{"id":12611,"date":"2021-10-30T11:20:43","date_gmt":"2021-10-30T09:20:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/?p=12611"},"modified":"2021-10-30T11:20:43","modified_gmt":"2021-10-30T09:20:43","slug":"optimize-fleet","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/2021\/10\/30\/optimize-fleet\/","title":{"rendered":"Optimize Fleet Operations Through Automation"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><i><em>Photo via\u00a0Getty Images\/metamorworks<\/em><\/i><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><b>Though automation promises to lighten their load, the deluge of information vehicles produce can bury fleet managers in data.<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">Fleet managers know there is only so much time in a workday. They must prioritize their efforts, and often stop everything to put out fires. Automation of fleet processes promises to keep things on track \u2014 or in this case moving down the road.\u00a0But while this idea of automation has been around for a while, how is connected car technology fostering new automation solutions?<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">Fleet management software can automate emails for upcoming preventive maintenance, generate, and send reports on fleet health, and dispatch other alerts to optimize operations. These tools help fleet managers harness the data vehicles produce and use it to improve services, boost productivity, and reduce downtime.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">Though automation promises to lighten their load, the deluge of information vehicles produce can bury fleet managers in data. \u201cThe focus over the last decade has centered on fleet management systems\u2019 ability to turn connected data streams into insights. But as you layer on more systems, at some point you hit insight overload,\u201d says Mark Thomas, vice president of marketing and strategic alliances for Ridecell, a firm offering fleet IoT (<a style=\"color: #0000ff;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fleetforward.com\/10145820\/iot-applications-for-fleets\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Internet of Things<\/a>) automation solutions designed to modernize and monetize fleets.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">Thomas cites an example in which a prognostic system alerts that it\u2019s time to change brake discs. Though the heads-up is great, Thomas warns the alert may be the 400th one to hit the fleet manager\u2019s in-box. \u201cThere is also a slew of manual labor that\u2019s required to coordinate everything,\u201d he says.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">Fleet automation can reduce these headaches. But, according to Thomas, automation faces several key issues:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><em>There is no single source of truth where fleet managers can review every vehicle insight.<\/em> Too often fleets rely on separate systems that solve individual problems, he says. Fleets may have a scheduling system managing drivers, a video solution monitoring the cabin, and systems monitoring various vehicle components.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><em>Insight overload floods fleet managers with a sea of data to act upon.<\/em> Sifting through the data to take corrective actions adds yet another manual task to a fleet manager\u2019s day.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><em>Too many sources of data also complicate responses.<\/em> Telematics software may trigger an alert about a check engine notification, for example. But before scheduling service, a fleet manager must reschedule drivers or move them to different vehicles in the fleet\u2019s scheduling tool, and someone may even need to hand them the keys.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">\u201cAutomation for fleets hasn\u2019t come into its own yet,\u201d Thomas concludes. \u201cBut it has the potential to make fleets more efficient, keep them running safer, and in compliance.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">Automation in Action<\/span><\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">Though most fleets are at the beginning of their automation journey, many are already reaping the benefit of established automation tools. Preventive maintenance software helps fleets track vehicle use, maintenance records, and age without maintaining manual computer records or even written records.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">Telematics and other third-party systems pull engine diagnostic trouble codes (DTCs) to preempt parts failures before a breakdown. These systems send fleet managers alerts or notifications for various parameter defaults surrounding maintenance, breakdowns, and crashes.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">These systems also extend automation beyond maintenance to: vehicle location, identifying unsafe driving behaviors, fuel monitoring, routing, remote emissions testing, and tax, title,\u00a0and licensing, says Greg Gray, vice president, fleet management at Geotab.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">\u201cThe day-to-day management of vehicles that move around a lot geographically is always a complicated manual process,\u201d Gray says.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">Areas to Automate<\/span><\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">According to FleetUp, a supplier of real-time fleet monitoring solutions, fleets can move through four key areas as embark on their automation journey:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><strong>Data Collection<\/strong>: Fleets can use software tools to collect data from every asset and consolidate the data into a single source of truth. Fleets receive data from every sensor on every vehicle within a car. The transmission, the engine, cab systems, and even the tires generate data that fleet managers can use. The problem is the data, while collected, sits in disparate systems making it difficult to analyze and use. When fleets automate data collection, it flows into a single system that fleet managers can access to see a complete picture of their fleet.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><strong>Data Analysis<\/strong>: McKinsey &amp; Company estimates that connected cars create up to 25GB of data per hour. Now multiply that number by the number of vehicles in your fleet. It\u2019s easy to see that mining this data for actionable insights cannot be a manual task. Adding artificial intelligence tools helps fleets sift through piles of data to pinpoint action steps.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><strong>Management Tasks<\/strong>: Fleet managers can set rules in software to automatically perform basic management and administrative tasks. For example, set a rule that when software identifies that a vehicle needs a specific service, it automatically schedules the service, reschedules the driver to a different vehicle, and provides a digital key to operate it.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><strong>Processes<\/strong>: Once efforts to automate preventive and predictive maintenance are humming along, fleet managers can start automating big-picture strategies to further reduce downtime, improve efficiency and maximize revenue. They might automate warranty tracking; emissions, license and registration; driver monitoring programs; and fuel usage patterns, to name a few.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">Automating Maintenance<\/span><\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">\u201cFocusing on vehicle health and improving uptime is an important part of automation,\u201d says Ben Auslander, head of sales and marketing for PitStop, which helps fleets automate predictive maintenance through software tools.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">Fleets\u2019 preventive maintenance cycles can be automated based on metrics from actual vehicle use, not the standard oil change at 3,000 miles or tire change at 10,000 miles. \u201cA vehicle doing a lot of start and stop, for example, will wear out tires and brakes sooner,\u201d Auslander says. \u201cAnother fleet may perform operations where the engine constantly runs. Here, the engine will need preventive maintenance more often.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">But automation can expand beyond preventive to predictive maintenance. Aggregated vehicle data run through algorithms can proactively predict parts failures. \u201cA battery or part might show signs it needs replacing four to six weeks out and fleets can schedule repairs before they fail,\u201d Auslander says. \u201cWe\u2019re starting to see 95% accuracy in these types of predictions.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">Automation also can allow fleet managers to piggyback work with other repairs. For instance, software that predicts a parts failure at 85,000 miles can also schedule preventive maintenance around that time, and the grouping of services will mitigate downtime.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">\u201cThe data prepares the service shop for the vehicle\u2019s arrival and reduces the time it needs to be there,\u201d he says. \u201cWhen they know it\u2019s coming in for a specific trouble code, they also know it needs a new battery, new brake pads and a tire rotation.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">Deciding What to Automate<\/span><\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">According to Thomas, the greatest automation efficiencies come when fleets are intentional in their efforts to automate. He adds automation often does not require new hardware; it requires choosing a hardware-agnostic program that lets fleets pick up where their fleet management systems leave off, he says.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">In most cases, the insights already exist, fleets just need tools that parse the data for steps. Once their systems identify next steps, fleets can start to automate tasks. \u201cAsk yourself what is the low-hanging fruit? What can I automate now?\u201d Thomas advises. \u201cIdentify the problem, then see how you can automate it.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">If a fleet identifies tire repairs as a constant concern, but a fleet manager doesn\u2019t want to stop everything to write up a work order, a rule in the software can schedule the repair and alert the driver about the upcoming service automatically.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">\u201cA fleet manager could pick from this list and build a library of automations,\u201d he says. \u201cThe easy ones are programmable. You can write one for low tire pressure, saying when this happens, then this happens, before the vehicle goes out.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">These automations could be integrated into driver\/vehicle scheduling and daily inspections.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">Operations also may want to track vehicle warranties. By doing so, fleet managers can pull up the status of a vehicle\u2019s warranty whenever it needs service. This can save money if the vehicle or part is still under warranty.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">Whatever a fleet decides to automate, it\u2019s essential to remember automation is a journey not a destination. Fleets start down the automation road by identifying what makes sense to automate, then make sure to operate off a single source of truth, and phase automation in a logical way. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>by Ronnie Wendt<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"posted-by\">Source: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.automotive-fleet.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">https:\/\/www.automotive-fleet.com<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"g-cols wpb_row type_default valign_top vc_inner vc_custom_1585038969469\">\n<div class=\"vc_col-sm-12 wpb_column vc_column_container\">\n<div class=\"vc_column-inner\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"w-post-elm post_content\">\n<div class=\"g-cols wpb_row type_default valign_top vc_inner vc_custom_1585038969469\">\n<div class=\"vc_col-sm-12 wpb_column vc_column_container\">\n<div class=\"vc_column-inner\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"w-post-elm post_content\">\n<div class=\"g-cols wpb_row type_default valign_top vc_inner vc_custom_1585038969469\">\n<div class=\"vc_col-sm-12 wpb_column vc_column_container\">\n<div class=\"vc_column-inner\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"w-post-elm post_content\">\n<div class=\"g-cols wpb_row type_default valign_top vc_inner vc_custom_1585038969469\">\n<div class=\"vc_col-sm-12 wpb_column vc_column_container\">\n<div class=\"vc_column-inner\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"w-post-elm post_content\">\n<div class=\"g-cols wpb_row type_default valign_top vc_inner vc_custom_1585038969469\">\n<div class=\"vc_col-sm-12 wpb_column vc_column_container\">\n<div class=\"vc_column-inner\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"w-post-elm post_content\">\n<div class=\"g-cols wpb_row type_default valign_top vc_inner vc_custom_1585038969469\">\n<div class=\"vc_col-sm-12 wpb_column vc_column_container\">\n<div class=\"vc_column-inner\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"w-post-elm post_content\">\n<div class=\"g-cols wpb_row type_default valign_top vc_inner vc_custom_1585038969469\">\n<div class=\"vc_col-sm-12 wpb_column vc_column_container\">\n<div class=\"vc_column-inner\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"w-post-elm post_content\">\n<div class=\"g-cols wpb_row type_default valign_top vc_inner vc_custom_1585038969469\">\n<div class=\"vc_col-sm-12 wpb_column vc_column_container\">\n<div class=\"vc_column-inner\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"w-post-elm post_content\">\n<div class=\"g-cols wpb_row type_default valign_top vc_inner vc_custom_1585038969469\">\n<div class=\"vc_col-sm-12 wpb_column vc_column_container\">\n<div class=\"vc_column-inner\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"w-post-elm post_content\">\n<div class=\"g-cols wpb_row type_default valign_top vc_inner vc_custom_1585038969469\">\n<div class=\"vc_col-sm-12 wpb_column vc_column_container\">\n<div class=\"vc_column-inner\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"w-post-elm post_content\">\n<h1 style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/who-we-are\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>KNOW WHO WE ARE<\/strong><\/a><\/h1>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/who-we-are\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-11695\" src=\"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2021\/07\/AFMC4000-300x150.jpg\" sizes=\"(max-width: 430px) 100vw, 430px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2021\/07\/AFMC4000-300x150.jpg 300w, https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2021\/07\/AFMC4000-1024x512.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2021\/07\/AFMC4000-1536x768.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2021\/07\/AFMC4000-2048x1024.jpg 2048w\" alt=\"\" width=\"430\" height=\"215\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Photo via\u00a0Getty Images\/metamorworks Though automation promises to lighten their load, the deluge of information vehicles produce can bury fleet managers in data. Fleet managers know there is only so much time in a workday. They must prioritize their efforts, and often stop everything to put out fires. Automation of fleet processes promises to keep things&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":12612,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[18],"tags":[353],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12611"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12611"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12611\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12613,"href":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12611\/revisions\/12613"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12612"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12611"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12611"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12611"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}