According to Adam Kahn, director of marketing at Qualcomm Enterprise Services, “When managing a fleet’s assets, supervisors must be able to answer three critical questions: Where’s my equipment? Is it road-worthy? And, is it ready to go?”
Fleet managers who have incorporated real-time visibility into their equipment operations can better utilize assets in order to minimize downtime and enhance operational efficiency overall. Technology plays a key role in collecting business-critical information that informs managers of exactly how many pieces of equipment they have at their disposal, where the assets are located and the respective maintenance history.
GPS and other mobile solutions, like trailer tracking platforms, make it easier than ever to locate and maximize the fleet trailer pool. However, next-generation mobile fleet management technologies take fleets beyond basic tracking information to proactively managing the health of their equipment – ensuring vehicles stay on the road through inspection, monitoring and maintenance.
Advanced vehicle maintenance and inspection report (VIR) applications now help fleets monitor the condition of their vehicles and trailers in near real-time to prevent expensive breakdowns. VIR applications also help fleets avoid costly out-of-service violations, which are more crucial than ever since these types of failures negatively impact CSA maintenance scores.
Kahn goes on to note that during the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance’s (CVSA) Brake Safety Week which was held a few months ago, it was reported that the number of out-of-service violations rose for the second year, with at least one in seven vehicles failing inspection. Additionally, 3,248 trucks were placed out of service for brake-related violations, which is 15.3% of the 21,255 trucks inspected. Based on customer data, Qualcomm estimates one out-of-service truck decreases revenue by more than $600 per day, clearly illustrating that non-operational assets directly and negatively impact a fleet’s bottom line.
In a related Brake Safety Week announcement, CVSA and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration said, “Brakes were cited as an associated factor in nearly three of ten CMV crashes.” Stephen A. Keppler, executive director of CVSA, added, “Commercial vehicles with OOS violations are considered imminent hazards to highway safety.”
By proactively monitoring truck and trailer brake health, managers can establish safe and efficient fleet operations. Fleets that leverage applications to track and complete preventative maintenance report reduced brake-related violations.
Fleets that implement a more proactive asset management approach through the use of new vehicle maintenance, inspection and critical event reporting applications will be better able to prevent out-of-service violations and ensure the health of their fleets – ultimately leading to increased revenue, Kahn concludes.
