SAN DIEGO. PeopleNet is wrapping several tasks up into a single, paperless driver/vehicle workflow solution with a new real-time management solution developed by EBE Technologies on its SHIPS platform. The company also has announced a new division that will assist fleets in making predictive decisions about equipment purchases and personnel management.
“Our new workflows automate repetitive, labor-intensive tasks,” said Ron Konezny, CEO, in making the announcement during the Truckload Carriers Assn. Annual Convention here. “They’re tickets to more accurate business processes that improve vehicle and driver performance, compliance, safety and customer service. It all adds up to a better performing fleet and greater profitability.”
The workflows will provide real-time management of driver performance, violation management, DVIR (driver vehicle inspection report) and CSA management, PeopleNet said. In developing the solution, EBE’s SHIPS platform will integrated PeopleNet data with other third-party systems.
The driver performance monitor tracks vehicle management data for each driver, assigning points for mpg, idle time, over-speed, excessive speed, hard-braking events, swerving and excessive acceleration. If a driver falls below the fleet standard, the system will send a letter via the driver portal, schedule a meeting, suggest training exercises, and/or recommend disciplinary action as warranted. SHIPS software monitors the tasks through to completion.
“The challenge carriers face today is not only monitoring all of the data available to them to determine potential problem areas, but in being able to react and take the appropriate action as quickly as possible to ensure they are operating a safe and compliant fleet,” said Larry Kerr, EBE’s president & CEO.
The violation management function will monitor and send letters to drivers with on-duty time violations and other “out-of-standard” behaviors. Alerts are generated for drivers who do not respond. The violation management also interfaces with PeopleNet EOBR and vehicle management data to assign and track points for a driver’s performance, suggest training, and recommend appropriate disciplinary action.
Tracking repairs and maintenance is made easier with the DVIR management tool, PeopleNet said. This tool uses PeopleNet vehicle management data for maintenance to complete and track information. It will send a repair status notification when needed and interfaces with third-party maintenance applications for generation repair orders. It also monitors the submission of DVIRs and sends alerts, warning letters, training suggestions, and/or recommend disciplinary action when drivers fail to comply.
An optional interface with chassis.com populates the website with required information when a DVIR with chassis-related items is submitted, and monitors response from the submission.
“We partnered with PeopleNet because of its robust data offering through its fleet management solutions that, combined with workflow, will help companies create and apply standardized consistent processes to out-of-standard behavior in near real time,” Kerr said. “Fleet managers can spend more time working with their drivers than sifting through reports and deciding what to do for those at-risk situations.”
The new workflow has also been designed to monitor CSA management. Tied to eDriver Logs, the CSA management function monitors a driver’s activities for trends in behavior. Action is taken by the system when a behavior exceeds the norm. Good behavior, such as clean inspections, can generate letters of commendation or notifications to payroll if a bonus is warranted.
PeopleNet also introduced a new data integration and analytics management division that will assist fleets in making predictive decisions about equipment purchases and personnel management.
The division, Vusion, will integrate existing data from equipment manufacturers with fleet performance data and through technology, create a vision and more accurate understanding of the needs of the fleet operations.
“We understand that fleet management technology provides an ocean of vehicle and driver performance and safety data that can be overwhelming, to say the least,” Konezny said. “Add the data from equipment manufacturers, and it’s downright tedious, if not impossible, to connect the dots. Our new division is helping fleets blend information from multiple sources and interpret results so management can really use it to their advantage and get more insight from their technology investment.”
Vusion will be led by Tom Fansler as president. Fansler was the co-founding and managing partner of Inter-Tax, a fuel tax service provider.
“We’re taking onboard data from all providers to a whole new level,” Fansler said. “Our data integration and modeling exposes excess fuel events and theft. Our statistical tools measure how different variables—load, distance, idle rate, aerodynamics, vehicle age, driver behaviors and more—affect fuel economy, so management clearly see which vehicles are under-performing. The use of models also eliminates data anomalies and false positives, resulting in actionable reports that deliver real-world results.”
Vusion has more than 50 clients already, PeopleNet said, working in areas of fuel tax and fuel theft reporting, and driver and vehicle performance reporting. Integration with electronic logs for HOS utilization and violation reporting, safety analytics, as well as an online reporting interface will be available later this year.
