they can also be used to capture the more elusive human ROI. By better understanding through video things like job satisfaction, driver loyalty, anger issues, depression, and customer satisfaction skills, management can get to know employees that they have little personal contact with. That may be the greatest ROI of all.
Instant Pot cooking would not seem to be an appropriate post for a fleet management blog, but all is not what it seems to be. Before we are done we will touch on driver safety, morale, health, giving back to the community, and return on investment.
I first heard about Randy from a co-worker that belongs to a Facebook group that he is active in. His story peaked my interest so I contacted him to learn more. He quickly agreed to do an interview. I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing it.
Randy drives a 2020 Peterbilt for Western Distributing in Colorado. He used to prepare his meals using a lunch box oven as many truckers do. That, and fast food are what truckers are often stuck with due to the demands of their work. He could not make pasta or rice, and the lunch box oven is not the greatest way to prepare vegetables. He was very limited in what he could prepare in it and found himself bored with the limited menu. Meals took a long time to prepare and were not very appetizing.
All of that changed when his sister gave him an early Christmas gift in Colorado around November 25th of last year, his first Instant Pot. He picked up an inverter in Las Vegas, installed the inverter in Guymon, OK, and finally used his Instant Pot around December 2nd or 3rd. The first meal he cooked was spaghetti, something that just can’t be done in a lunch box oven.
Now he uses it daily and has added more Instant Pot products to his in cab home. He can cook just about anything with his collection that includes the dual lid for air frying, another 3 quart Instant Pot, an Instant Vortex Plus and an Ace Nova blender.
Randy told me he eats healthier and life is easier with the Instant Pot appliances. He can cook almost anything on the road. His favorite is making pancakes on saute. He stocks up on produce every few days and meat weekly. The hardest part he says is parking his tractor-trailer at the grocery store.
Instant Pot products have saved him time and money while expanding his diet to include pretty much anything at all. He can pressure cook, air fry, bake, steam, roast, saute, and even make soup. With so many homeless people on the road, he gets great satisfaction doing little things like baking a cake or providing a meal for a homeless person in need.
According to Kiplinger.com gasoline prices will continue to rise slowly, but steadily in 2021. This view is supported by the U.S. Energy Information Administration and other authorities on the subject. Thankfully no one is projecting the extreme prices we had from 2008 to 2014, possibly because of demand being low during the pandemic, but they are definitely going to rise from the low prices we have become used to. As this post was written, the national average for regular was $2.40 per gal and diesel $2.64, up 15 cents per gallon from this time last month. An end to the pandemic which we all hope for will likely increase demand pushing prices higher faster.
In 2020, with gasoline prices as low as we have seen since 2004, and so many other concerns about keeping employees safe during the pandemic at the forefront, reducing fuel spend was just not our focus. In 2021 we will need to get back to basics when it comes to keeping an eye out for fuel waste.
Many consumer sites like AAA offer tips for consumers on how to save fuel. Back in 2007 when gasoline prices spiked over $3.00 per gallon, businessfleet.com published a great list of 20 ways for fleets to save fuel. Here is their list with some brief explanations. To get the full details and statistics that support their conclusions, you can read their post here.
The bottom line is it is time to get back to a fuel savings mindset. Fleet management technology is designed to give you the insight you need into your fuel spend and much, much more. Contact Fleetistics for more ideas on increasing visibility and lowering overall fleet costs.
In the world of transporting and delivering goods and services, some companies pay more attention to optimizing routes than others. Those that invest time and energy into route optimization have found that it pays off in spades. Even emergency service providers that cannot plan their routes in advance, can benefit from optimizing each new service call based on shortest route and current road conditions.
Whether you have a fleet of 5 vehicles all doing the same job or a fleet of hundreds with multiple specialties and special purpose vehicles, there is a routing and scheduling application available to meet your needs. Route optimization has gained so much traction that one of our premier GPS platforms offers out of the box integration with 9 or more route optimization specialty providers.
Manual routing and optimizing is time consuming, frustrating and a lot of hard work. Once done, any number of things can change making the entire route that you planned so carefully mediocre at best. What if you could easily change and transmit a revised route, knowing that the best optimization choices have been made? That would be a game changer!
Imagine uploading tomorrows work orders into a system that can tell you how many trucks are needed, what jobs to assign to what vehicles, and what routes to follow based on the parameters you pre-set in the app. Imagine the time saved on manually planning those routes alone. Then consider these potential savings:
In the past year, social distancing has changed the way we buy, sell, and ultimately receive goods and services. We now rely on delivery of things we used to go to the store and pick up ourselves. Companies that provide reliable service, on time delivery, and a way for customers to see where their orders or service providers are and when they will arrive are rising to the top. Integrated routing and scheduling apps are the foundation their systems are built upon.
If you are not optimizing your routes, now is the time to start. Contact us today to review your options and select an app for trial. You’ll be glad you did.
