Fleet managers turn to telematics
FMG has seen an increasing number of fleet operators and insurers turning to driver behaviour focused telematics, as they proactively seek to substantially reduce fleet operating costs and increase driver safety. It is their belief, and the general market activity certainly seems to prove, that the majority of costs saving opportunities are generated through better driver behaviour.
Traditional telematics has its roots in the HGV and mission-critical LCV sectors, yet driver behaviour telemetry, which monitors the way vehicles are being driven, is increasingly finding its way into the wider company car market, with proven results.
Ingenium Dynamics behaviour telemetry (ID), which forms the core of FMG’s holistic risk system, has been proven to improve driving behaviour consistently, reduce incident rates, cut vehicle emissions and reduce insurance premiums within certain higher risk fleets; but primarily the £value savings have been generated by reduction in fuel usage. This has delivered cost savings of circa £500 per vehicle using the ID system.
As a result, many direct private and public sector fleets are installing Ingenium Dynamics whilst insurers and brokers are actively encouraging drivers to opt for the system. This has seen FMG’s order bank increase by 50% in the past 6 months.
‘Many telematics products can appear similar from an operational perspective with a lot of ‘noise’ in the marketplace, yet the real differentiator with Ingenium Dynamics is its driver behaviour focus. The system motivates drivers to adopt safer driving techniques and the benefits resonate to all parties. Insurers know the technology will help reduce incident frequency and severity as do fleet managers; along with reductions in fuel spend and their environmental impact, whilst fleets and leasing companies can rely on accurate mileage data and proactive service reminders. Drivers also win; not only are they safer on the road, but the safest drivers can be rewarded through net mileage reimbursement benefits and through driver incentive schemes,’ explains Ben Creswick, business development director, FMG.
The system uses an on-board vehicle device to capture and interpret journey information relating to journey times, speed, acceleration, braking and cornering. Drivers are encouraged to take responsibility for their own driving style, with a dedicated FMG support team providing positive feedback on driving behaviour or suggestions for improvement including links to free of charge online training modules to address specific issues. A performance league table compares drivers’ scores with their colleagues to encourage healthy competition.
‘We’ve installed Ingenium Dynamics to over 5000 vehicles this year and are tracking circa 66 million miles on behalf of our customers. This shows the increasingly proactive approach fleet operators are taking to improve the safety of their fleets and drive down operating costs. Driver behaviour telemetry is forever changing the way companies run their vehicles and the way employees drive them.’ says Creswick.
As the telematics market continues to progress, FMG have recently made enhancements to Ingenium Dynamics to provide even greater control of driver safety, including a holistic ‘ground up’ re-design of its existing risk management data aggregation technology.
FMG is committed to improving road safety for all road users and is one of a handful of UK organisations to be certified the best-practice management framework set out in BS ISO 39001 Road Traffic Safety.
