Mitigating poor driver performance

Poor driving habits not only increase the risk of accident and injury, but can have a detrimental influence on fuel consumption and maintenance costs. While managing driver behaviour in a 400-vehicle fleet may seem like an onerous task, a simple and effective tracking and tracing solution has provided substantial physical benefit, in terms of less vehicle wear and tear, as well as a notable shift in driver attitudes.

The Public Authority for Electricity and Water (PAEW) is a government department that provides high-quality sustainable and reliable potable water and power services to the people of the Sultanate of Oman. As the regulator for both water and electricity services, as well as a direct water service provider to homes and businesses, the PAEW serves a population of more than 1.5 million people, transporting an average of 650,000 cubic metres of water per day.

PAEW is involved in a large capital delivery program to reach 90% of the population of Oman connected to the water network by 2035. While electricity production and distribution are managed by electricity companies, PAEW is involved in policymaking for the energy sector and manages innovative renewable energy projects.

PAEW had a critical need to proactively manage violations within its fleet of 400 vehicles, many of which operate in remote locations. The company reported unsafe and poor driver performance, accidents, speeding, high maintenance costs and excessive fuel consumption due to personal vehicle use. It recognised that driver safety and fuel consumption were being negatively impacted due to overspeeding.

Top priorities for PAEW management around rectification of unsafe driving practices included: to improve fleet management and safety, increase efficiency, reduce road accidents, implement safety measures, improve management control, reduce the cost of both fuel and maintenance, and to boost driver performance while optimising health and driver safety measures.

The fleet management solution implemented for PAEW consists of MiX Telematics’ FM Tracer. The solution combines the latest onboard computer and vehicle tracking technology to provide a cost-effective, feature-rich tracking and tracing solution.

The solution allows PAEW to manage its fleet and communicate with drivers. Tracking functionality is supported by fast and accurate GPS positioning, which is used in conjunction with GPS and GPRS.

The FM Tracer offers useful tools such as trip replays, finding the nearest vehicle to a location and reports on movement history and vehicle utilisation. This assists customers in the improvement of fleet efficiency by discouraging unauthorised personal use of fleet vehicles.

The installation was carried out in multiple phases and began in mid-2013. 281 vehicles were initially fitted with the MiXTelematics solution, with the remaining 119, located in various remote areas across Oman, due for completion by the end of 2014.

PAEW saw benefits within three months of the phase one installation, including sharp reductions in major violations such as speeding and improvement in management of vehicles and drivers, unfastened seatbelts and harsh braking. The company’s management was impressed by the effect of the MiX Telematics solution on drivers’ attitudes and behaviour, which resulted in improved driving practices across the board.

Using in-vehicle monitoring system data generated in conjunction with feedback and coaching of drivers, IVMS helped to improve driver performance, which led to a reduction in crash rates and lowered maintenance costs. The solution delivered consistent improvement in driver behaviour.

Monitoring driver behaviour has contributed to a dramatic decrease in overspeeding, which has increased driver safety and reduced fuel consumption, delivering PAEW a fleet management solution that addressed key management priorities and more than met expectation.