Telematics - lessons for road haulage from Formula 1

Issue: Spring 2010

For two consecutive years, British drivers Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton have taken the laurels as proud winners of the Formula 1 Championship, deservedly so.

Their undoubted skill, driving technique and consistency coupled with their ability to adapt to different circuits and weather conditions are vital qualities that helped to make them top drivers.

The McLaren and Brawn cars, along with their back room teams, were vital too. And they couldn’t have done their job without the use of world-leading telematics that allowed the pit teams to monitor exactly what was happening to both cars, second by second during the race. How’s the engine running? What’s the optimum gear? How are the tyres, the brakes and the fuel? When do we need to make a pit stop? Sensors on the cars and the on-board computers relay all this information back to the teams, who then pass on the important bits to drivers.

All this information is recorded, so that the teams can review the race in minute detail in the calm of locations far removed from the heady race day environment to learn lessons for the next encounter.

There is a lesson in this for road haulage companies, running trucks at the other end of the vehicle spectrum. A much simpler and lower-cost version of the same technology can be applied to managing their vehicles and drivers – and in some forward looking companies, they already are. Just as the F1 drivers and their teams got the very best from their cars using telematics to plan, monitor and learn, road haulage and logistics companies can use it to get the best from their vehicles.

Some fleets have already placed telematics at the centre of their operations and are achieving new, high levels of performance – that means low fuel consumption, low maintenance bills and greater efficiency in delivering goods. Increasingly, firms that do not embrace the concept may risk becoming back-markers in a sector of the economy that is renowned for its high levels of competition.

The common interest of both the transport company and its drivers in using this technology is less obvious than it is for Formula 1 drivers and their teams. But it is there all the same and truck drivers can be positive about what these systems can do for them. True, it’s not going to make any HGV driver a multi-millionaire tax exile; nor is it going to tell them they can afford to push that bit harder round the bends. But it should give the really good drivers the recognition they deserve and help not-so-good drivers to improve; and it should aid job security – which is a far greater concern in this day and age.

There is no pretence that telematics is primarily a tool for employers to operate their trucks more efficiently and to ensure that their driver, as well as their truck and their routing, is up to scratch. There is often resistance, initially, from drivers; and fear by companies of driver reaction is a common reason given for failure to adopt telematics. But driver opposition can be greatly overstated and negative sentiment can quickly be overcome.

The transition to using telematics can impose more far-reaching demands on managers and this is less readily admitted – by management. The technology is not difficult to use, in terms of downloading information and understanding what it is telling you. But managers also have to be given the time and man management skills to use it to make improvements, including those that require getting drivers to change their driving style or habits.

But what are the wins? A system that will: reduce the number of times the traffic office rings the mobile to check up on drivers; take out any suspicion that the driver has been slow when the company’s customer is at fault, for example by delaying loading or unloading; and that gives credit where it is due for a smooth, safe, fuel-efficient scheduling, drive and delivery. These are the factors that win and secure customers and improve profitability without cutting corners.

They are also the factors that add to the professionalism of the industry and make it less stressful and therefore more attractive to employees. The perception of the haulage sector is changing; telematics technology and management is a perfect fit with this changing image of what is an essential industry. Ray Engley is Head of Technical Services at the Road Haulage Association. For further information, visit: www.rha.uk.net

Published: 21/04/2010