FLEET SAFETY MANAGEMENT
ORCHESTRATING GREATER SAFETY FOR HEAVY VEHICLES
SGESCO-MAX SOLUTION INTEGRATES WITH WORLD LEADING FLEET MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE TO PROVIDE GREATER CONTROL OVER HEAVY VEHICLE SAFETY.
When it comes to heavy vehicle fleet management there are many common elements that are important to fleet managers regardless of industry:
- Get products delivered on time (keep clients happy)
- Improve fleet efficiency and maximise vehicle haulage
- Ensure safety of drivers, occupants and other road and site users
- Minimise vehicle downtime and costs to business
- Save Money
- Ensure professional development of staff and continuous learning and improvement
- Have the means to see what’s happening in your business and plan for growth and downturns.
To do this as productively as possible you need essential information integrated in real-time into one eco-system with a single dashboard for maximum oversight. All so you can make decisions with confidence and from a position of true understanding.
SGESCO-MAX has partnered with MiX Telematics to incorporate driver behaviour and safety monitoring of our MAX-SAFE solutions into one Fleet Management Solution suitable for fleets of all sizes.
SOLUTIONS OVERVIEW
Our first two solutions to have this integration are the MAX-SAFE Speed Limiting Solution™ and MAX-SAFE Anti-Rollaway Brake System™.
The MAX-SAFE Speed Limiting Solution gives fleet managers the ability to set up to eight different speed limits for specific speed zones on any vehicle, which a driver cannot override. Using the MiX Fleet Management Software, fleet managers are able to geo-fence locations and set additional speed limits or override pre-coded system speeds.
For example, at an airport where a catering vehicle may be travelling airside, the system that normally might have a low-speed set at 40kmh could be reduced to 10kmh.
Other situations / locations where this solution would prove valuable are on construction and mining sites, ensuring all vehicles comply to site limits.
The integrated MAX-SAFE Anti-Rollaway Brake System will log when it activates after a rollaway incident is detected, providing the GPS co-ordinates and pinpointing the location on a map. This can help Fleet Managers identify any work locations that could potentially be higher risk environments.
The integration of these advanced safety solutions in the MiX Telematics Fleet Management software enables fleet managers to lead with better safety management thereby protecting their safety record and more importantly, their drivers.
HEAVY VEHICLE ALARM BELLS
In 2021 road fatalities were 5% higher than 2020 and the first time road deaths had increased in nine years – a concern for the federal government committed to halving the road death toll by 2030. Fatalities involving heavy trucks increased by 4.4 % in that time.
During the 12 months to the end of September 2021, 169 people died in crashes involving heavy trucks and 15 in buses, representing 16% of all accidents (1143 in total). (Source.)
According to the ABS, heavy vehicles (greater than 4.5 tonne) make up 3.2% of the Australian fleet; buses less than 0.5%. This 3.7% involved in 16% of all fatalities highlights how heavy vehicles continue to be disproportionately involved in crash fatalities and injuries.
The 2016 Australian Government Report on Heavy truck safety: crash analysis and trends found
- Approximately 80 per cent of fatal crashes involving heavy trucks are multi-vehicle crashes.
- Approximately 60 per cent of persons killed in heavy truck crashes are light vehicle occupants. Another 20 per cent are vulnerable road users (motorcyclists, pedal cyclists or pedestrians)
While most multi-vehicle crashes are not caused by heavy vehicle drivers, the end result is still a massive loss of lives and livelihoods which can often lead to PSTD symptoms for drivers and their exiting the industry, and expensive fallouts for the companies involved.
HEAVY VEHICLE GROWTH HIGHLIGHTS ISSUE
In February 2021, Monash University Accident Research Centre released its report on An Analysis of Heavy Vehicle Safety Performance in Australia.
It found that heavy vehicle travel in Australasia is predicted to continue to grow faster than for other vehicle types. Without further intervention, this trend will likely increase the number of heavy vehicle drivers involved and injured in road crashes by 23% by 2030 (over 2017 figures). The report also found that injury protection for heavy vehicle occupants in a crash was also poor.
This continues to be a huge toll on families, business and communities and a huge cost to companies with heavy vehicle fleets. The risks extend to reputational and operational viability. Vehicles involved in accidents mean people and vehicles are unable to work.
FLEET MANAGERS NEED TO DRIVE SAFETY
While some of the factors associated with heavy vehicle crashes are outside the control of drivers and fleet managers, e.g., poor road design, there is much that can be done to improve safety outcomes.
OUR FLEET SAFETY MANAGEMENT SOLUTION
In teaming up with MiX Telematics, a leading, global provider of fleet management solutions, we are now able to provide integrated fleet safety technology that incorporates the most extensive safety metrics – and levers – available.
With MiX Fleet Manager Premium, vehicles are fitted with a small on-board computer that captures and transmits vehicle and driver data, such as fleet vehicle location, vehicle activity, fuel consumption, and driver behaviour, into a dashboard system where fleet managers can track the safety and performance of their fleet and drivers.
This Fleet Management solution will have the ability to pull information from any onboard MAX-SAFE Solution that is part of our MAX-SAFE Safety Eco-System™. Our Eco-System encapsulates more than 10 safety solutions to make heavy vehicles and drivers significantly safer through intelligent active solutions that prevent accidents, protect property and develop better drivers
Initial MAX-SAFE offerings that will integrate with MiX Telematics solutions include:
- MAX-SAFE SPEED LIMITING SOLUTIONS to monitor and prevent drivers exceeding speed limits on certain sites and driving according to pre-programmed speed limits. RPM solutions are also available for vehicle safety, optimum engine usage and fuel efficiency.
- MAX-SAFE ANTI-ROLLAWAY BRAKE SYSTEM an active safety solution that applies the park brake if a driver doesn’t fully apply the park brake, thereby preventing vehicle rollaways.
In time, this integration will also extend to:
- MAX-SAFE BLIND SPOT SOLUTIONS Advanced Cameras, Lidars, Radars and infra-red sensors that are positioned around a vehicle to detect people and objects in any direction and engage active braking and audible alerts to warn occupants and outsiders.
For MiX Telematics Fleet Management Software to have full oversight of each vehicle, the following MiX solution also needs to be installed:
- MiX DRIVER BEHAVIOUR An advanced In-cab video telematics solution that records driver behaviour, automatically alerts a driver when risky conditions are detected, reducing the likelihood of an incident. It also uploads all data over a set time period directly into a Fleet Management system that tracks driver behaviour and vehicle performance.
This comprehensive solution enables fleet operators to track the movement and behaviour of vehicles and drivers from anywhere, at any time. It enables them to capture vehicle data in ways never before possible due to the inbuilt smarts in the MAX-SAFE onboard computer that signals alerts of detected safety events and the actions the vehicle takes to avoid collisions.
Collectively it enables fleet managers to be more proactive and responsible in preventing accidents by adopting best of breed safety solutions for heavy vehicles. Fleets with this technology will have a better safety record and culture and be in a better position to secure contracts that preference additional safety features.