Companies can make a difference with mobility data - FD
One thing is certain, in the world of transport and logistics, data play an increasingly important role. Vehicles are now fully equipped with all kinds of on-board computers or other measuring instruments, and are therefore becoming smarter. 'The smart application of this data within the business process will make a significant difference for companies,' says Oscar van der Spruit - COO of GPS-Buddy.
Van der Spruit begins the conversation with a Rabobank study regarding Fleet Management. “In it they indicated that each party has access to the same resources. The truck costs the same for Janssen Logistiek as it does for De Boer Transport. The fuel is the same, the maintenance, even the driver sitting on it gets paid the same. So how can it be that one company runs better than the other? According to the research, it's all about embracing data,” states Van der Spruit. “So company A knows how to use data smartly to optimize processes to improve competitiveness.”
Much of the computer information can be read, but it is not yet used by every company. “Data on speed, coasting, idling, driving hard over speed bumps, braking and acceleration, for example, can be used to monitor driving behavior. If you share that data with drivers, you see that they take this into account and drive more quietly or differently. That makes a significant difference in maintenance, CO2 emissions, fuel and thus costs.”
DATAGEDREVEN
Telematics combined with information technology creates many opportunities. Understanding the location of all assets saves significant time in planning. Route optimization reduces fuel or allows multiple jobs to be taken. “For fleet owners, downtime costs money. Maintenance planning is an example of this. By combining information from drivers via an app, data on periodic tasks and information from the RDW, for example, you can keep vehicles on the road more efficiently.”
CONNECTED TRANSPORT
So it's not just about data from vehicles. Vehicles can also send data to objects in the environment. “Think about connected transport, for example. When an ambulance drives up to a smart traffic light, it gets priority. The government also wants to apply this mechanism to a large proportion of trucks. Because if these stand still less, that saves emissions of harmful substances. Likewise for bollards in city centers. Before that, a driver has to stop and enter a code to continue. Soon the bollard will go down automatically when a certain vehicle is recognized. This is because we already know that the vehicle in question is allowed to enter the city between certain closing times. So that saves time, energy and costs.”
Those slot times, by the way, can also increase CO2 and costs, according to Van der Spruit. Due to various circumstances, a driver may not be on time and turn around again without success. “Eventually, data will help with that soon. Then you will move towards a system that is much more focused on bringing supply and demand together. Think of live indication of where the cargo is and what the expected time of arrival is. This allows the final destination - a supermarket, for example - to switch gears and deploy staff at a later time when necessary. This saves costs and improves customer satisfaction. A company then has to capitalize on that to reap that benefit.”