Driver report programme enhances total service offering

7th July 2017

By: Marleny Arnoldi

Deputy Editor Online

     

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Last month, fleet management company MiX Telematics (MiX) announced the relaunch of its MiX ReportMyDriving programme, previously offered by a division of MiX, Compass Fleet Management, after an incremental development period to ensure key improvements to the reports offered to clients, as well as to design a website for the service.

“The service provides an opportunity for people who see irresponsible road users to phone in and report them to us by calling the number on the decal attached to the vehicle,” explains MiX Telematics Africa commercial director Grant Fraser.

The MiX ReportMyDriving solution helps identify high-risk drivers who require additional training on road safety. It also enables fleet managers to identify and reward good drivers.

Fraser notes that high-risk drivers typi- cally violate traffic laws by driving recklessly and endangering those around them. This behaviour includes harsh braking, acceleration and cornering, as well as speeding.

Trained agents at the MiX Journey Management Centre, in La Lucia Ridge, in KwaZulu-Natal, respond to calls, after which MiX investigates the matter further with the relevant fleet manager or company.

Alternatively, subscribers can use the MiX ReportMyDriving website with a smart user interface to identify incidents and offences, which triggers an alert to the fleet owner or manager automatically.

“The decal is a way of not only reporting bad driving but also motivating drivers to drive better because they know they can be reported.”

Fraser says the service is provided by MiX as an independent company, compared with fleet or logistics companies with their own internal complaint or accident reconstruction departments, which means the service is objective, impartial and formalised.

Although, MiX’s biggest clients for this service are logistics companies Imperial, Barloworld and Unitrans, it is not limited to these industries, as the service is available for any size fleet, from one vehicle to large commercial fleets.

Full Service
The MiX ReportMyDriving programme is a supplementary service to MiX’s fleet management solutions, using telematics technology to monitor vehicles and driver behaviour.

The advantage of having the fleet manager unit and in-cab camera, which monitors the driver and the road, is that incidents reported through the MiX ReportMyDriving service can be supported with the telematics information and video footage of the incident.

“We can then send the fleet manager a full report supported by various sources of information. It is a comprehensive way to show evidence and ultimately teach drivers to drive better,” Fraser points out.

The MiX Journey Management Centre has a ‘vision bureau’, which processes all the footage, reconstructs accidents and compiles feedback about driving incidents and offences accordingly.

The centre also has a track-and-react department, which is a 24/7 operation to communicate with drivers who are off route or to check on their safety.

Using data from the telematics system and in-cab video enables MiX to offer on-site training for customers by showing them examples of good and bad driving patterns and how to improve on them.

MiX also has an online-based training centre, where drivers and managers can log in and receive training through different courses and modules.

Another initiative is the company’s King of the Road programme that has been operational since 2007 and rewards best drivers on a quarterly and yearly basis.
“Drivers are monitored over a certain period and it has become a proper competition to achieve that accolade,” says Fraser.

Each driver gets a dashboard that displays their driving data, such as average speeds and travel times, as well as general driving behaviour. The dashboard also allows them access to MiX’s driving application to monitor themselves and see where they rank.

“We’ve found that involved drivers are better drivers and talkability and achievement drives the right behaviour.”

Next for Industry
Fraser highlights that Big Data will continue to be a significant change agent that will shape many fleet management businesses.

“It will go beyond collecting data to the efficient delivery of real-time analytic processing of constantly changing data from multiple sources, interpreting this data, and providing predictive analysis in customisable reports, graphs and dashboards to support business decisions.”

This real-time insight can present multiple opportunities for business across the fleet sector to improve their efficiency, productivity and overall performance of their business.

Fraser concludes that sifting through volumes of data is a challenge for businesses; however, they can address this using integrated systems on cloud-based platforms that provide one user interface where people can get a consolidated view of their data.

Edited by Zandile Mavuso
Creamer Media Senior Deputy Editor: Features

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