Poor fuel efficiency, time consuming administration, bad driving habits and fuel card misuse are all common causes of inefficient fleets.
FuelTrace, a new telematics solution from Certas Energy, uses GPS and mobile internet technology combined with onboard diagnostics to record information about a vehicle’s movements and performance, providing fleet managers with full visibility of their fleet, with support for fleet movements across Europe as standard. FuelTrace is currently available as a standalone telematics product but Certas Energy’s fuel cards customers can also benefit from full data integration.
The use of telematics in commercial vehicles has grown rapidly but the data will only help fleets become more efficient if it is analysed correctly. By applying the latest developments in user interface thinking, FuelTrace provides users with an easy to use platform that drives improvements in staff performance, fuel efficiency, duty of care and prevents fuel card fraud. Fully compatible with desktop, tablet and mobile, data can be accessed anytime, anywhere.
Lisa Waddington, Marketing Manager at Certas Energy said: “As the first product on the market to fully integrate fuel card data with telematics, FuelTrace provides fleet managers with the hard facts they need to improve efficiency and fight against fraudulent use of fuel cards. Unlike some legacy systems, FuelTrace offers a friendly and simple user experience with a monthly subscription that gives managers the flexibility of no contract and being able to add or remove vehicles when they need to.
“From small fleets to taxi firms, hauliers to companies with multiple company cars, they can all benefit from telematics and we are committed to supporting them in improving fuel efficiency with the introduction of this new technology.”
When it comes to fleet management, saving time and cost is essential to gaining a competitive edge and fuel makes up a significant proportion of annual spend. FuelTrace can help reduce fuel costs by up to 25% by monitoring speeding, idling and poor driving styles to improve safety and fuel efficiency. The unique Geo-Plus reporting system alerts fleet managers if a fuel card is used in a different geographic location to the vehicle it is assigned to, offering a high level of fraud protection.
Geo-fencing comes as standard with regular reporting to show when vehicles move outside or inside a designated area. Further alerts can be set up to monitor driver performance, out-of-hours vehicle usage or vehicle idling, helping to keep tighter controls over vehicle usage and prevent unnecessary losses for the company.
To further improve efficiency, drivers are scored out of 100 based on any speeding, acceleration or braking events. This assists in putting appropriate training in place to ensure drivers are operating in the most efficient way while also reducing the likelihood of road accidents.
By automating time-consuming processes such as daily timesheets and business/private mileage, reports can be automatically generated and easily incorporated into business management reviews. The built-in mapping integration improves customer service by providing accurate arrival times, contributing to a 30% increase in staff productivity.
To find out more about FuelTrace, please visit www.certasenergy.co.uk/fueltrace. Certas will be showcasing FuelTrace at the Commercial Vehicle Show at Birmingham NEC in April, Truckfest events throughout the UK and Freight in the City later in the year.
