Telematics systems should save fleet operators mone
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• Small and medium-sized operators could save thousands of pounds by using fleet management and telematics systems, according to a study undertaken by Cranfield University, The independent study was commissioned by Fleetstar Information Systems, the fleet management arm of Trafficmaster, which asked the Cranfield Centre for Logistics and Transportation (COLT) to look at a number of its small fleet customers, all of them HGV operators.
Cranfield asked four HON operators to quantify their costs in a number of areas.
The conclusion was that the four firms, operating a total of 36 HGVs, were saving almost .2300,000 per year—more than 4000 per truck. Each firm came up with a different breakdown of the cost benefits
between 2% and 32% of the savings came from reduced communications costs, for instance—and a different overall saving, The most impressive saving was achieved by independent steel distributor Fowle 8,, Co, which reckoned to have saved ,2177,216 a year on a fleet of just eight artics: 54% of this saving was said to have come through improved productivity with 24% from cuts in subcontracting costs.
The survey follows an earlier MORI poll commissioned by Eleetstar (CM 25-31 Oct) which found that only 8% of fleet operators used telematics, with an even lower figure for the small fleets.
Fleetstar chief executive Chris Haynes says: "Small fleets have proved beneficial for us. We already know we can offer what large fleets want, but some small companies stood back thinking this was a large fleet product. So we allowed Cranfield to go n on an independent basis."
Haynes is launching a Cost Saving Consultancy service, in which Fleetstar will show operators how similar fleets have managed to save money
w Contact: Fleetstar on 01234 759384.