A leading company is putting the pedal to the metal in a new way – and utilizing telematics technology to improve driver safety. American Pest is cultivating the resources of inthinc Technology Solutions, a global provider of telematics, fleet management and driver safety, to reduce speeding by 88 percent and decrease accidents by 75 percent.

Alerts are notified if unsafe driving occurs, like speeding, sharp turning, hard stops, or not wearing a seatbelt.Through an in-vehicle device, inthinc technology uses a mix of GPS, built-in accelerometers and OBD integration to monitor driver performance and provide real-time verbal alerts to influence the driver.

When unsafe driving occurs, the message is communicated wirelessly to inthinc.com’s management portal, which outlines vehicle utilization and calculates driver performance scores (1.0 to 5.0) based on individual habits. In the event of speeding or not buckling up, American Pest drivers are given a 15-second grace period, after the verbal warning, to correct the action before it is reported.

Within a year of installation, the safety measure greatly improved American Pest driver safety – seatbelt use improved by 97 percent and speeding was cut by another 88 percent. American Pest selected intheinc because the firm delivered a proactive approach to driver safety, and the real-time coach device was found to be the most effective way to prevent accidents and improve driver safety, according to Paul Bergmann, director of administration at American Pest.

“We chose inthinc over other solutions because of its proactive approach to driver safety,” Bergmann said in a statement. “Having a device in the vehicle to coach drivers in real-time is the most effective way to improve behavior and prevent accidents.”

Why should other companies take note of telematics technology? The case study of American Pest proves it can not only save lives, but it can also save money for companies – an important motivation for many firms.

While American Pest is cultivating the technology to embrace news ways of improving driver safety, the trucking industry is also cultivating new technology in an effort to improve efficiency, safety and data.

http://www.m2mevolution.com/topics/m2mevolution/articles/333773-industries-embracing-telematic-technologies-cultivate-efficiencies-safety.htm

http://www.fsmmag.com/Articles/2013/04/Daily-Articles/Exterminator-Reduces-Drivers-Speeding-Accidents.html

Motor vehicle crashes are the number one cause of workplace fatalities in the United States. Individuals who work behind the wheel also receive more non-fatal injuries than any other occupation. Forget crab boats, those who drive for a living have the most dangerous job in the nation.

Companies and government organizations that are concerned with maintaining the highest standards of safety have taken notice and many are implementing new policies and deploying new technologies to help improve driver safety. Enhancing driver training has been an important part of increasing safety and has been particularly helpful in helping drivers develop new attitudes about safety.

Training Is Only the Start

While training is vital to improving safety, once drivers get behind the wheel, there is no guarantee that the training will take hold. In fact, a study by the American Transportation Research Institute showed training programs produce no statistical change or improvement in the incidents of fleet driver accidents. When drivers get back on the road, over time the lessons they learned in training sessions have a tendency to wear off and old habits kick in again.

A National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) study found 90 percent of accidents are caused by human error. The cause of such errors include reckless driving, speeding, changing lanes without signaling, driving on the hard shoulder, running red lights and so on.

If 90 percent of accidents are caused by human error, it does not matter how in tune the engine is, how recently the brakes were changed, how much tread is left on the tires, how clean the windshield is, how bright the headlights are or how technologically advanced the vehicle is – without a fundamental change in how driver behavior is addressed, there will continue to be accident upon accident on the roadways.

Great strides have been taken to improve vehicle safety between the bumpers. Engineers and designers the world over should be commended for this; however, with the vast majority of crashes caused by human error, it is critically evident that more attention needs to be put towards what happens between the ears.

A new set of solid, confident, safe-driving habits need to be developed in a way that brings both immediate improvements and long-lasting results.

Telematics Gets Closer

GPS-enabled technologies are appearing in everything from cell phones to name badges to tablet computers and car keys. Vehicles are certainly no exception, and in the workplace telematics and GPS data are offering an increasingly sophisticated perspective on driver behavior.

Organizations can employ systems that track vehicle usage and provide details such as where a vehicle is located, where it has been and the speeds it has driven along the way. Advanced systems can report to managers instances of speeding, hard braking and aggressive driving such as hard cornering and rapid lane changes. These reports enable supervisors to give specific feedback to specific drivers about specific incidents and help hold them accountable for their actions.

Reports from insurance companies that offer telematics to companies with fleets have shown marked reductions in accidents, and some have seen their accident payout costs cut in half.

The challenge is much of the technology employed to monitor drivers for safety issues has been just that, technology used to monitor drivers. Companies that have tied these into their traditional fleet management solutions have been allowed to improve how they manage their vehicles by better tracking the happenings of the fleet. This has a tendency to provide two positive benefits. First, the company knows where the vehicles are, and second, the drivers know they are being monitored so they will initially be more inclined to follow the prescribed policies.

This approach has been used to create a “driver profile,” which can be utilized in follow-up actions with the drivers in the form of additional training courses or sometimes even reprimands in an effort to curb crashes.

While this is a big step, tracking and reporting is reactive and because it can only report on what has happened in the past, it is only part of the solution to improving driver behavior.

In-Cab Driver Mentoring is the Key

The most valuable and effective solution for improving driver behavior is real-time verbal mentoring (RTVM). This approach leverages telematics technology to let them know they are doing something risky the instant they begin to demonstrate unsafe behavior.

The way RTVM works is deceptively simple. If a driver is speeding, a computer in the cab will verbally instruct them in a calm, clear voice to “check your speed.” If they engage in a turn that is too hard, they will be told they are engaging in aggressive driving. If they forget to wear their seatbelt, they will be instructed to fasten their seat belt and so on.

By combining GPS, accelerometers, and other telematics technologies, RTVM senses dangerous behavior, often before the driver, and it immediately instructs the driver what to do, using words the driver understands.

The key to its effectiveness is that RTVM is proactive, not reactive. Its purpose is to actually prevent accidents and enforce compliance and organization policy by changing behavior in real-time.

Verbal mentoring is the best auditory alert possible. For instance, instead of a distracting and confusing beep or a buzzer going off in the cab when the driver is speeding, they can immediately hear what they did wrong (i.e. the type of infraction) and what they need to do to correct the behavior.

To be totally effective, RTVM should not be conducted in a vacuum. If a driver does not comply with the mentoring, managers can be notified via email, text or phone call (following an appropriate grace period to enable drivers to slow down or otherwise correct their behavior). This enables organizations to have immediate, meaningful data and reports that empower them to directly address the issues they need to address and solve the problems they need to solve.

For drivers, immediate feedback in their vehicle allows them to make quick corrections in the short term and build new, effective habits that last over a long, safe lifetime. 

Today a fleet can see it all, make decisions, and act day in and day out on the information flowing through the organization. So far, that information has been largely based upon proprietary data about the workings of the individual business and the environments in which it operates. What happens, however, if data from a huge number of carriers is combined into much larger data pools that can also be mined for actionable information?

According to some industry suppliers and watchers, that is exactly where trucking is now headed. The jury is still out, though, on what that might mean for the industry as a whole.

Not every company is prepared, at least not yet, to set aside privacy concerns and splash into the common data pool, either. After all, it takes a certain level of trust just to begin the process of confidentially sharing your data with a telematics provider.  

Telematics suppliers occupy a unique spot in the information technology ecosystem, according to Mike Scarbrough, CEO of Nextraq. Using data to drive decisions involves three basic steps, he notes, collection, transformation and communication. “Telematics providers are the operators of all this data, the transformers who turn raw data into information that other can use to guide important business decisions,” Scarbrough says.

“In order to do this, you need to have a business partner you really, really trust,” he adds, “because underneath the covers, we are making lots of small decisions about data [that can make a big difference to you in the end.] For example, suppose I tell you that one of your drivers has gone over the speed limit twenty times.  What will you do?  What if I tell you that the average for all drivers was one hundred times? Or two times?

“Adding context changes your view rather dramatically,” he continues. “I could give you just the raw data, the fact of one driver speeding twenty times, knowing that you may be misled to a poor decision, but none of us want people to make bad decisions.

“There is a natural human resistance to sharing information, such as on social networks,” Scarbrough notes. “Data helps to take that reluctance away. It lowers our resistance to sharing information. Everybody would like things to be less subjective and more fact-based in order to make better decisions. Everybody appreciates that.”

“There has been a remarkable growth in databases and in the technology to analyze that data,” says Corey Catten, CTO of inthinc. “With a small IT staff, we have access to thousands of processors for short bits of times. Parallel processing means that 250 servers can be working for 15 minutes [to analyze data] instead of using eight servers running all night to do the same thing.”

Think about what happens if you combine data from many carriers and many sources, Catten asks. Insurance companies today take all their actuarial data and give it to an organization that combines it, sanitizes it and gives it back to the insurance companies so that they can compare themselves to others. How would this model work for trucking? What would a fleet gain if they put their data into the pool?

“We are just in the data collection phase right now,” he adds. “We can say to a customer (without violating any privacy policies) ‘we know you can do better because others are doing better.’”

Big data benefits

PeopleNet is also exploring the benefits of looking at larger data sets for information that can benefit its customers, according to Rick Ochsendorf, senior vice president operations for PeopleNet. Like other telematics providers, the company processes enormous amounts of data everyday for fleets. “We are looking at tools that analyze all this data, creating different pools of data that fleets are willing to share,” he says. “Customers would like to know ‘How efficient am I along a certain lane? What do I have to do to improve?’”

“Big data is here,” Ochsendorf observes. “You have to be willing to share to get something back. In the past, there were so many variables baked into the numbers [that it was virtually impossible to get an apples-to-apples comparison].

“There is so much data, big data, at our fingertips, but you have to really parse it down to make sense,” he adds. “[Otherwise, you can misunderstand what you are seeing and make some bad decisions as a result.]”

Tom Fansler, president of Vusion, also sounds a cautionary note when it comes to talking about data and advanced analytics, as exciting as the potential benefits it can deliver are. “This is an interesting time,” he observes. “People use the term ‘analytics’ in all sorts of different ways.

“One of the current trends is data aggregation, but simply having silos of data connected does not necessarily make it actionable or useful because much of the data is just not designed for statistical rigor,” he explains. “You have to describe things in a similar manner even if they have not been described that way before to get beyond simple groupings to the depth required to make predictions you can act on.

“For example, Fansler offers, “There is a very strong relationship between improper lane changes and accidents, but you have to go one step further and ask how often lane changes were the cause of accidents.  You also need to determine how often drivers were cited for improper lane changes not tied to accidents before that data becomes useful as a predictor.

“If you are doing predictive analytics around driver behavior across several companies, the same thing applies, he continues. “You have data on a collection of driver behaviors, but there is also a collection of variables around the carriers that has to be taken into account. If I describe my fleet as a ‘regional hauler,’ is that the same as what other carriers [in the data pool] are saying when they describe themselves as ‘regional haulers’?  Or is there some other metric we can use to identify type of fleet that will sidestep the problem?

“Working to standardize data is a precursor to predictive analytics,” Fansler says. “Lots of companies talk about data integration, but what they are really doing is just grouping together things that have the same field name. How fleets describe sudden accelerations or stops is a good example. While companies may all track those events, what a sudden deceleration or stop really means depends upon how the recording device is configured to capture those events.

“The same is true for speeding,” he continues. “One fleets may call 65 mph speeding, while another sets the trigger at 68 mph. All those events show up in the data bucket called ‘over-speeding,’ but they are not all identical.  In each of these examples, you end up looking at apples and oranges as if they were the same. Ninety percent of analytics is data preparation.

“In order for analytics to work, you also need a partnership between the provider and the carrier,” Fansler adds. “The client has to be invested in the process or we are stuck. Companies that want [to use predictive analytics] have to be committed if they really want to dive into even just the data about their own equipment or their own drivers.”

Opting in and opting out

“The challenge with analytics is always ‘How do we make it consumable and acceptable?’” offers Christian Schenk, vice president product market development and product marketing for XRS (formerly Xata). “We will still have customers who want to hold onto their own data and others who say, ‘If you can help me to do better [by sharing data] count me in.’”

According to Schenk, that means fleets need to be able to opt-in or opt-out of sharing data and that suppliers must make sure pooled data is anonymous and protects the privacy of the companies participating. “Everything is connected these days,” he adds. “Google is a good example. They offer services to you for free in exchange for sharing your profile information with marketers who present promotions to you. It is a question of privacy versus convenience and cost-savings.”

And acceptability is not the only question. Even when the industry’s data collecting, data preparation and analytical skills have become still more precise and sophisticated than they are today, a string of other questions will remain to be addressed. Schenk ticks off a few of the most potentially industry-altering issues: “People are always looking for data,” he notes, “so the question becomes which data sets at what point become valuable and to whom?

Then you have to ask, who owns the data and who pays to see it?” Schenk adds.  “Once you change who pays for specific information, you change everything. It all opens right up.”

If Schenk is correct, fleets may one day have another product to offer in addition to freight transportation and logistics --- their data. And who would want to buy bits and pieces of that?  Think about regulatory agencies, companies building roads and bridges, service suppliers along interstates, equipment manufacturers or other fleets just for starters.

“As a manufacturer, I would want to know [as much as possible about how my equipment is performing],” observes Corey Catten. “I would want to collect that data for myself. I wonder if one day manufacturers will want data from fleets—if they will even buy it?” A darn good question indeed. 

Making change

The ramifications of telematics for trucking

While it may be a long and daunting project, cataloging the list of capabilities and the resulting benefits of telematics for trucking is still (at least theoretically) possible.  What is much tougher to do is to see how telematics and advanced analytics will eventually change the business of trucking as a whole—right down to the very basics such as driver pay, insurance, maintenance and operations.

“Broadly speaking, we view telematics kind of like electricity,” observes Newth Morris IV, president, Telogis Route and company co-founder. “What really matter is what you can drive with it. Telematics impacts everything already, even though we are really at the early stages.”

“Telematics give fleets a window into their operations that they never had before,” says Corey Catten, CTO of inthinc. “There are things fleets can now know that they don’t even have a way to deal with yet.”

Drivers

Recruiting, screening, training, managing and even paying drivers has already been changed profoundly by telematics, and more changes inevitably lie ahead. “The pay issue is going to be paramount in the future,” says Norm Ellis, vice president of sales, service and marketing for Qualcomm Enterprise Services.

The driver shortage is serious and retaining good drivers is critical. “Pay is what will keep drivers in those trucks instead of leaving the industry for construction or something else as the economy recovers, Ellis says. “Frankly, better pay is long overdue. Drivers deserve a living wage, but instead, it has declined. They used to earn five times what a fast food employee is paid. Now, they make only two and a half times what a fast food employee makes.

“Mobil communications are already a help to drivers,” he adds. “They can make the job easier, safer and more pleasant, but drivers have got to make a living [and that is another area where telematics is helping to create positive change].”

All the metrics being gathered about driver behavior are giving drivers, for the first time, a way to document their contributions to a carrier in terms of productivity, efficiency, cost and safety. “A driver now has the ability to say, ‘Look what I was able to do; here is how I was driving,’” says Rick Ochsendorf, senior vice president operations for PeopleNet. “That creates an opportunity to ask for more pay and better benefits and it gives fleets a means to cost justify doing it.”

“We have drivers who have signed up for our system on their own in order to use the data as a resume,” says Christian Schenk, vice president product market development and product marketing for XRS (formerly Xata). “We are going to build a marketplace around that. Last week, we had an owner-operator sign-up, in fact,” Schenk adds. “We’ve created an application they can use to build a resume with data from our system. It really changes the value proposition when you can do that.”

Telematics was deployed first on the operational level and is only now being pushed out to drivers, according to Chris Oliver, chief marketing officer for Zonar. “Trucking companies are logistical experts, but the industry has been slower to take information out to the driver as well,” he says.

Now that is happening.  Drivers can get alerts, via the Zonar system for example, to warn them that they are operating outside a safety parameter in time to correct their behavior before it causes an accident, says Oliver, or even goes against their driving record at the fleet.

“For instance,” he says, “suppose a driver is speeding. The system can send feedback right away via an indicator light in the cab. For the first time or two, a blue light tells the driver that he or she is speeding. Fail to correct the problem and the light turns red and also sends a signal to the fleet manager. It is all about getting data into the right hands at the right time.”

At Qualcomm’s Fleet Risk Advisor business unit, the team is working to push driver intervention back to before a driver even gets into the cab, using predictive analytics to give fleets advanced warning about which drivers are most apt to have an accident or most likely to leave the company in the near future.

According to Vikas Jain, vice president of business development for Fleet Risk Advisor, it is possible to use pattern-matching algorithms to help analyze data to spot behavioral changes that correlate with other issues, such as unsafe driving behaviors or leaving the job, before they occur.

We monitor some 3,000 different data parameters for shifts that correlate to other, potentially dangerous or undesirable behaviors, he explains. We’ve looked at several million models now over five years, considering everything from number of calls to dispatch in a given period to changes in pay. Things like over-speeding or hard-braking are not the predictors of accidents, we believe, they are the results of things that have already happened in the background---something personal, something health- or family-related, a financial worry, a professional concern.

“This is not an unnatural thing to do,” Jain adds. “It is Management 101. We are fortunate in trucking to be able to use data analysis to gain insights that can be used to proactively trigger interventions.”

Insurance

Using telematics and analytics to improve driver performance and hence improve safety is also garnering the attention of insurance companies, which are working more closely than ever with fleets to help deploy technology to manage risk and even reduce insurance premiums.

“Insurance companies are all about data and understanding the nuances of risks,” explains Mark Lucca, second vice president Travelers Enterprise Auto for the commercial automotive group of Travelers Insurance, which has a working relationship with Telogis. “Telematics can help us understand the specifics, the uniqueness of a given fleet,” he says.

“When we look at telematics at a fleet, we ask ‘how is the fleet currently using technology?’” adds Chris Hayes, director of transportation services Travelers Risk Control. “How a fleet is using the available data is more important than the actual data itself. Like airbags, having onboard telematics has no value unless it is activated, used. We see telematics most often in larger fleets, but we have also been surprised by smaller fleets with very sophisticated telematics systems.

“As a part of our risk control process, we make specific recommendations to address various issues, including telematics,” he notes. “We focus on how do you take information and incorporate it back into your operation to improve safety?”

“Unfortunately, there are no uniform standards yet for telematics and data derived from telematics systems,” adds Lucca. “Privacy concerns are also a big issue.  If those problems did not exist, it would help us to target our markets better.”

According to Lucca and Hayes, Travelers does research on what it takes to put together a good telematics program as well as on the obstacles to success. As a result, they have thoughts to offer fleets hoping to better utilize technology to improve safety and perhaps reduce insurance costs in the bargain:

• Take time to move in a very thoughtful manner. Make it clear to drivers and other employees what a new telematics initiative will do.
• Remember that telematics is not a safety solution. It is a tool to improve risk management.
• Also remember that, although safety at a fleet is often tied to regulatory compliance, it is not exactly the same thing.

“Initiatives that clearly reduce cost, such as driving at slower speeds, often also improve safety,” notes Hayes, “and the resulting data gives safety directors ways to quantify that correlation, that benefit. The initial impetus to get a new technology is often to reduce costs or improve operating efficiency, but then fleets can see from the data that it is also tied to safety. We can help them do that.”

Equipment

When it comes to equipment, telematics is also triggering sweeping changes in what fleets are able to know about their vehicles and what they are coming to expect from their equipment suppliers.  “In late 2011, [Daimler Trucks North America] began providing its Virtual Technician solution [developed with partner Zonar] as standard equipment on new Freightliner trucks with Detroit Diesel engines,” notes C.J. Driscoll and Associates in their latest report on telematics. “Today, PACCAR, Volvo, Ford, Navistar, Isuzu and Hino are also offering optional factory- or dealer-installed telematics solutions…”

“People are asking us for more data about their equipment,” says Newth Morris of Telogis. “They want to know if they are specing the right equipment for the job, or if there is a value in using synthetic oil. They tell us what they are evaluating and we help them.

“We also work with various truck makers, such as Ford to help them with continuous improvement programs,” Morris adds. “The Ford Crew Chief is factory-shipped with our device, for instance.  As a result, we get exclusive access to eight to ten data points that can be used by Ford dealerships be more proactive with their service programs.”

Equipment leasing company, Fleet Advantage, is also helping customers make better, more proactive decisions about their vehicles by analyzing a long list of metrics, including factors such as cost per mile, depreciation, interest expense, fuel prices, maintenance costs, driving patterns and even climate and geography to determine the point at which it becomes more cost effective to replace a vehicle. Their EXchangeIt solution was designed to provide a separate profit and loss (P&L) statement for individual vehicles.

“We are making a difference – literally saving our clients millions of dollars by micromanaging fleet cost metrics in an eco-efficient way that delivers the lowest cost of ownership throughout the equipment life cycle,” says Fleet Advantage CEO, John Flynn.

None of this is easy to do, of course, but the progress of telematics and advanced analytics is steady and gaining speed every day. “The challenge for technology is to take what is complicated and make it simple for the customer, so that they see a return, a benefit,” notes Norm Ellis of Qualcomm. “So the more complicated, the better, as I see it.”

http://fleetowner.com/technology/everyone-pool

inthinc Technology Solutions Inc., a global provider oftelematics, fleet management and driver safety solutions, has released a new white paper titled, "The Next Phase of Telematics: Moving Beyond Plug-and-Play." Based on more than 10 years of enterprise telematics deployment experience, the paper offers insight into how large organizations have successfully deployed the inthinc waySmart solution for improved driver safety and fleet efficiency.

"Effective mobile resource management requires more than just a plug-and-play GPS system," said Skip Kinford, inthinc executive vice-president. "If a company thinks they can simply install a GPS-tracker on a vehicle and hope it will make all their problems go away, they will be extremely disappointed. Companies with the highest ROI and healthiest safety culture share unique similarities in character, leadership, planning, process and follow-through. It is these traits that drive continuous change of improvement."

Demonstrating how 'telematics' has evolved beyond basic plug-and-play system, inthinc has developed this guide to educate enterprises on what is required for a successful telematics program -- highlighting critical "best practices" modeled after inthinc's Efficient Execution Methodology, known as E2M. The company's E2M approach to telematics deployment is a proven, consistent and effective methodology that enables successful, repeatable and efficient delivery of the inthinc solution, which in turn helps customers maximize value.

Telematics and mobile resource management is an evolving industry with increasing features and endless possibility. Having provided telematics solutions to Fortune 500 enterprise fleets for more than 10 years, inthinc works side-by-side with customers to set long-term goals, ensure quality deployment and provide 24/7 support.

http://www.vehicleservicepros.com/press_release/10886380/new-whitepaper-describes-next-phase-in-enterprise-telematics-evolution

"inthinc has quickly emerged as a staple in the mining community for its effective fleet management and safety solutions," said Huber. "As such, we are excited to have a team dedicated to our mining customers and compliment our services with the best possible support for the mining industry."

Over the past two years, some of the world's largest and most sophisticated mining organizations have joined the inthinc community. Organizing client services, operations and administrative functions for this key industry will allow inthinc to operate with the single focus of targeting and solving the safety and efficiency needs of the mining community.

To learn more about how inthinc serves the mining industry on a global stage, visit http://inthinc.com/industry/mining

http://www.mining.com/web/introducing-inthincs-new-mining-business-unit/

Learn how to:

• Ensure federal compliance

• Send in-cab verbal reminders to drivers

• Create customizable inspection forms

• Digitally track and report vehicle maintenance

• Reduce inaccuracies and administrative overhead 

http://www.vehicleservicepros.com/press_release/10878274/introducing-electronic-driver-vehicle-inspection-reports-dvir-webinar-series

Cintas
Total Vehicles: 10,000+
Provider: inthinc

Innovative Use: “With inthinc verbal coaching, our drivers receive audible alerts in real-time when performing unsafe driving maneuvers including speeding, aggressive acceleration or braking, hard turns, hard bumps, or failure to wear their seat belt," said Josh Moore, Cintas project manager. "For events, such as speeding and seat belt use, drivers are given a grace period to correct the unsafe action before the violation is recorded in the inthinc.com Management Portal where I and other fleet managers can view both fleet and driver performance. By sending our drivers those immediate verbal alerts, we are proactively correcting unsafe driving habits and improving the safety of our fleet."

Management Buy-in: According to Moore, inthinc was well received by management following a successful pilot program ran in its Uniform Rental division.

"During that period, our vehicle incident rate drop by 46 percent, our seat-belt use improved by 89 percent, and idle time and fuel use dropped substantially," Moore explained. "For driver buy-in, we try to stress the importance of safety and remind them that the system is there to help them get home to their families unharmed. What we found appealing about inthinc is that we can give our drivers a 15-second grace period to correct unsafe driving behaviors, with no consequence. And rather than using the inthinc system to solely crack down on unsafe driving, we adopted an aggressive safety campaign and incentives program to recognize the safe drivers and we reward them with various prizes and giveaways."

http://www.automotive-fleet.com/article/story/2013/01/web-extra-focus-on-telematics-goals-for-greater-roi-fleet-feedback-top-reasons-to-use-telematics/page/1.aspx

It’s been said before, yet the message bears repeating: Telematics is no longer just GPS tracking and vehicle routing. However, with so many options at a fleet manager’s fingertips, how do fleet managers select the right program, the best provider, and ensure a company achieves a return on its investment? According to the telematics industry experts, it all boils down to one simple directive: focus on the company’s goals. 

Each fleet has differing needs, requiring unique approaches to achieve desired results. Focusing on the end goal of what a company requires from its investment in telematics will lead fleet managers through the path of least resistance when instituting a new program or modifying an existing one.

Identifying the Many Known (& Unknown) Benefits of Telematics

The benefits of telematics are common knowledge, including increased fuel savings, more efficient vehicle tracking and routing, and the ability to set geofencing parameters.

However, due to the growing needs of fleets around the country, telematics programs are evolving to encompass driver safety, increased employee productivity and efficiency, route compliance, and improved customer service, among others.

Driver safety is one recurring theme noted by several telematics providers.

“The age-old challenge with the mobile workforce is that you simply can’t get enough visibility into their day to provide meaningful feedback to drivers,” noted Karen White, senior vice president of Customer Solutions for GreenRoad. “How safely a driver arrived at a destination isn’t measured just by whether the driver crashed or arrived safely; we measure it maneuver by maneuver, every mile, based on forces exerted in the cab.”

According to White, with the aid of technology, you can overcome the mobile workforce dilemma and gain insight into how a driver is doing his or her job without being in the passenger seat.

“Having a device in a vehicle, acting as a coach, instantly helps drivers become more cautious on the roads,” agreed Todd Follmer, CEO of inthinc Technology Solutions, Inc.

“Safety is also of paramount importance to an organization, and it’s two- tiered: employee safety and the duty to ensure the safe operation of a vehicle on public roads,” according to Angela Vanek, project lead for Strategic Accounts at SageQuest, a branded offering of Fleetmatics.

One factor not typically connected with telematics is improved customer service. Again, while not a new feature, fleets are utilizing this aspect of their telematics programs in a new way.

“Our program clearly shows the closest driver to dispatch to a needed location. This can help validate service, helping verify that service was done. It can also help improve the response time to customers,” according to Todd Lewis, president of GPS North America.

This is especially key for emergency- or disaster-response situations, where immediate assistance can make a huge difference.

Telematics can also assist with compliance issues, including corporate policies, hours-of-service requirements, and seat belt laws, among others.

Finally, in the age of more available reports than minutes in a day, telematics can help take big data and make it useful.

“Fleets often have different sets of information. By integrating GPS data with fuel card usage and miles driven, you can get intelligent reports and insight into your business that can really drive savings,” according to Mark Wallin, VP of product management for Telogis. “Fleet managers need to be able to take all of this data and make it actionable.”

Time is definitely a concern for already busy fleet managers. “Managers typically think they are too busy to embark on yet another new project, swimming in data they don’t have the bandwidth to use,” White noted. “That’s why GreenRoad’s mantra is ‘Data into action.’ We focus on not just providing data, but on exception-based management that makes it truly actionable, with minimal effort.”

Follmer of inthinc also believes that improved driver efficiency is an up-and-coming benefit of vehicle telematics. “Managers are able to monitor performance, study trends, and identify areas of weakness in their fleets,” he noted.

Showing Management an ROI

Fleet managers should understand that there is no need to overspend on a solution. “Make sure you choose an easy-to-use, easy-to-understand solution,” noted Corinna Tutor, vice president of Integrated Marketing for Spireon. “Telematics can save time and money, not only on the road, but in the back office as well. Ensure the solution you select helps you use less administrative and management resources, in addition to being more efficient on the road.”

Vanek of SageQuest noted the benefit of increased efficiency as well. “In this economic climate, efficiency is key. The ability to easily understand how your fleet is operating and where your opportunities for operational improvement lie are paramount,” she said.

Ryan Driscoll, marketing manager for GPS Insight, cautioned against just selecting the lowest-cost provider, using gold and silver as an analogy.

“As our founder, Rob Donat, always says, if you can buy a bar of silver for $25, that’s a great deal and will provide a fantastic ROI. However, if you can alternatively buy a more expensive bar of gold for $40, your ROI is vastly more than if you purchased the bar of silver,” Driscoll said.

He noted that, while gold costs more up front, it will yield significantly more ROI if a small premium is paid. “We hear about this all the time,” he said. “Companies went with the lower-cost solution. However, it’s about the opportunity cost of not going with a solution that will really fit your cost of business challenges in a way that a higher-end (and slightly more expensive) solution does. And, we typically see those customers cancel and go with the higher-end solution once they determine this for themselves.”

Ryan Foisy, program manager for WEX Telematics, recommended using a scoring model to be sure fleet managers are making the right choice.

“Keep in mind, although you will likely achieve some level of savings with most solutions, in most instances, you get what you pay for,” he said. “In short, don’t make it all about price as this is an investment no matter how you slice it. So, be sure it’s the best fit for your company and specific business case. If the right solution is used properly, you will see tremendous results long term.”

As the old phrase goes, “you don’t know what you don’t know.” This is particularly apt for telematics, according to Vanek.

“My favorite part of each customer deployment I perform is the moment where I look at fleet performance data for the first time with my customer,” Vanek said. “Each customer I work with has an idea of how they think their fleet is operating, yet are stunned when they are able to actually look at the real data that shows them how their fleet is really operating.”

Driscoll noted that a GPS tracking solution can pay for itself in as little as one or two months, if used fully.

When selecting a telematics solution, Chris Ransom, director of sales engineering for Networkfleet, recommended fleet managers consider the experience and reputation of the vendor, if the application supports all vehicle types, what type of support is offered, and how easy the system is to install and use. “Fleet managers should also consider flexibility in pricing, such as monthly service plans with no up-front costs,” Ransom said.

The insights into greater efficiencies can help transform fleet operations and provide the ability to validate an ROI, which can result in real cost savings across the board in fuel, utilization, maintenance, insurance costs, and more, according to Ransom.

“First, drivers become more aware, drive safely, reduce speeding, and become overall more efficient. This not only reduces fuel costs, but can provide cost savings in labor or increased efficiency,” Ransom noted. “Revenue can also be increased through the ability to increase the number of stops each day, and a fleet may be able to reduce the number of vehicles by monitoring fleet utilization and vehicle usage, which can provide a savings of 5 to 10 percent.”

Marlene Waltz, director of solution sales at Sprint, noted that “significant increases in operational efficiencies can be found, not only in the fleet space, but savings and efficiencies that reverberate throughout the company as other departments benefit from the insights and process improvements as well.”

There is plenty of data available to support the implementation of a telematics system. “Today, the awareness of telematics is there. It’s all about pulling the trigger,” said Lewis of GPS North America.

Look at other company fleets’ successful use of telematics programs. “We urge our customers to point to the success of our current customers,” said Follmer of inthinc. “Barrick Gold Corp. reduced its incident rate by 68 percent within the first year of implementation. Cintas experienced an 85-percent reduction in speeding alerts and 89-percent improvement in seat-belt use after installing our technology.”

White of GreenRoad also urged fleet managers to look at the results of others. “The proof is in the pudding,” she said. “There is no substitute for the success stories of other fleets. We can connect prospective telematics adopters with other GreenRoad customers so they can discuss ROI measurements and results with their peers.”

Wallin of Telogis agreed and added this advice: “Work closely with your solution providers. They have the experience in the industry and with customers who have had success,” he said.

Fleet managers should also be sure they have focused on key goals, figuring out what they expect from the project. “Focus on one or two key goals for the business,” Wallin said. “If it’s driver safety, reduced operating costs, etc., there are so many benefits available. Focus on a few and really figure out what you need to achieve from the project. What are the goals, and how you can get the biggest bang for your buck?”

Colin Sutherland, VP of sales for Geotab also believes if it can’t be measured, it can’t be managed. “Telematics is an essential management tool based on recording precise information on how people and assets are used 24 hours a day,” he said. “Fleets should look at two high-level objectives — reducing expenses and improving the company’s revenue. To reduce expenses, fleets need to first target how and where fuel is consumed — from the fuel card purchase to the miles that are driven.”

When determining goals, Waltz of Sprint recommended “when working on the ROI, it’s important to recognize different businesses have differing goals that are most important to their bottom line, different issues they are trying to solve. It’s important to identify that ‘one thing’ that is most important to that business and build the ROI analysis around that, then work to address the other concerns and of the stakeholders and how the solution may help improve those areas as well.”

For example, a delivery fleet may want to focus on fuel efficiencies from optimizing routes and reducing idle time, while a service and repair fleet may care more about the ability to dispatch service personnel in a way that improves response time.

Telematics can also make a fleet manager’s job easier in two important ways: enabling drivers to self-improve through real-time feedback in the vehicle, and by providing managers with detailed visibility into their resources (both human and physical) when those resources are off the lot.

“It’s a step change in the mobile resource management experience,” White said. “There are huge wins to be had here, with some potentially surprising external results to boot. We’ve heard from customers whose employee retention soared as their manager engaged more with drivers who experienced a reduction in safety incidents and fewer crashes. When you engage your team — rather than watching them from behind the glass — and build a pervasive safety culture, good things happen.”

When evaluating or promoting a new telematics program, it is important to be able to measure the ROI, according to Tutor of Spireon. “You also need to ensure you partner with the right company. Look for a financially solid company driven by innovation that provides scalable technology to grow with your business, and its needs,” she said.

Lewis, an ex-service business owner himself, also noted the importance of a scalable program. “Scalability means that, for under $300, a company can implement the program and get a unit that gives them complete tracking, but provides the ability to add-on features later that they might not have wanted today, such as a mobile data terminal or simple GPS unit for dispatch and navigation.”

The bottom line, according to Tutor: “Get a system that is easy-to-use and easy-to-implement.”

Promoting Telematics to Management

The support of senior management is crucial to the successful deployment of any program, including telematics. Their involvement should be sought early on, and continue throughout the process.

“Involve C-Level management early to explain the savings. Don’t be overwhelmed by the investment, as savings will truly dwarf the investment,” according to Foisy of WEX Telematics. “Lean on your sales consultant to show how the savings will happen.”

Waltz of Sprint recommended identifying key stakeholders who may benefit from the data and improvements telematics can create. “Identify what information gaps and deficits you have today that, if filled, could increase the efficiency and productivity metrics,” she said. “Estimate the improvements and value of filling those gaps, such as what savings could be achieved, what additional revenue can be realized, and how many more widgets could get shipped out, etc.”

As Sutherland of Geotab noted, you can’t manage without measuring what’s going on, and this can be a key push for telematics. “Telematics is like having a supervisor in each vehicle recording all activity every minute of every day,” he said. “Today, telematics software is simple to use and identifies opportunities for savings and growth as well.”

To help promote telematics to management, you must continue to prove the ROI. Foisy shared three ways the ROI for telematics is typically proven:

• ROI in concept. This is a high-level look relying on study info from such sources as C.J. Driscoll & Associates, Aberdeen Group, or even Automotive Fleet magazine. If you can realize 10-20 percent in fuel savings, ROI should easily be achieved for most fleets.
• Rather than study data or a supplement to it, use an ROI calculator applying the fleet’s best estimates of data elements.
• Start small by piloting a few vehicles and prove savings. 

“The rule of thumb is that for most fleets, the fuel savings alone get you a relatively quick ROI — if you believe that, then the rest is gravy,” Foisy continued. “In truth, it’s just the beginning of a meaningful, lasting change in your business.”

Fleet managers need to select a telematics program that can provide a variety of reports and information, noted Ransom of Networkfleet. “For example, Networkfleet provides the type of high-level reports, such as fleet utilization, that senior management needs to understand the impact of the program,” he said.

Push back from management is always a possibility, especially in terms of the cost of purchasing a new program, according to Driscoll of GPS Insight.

“We suggest focusing on the core business challenges you want to solve, and how telematics can help solve them. Then, look at how your company will save more than the actual product or technology costs. We recommend a pilot to help prove this,” Driscoll said. “Employee push back tends to be the ‘Big Brother’ issue, feeling as though they are not trusted. Management needs to explain the program is in place to save the company money and have the ability to back the driver up if the need arises.”

Foisy of WEX Telematics agreed that the most common challenge is driver push back or objection. “But, the good news is that a well thought-out and well-implemented game plan can actually shift the pendulum in the other direction,” he said. “I recommend engaging drivers early, setting up a reward system, stressing what is in it for them, and politely communicating driver policy.”

When looking at policy, Sutherland recommended not trying to invent a new policy. “Fleet managers need to look at what is already published and communicated to employees in the driver handbook, including cell-phone use and fuel card policies, and build on that,” he said.

Before implementing a telematics solution, fleet managers need to take the time to lay the groundwork, gathering information on current vehicle utilization and operating costs. “

This will be needed to compare costs before and after implementation, and to calculate ROI,” according to Ransom. “If possible, the utilization information should include vehicle usage, idle time, fuel consumption, mpg, total trips per day, and routing processes, in order to determine if every vehicle is being utilized efficiently.”

However, perhaps one of the most compelling factors to promote to management is the human factor. “One fatality is too many for any organization,” according to Follmer. “Systems like ours help prevent risky behavior and allow drivers to get home safely, every day.”

Common Misperceptions

Even though telematics has come a long way from being thought of as simply vehicle routing and tracking, it’s still tough to get rid of the “Big Brother” or “spy technology” mentality.

“A common misperception is that telematics is only being used to monitor employees,” said Ransom of Networkfleet. “However, telematics actually helps ensure the safety of each driver. By making sure a vehicle is being used efficiently, is well maintained, and is running properly, it can help ensure the safety of the driver.”

Ransom continued, “Further, even though there is sometimes initial resistance from field personnel, telematics is almost always universally accepted a short time later. People quickly see improvements in efficiency, which makes their company stronger. Everyone has a stake in that.”

GreenRoad has also found that, based on its experience, 95-percent of the time drivers embrace the technology. “There are always a few drivers that resist, but the vast majority of drivers are true professionals interested in new technologies that can help them self-improve,” White said.

Vanek of SageQuest continued on the theme of driver acceptance and the “Big Brother” mentality, noting the biggest misperception that exists around utilizing telematics is the assumption that it is hard to bring this powerful tool into an organization and have it embraced and promoted to enact efficiency change.

“This couldn’t be farther from the truth,” she said. “Also, fleet managers need to overcome the ‘Big Brother’ perception associated with rolling out a telematics solution. SageQuest does not promote the use of the application as a monitoring tool; it is promoted for what it is — an efficiency tool. We work with fleet managers to ensure the solution is viewed as a tool, not a weapon.”

Fleet managers must avoid using the tool in a negative manner, and work to ensure employees are aware that the program is not intended to be an enemy.

“The positive intent on the operator should always be assumed,” Vanek continued. The data collected is, and should be, used as a method to streamline operations and improve revenue retention.”

White of GreenRoad commented, “No one wants a spy in their cab, and telematics often has that reputation.”

Many telematics applications offer drivers full visibility into the data their managers see, and, in some cases, they get to see it first.

Fleet managers may also be under the impression that telematics solutions are completely “plug-and-play,” and that, by simply installing a system in vehicles, all of their troubles will disappear. “We have found that companies with the highest ROI are those that have hired dedicated champions to look over the program, monitor the results, study the trends, and take appropriate action,” noted Follmer of inthinc.

Wallin of Telogis also agreed that dedicated resources are a necessity for a successful program. “Have dedicated resources. Program implementation should really have someone assigned to the project with a clear understanding of business objectives. It doesn’t work if you install the program and hope that magic happens. You need to have a plan and goals; and it’s dedicated resources that help.”

Additional misperceptions noted by Tutor of Spireon and Foisy of WEX Telematics are high start-up costs and expensive programs.

“Common misstatements include ‘it’s too expensive,’ or ‘they are all the same, therefore the lowest price wins.’ The decision should be weighted far more toward fit and effectiveness than price,” Foisy said. “Low-cost providers are risky and it tends to follow the old adage that you get what you pay for. There are many providers out there, so be methodical when making your choice.”

A recurring theme surrounding challenges related to instituting a telematics program was the lack of forward thinking and planning ahead.

“Fleets are most successful when they take the time to develop an internal deployment plan for telematics. In this plan, they identify what to focus on first and what they expect to master in the first few weeks, months, and years to realize the greatest ROI,” said Ransom of Networkfleet.

Finally, there is always the danger of data overload. “Leveraging the right data is a common challenge of fleet managers,” said Follmer of inthinc. “It is easy to draw quick conclusions from data without studying the trends and understanding the whole story.”

Remember, your organization has vehicles driving all over, most likely with your company logo on it. “Any operation of that vehicle is a reflection of the organization,” Vanek said.

http://www.automotive-fleet.com/article/story/2013/01/focus-on-telematics-goals-for-greater-roi/page/1.aspx

Cintas Corp., a company that specializes in providing a range of services, including the design, manufacture, and implementation of corporate identity uniform programs to businesses, is using telematics to reduce the number of vehicle incidents its drivers experience and shrink its carbon footprint. 

“Cintas has dedicated considerable resources to ensure its employees return home safely each and every day,” said Josh Moore, six sigma black belt at Cintas.

The company installed telematics technology from inthinc in 1,200 vehicles in its Uniform Rental division.

In addition to improving overall driver safety, Cintas focused on using the technology to reduce vehicle idling. The telematics technology notifies drivers when a vehicle is idling for too long, and, if the driver doesn’t respond, sends a notification to the fleet manager.

“Cintas is making a strong, conscious effort to reduce its footprint on the environment,” Moore said. “By setting up these alerts, our drivers are aware of how long their vehicle has been running idle and are reminded to turn the key, allowing us to not only save on gas, but substantially reduce carbon emissions as well.”

http://www.greenfleetmagazine.com/article/51371/best-practices-in-emissions-reduction-strategies/p/3

It’s serene and restrained, the tone very serious.

Perhaps a little 2001: A Space Odyssey-like.

“I’m afraid I can’t do that. The risk is unacceptable.”

Well, you’ll be relieved to know that it won’t actually be HAL talking.

But the latest in road-safety technology, called the inthinc waySmart, comes pretty darn close, as it can “coach” the driver in real time when it detects unsafe driving behaviour.

Or, in other words, it’ll know something’s wrong before you do.

Installed as a box beneath the driver seat, waySmart plugs into the vehicle’s onboard computer and “watches” the driver, checking speed via both the vehicle’s sensors, as well as its own sensors, in real time, monitoring vehicle motion and aggressive driving behaviour. Notably, pumping the brake too hard, accelerating too fast, or making sharp turns. The system also alerts drivers if they drift outside their lane, or if their cushion of distance is too small.

Inthinc’s Communications Manager, Daniel Ashby, stressed that waySmart technology does not, in fact, have any control over the vehicle and that it merely acts as a monitoring entity.

“When the driver is speeding down a street, a voice prompt will tell them to slow down and let them know they’re speeding. The driver then has 15 seconds to comply with that violation, otherwise, it’s reported to inthinc’s online portal where managers can see,” he said. “The idea isn’t so much to punish the driver, but rather coach them to become safer drivers, so we give them that opportunity to slow down.”

WaySmart also acts as a GPS tracking device that communicates wi-fi, cellular, or satellite signals that are directly sent to inthinc’s online portal. There, fleet managers can track their vehicles’ location and drivers’ performance.

A Voice of Wisdom? 

Uniform giant Cintas reported that since their fleets were equipped with waySmart technology, speeding incidents were reduced by a staggering 85 percent.

“The verbal coaching feature has had a huge impact, keeping our drivers safe on the road,” said Josh Moore, Cintas project manager. “Even with excellent driving courses and training, sometimes drivers become unaware of their driving habits. Having an in-cab device coaching drivers in real time has been a huge help in correcting dangerous driving behaviors.”

Cintas reported that seat belt use also increased in all their divisions, ranging from a 79-89 percent improvement.

And with a computer watching the seatbelt closely, there really is no room for error.

“One of the most common excuses we hear from drivers who fail to wear a seat belt, is they simply forgot. With inthinc in the vehicle reminding drivers to buckle up, there really is no excuse and so drivers are complying with our seat belt policy more frequently.”

On top of monitoring driving habits, waySmart can also be programmed with multiple alerts, such as timed engine idling.

“If managers don’t want their drivers idling over five minutes, they can set an alert,” Ashby said, adding that alerts will continue to persist if ignored. “If they haven’t buckled their seatbelts on, it’ll tell them to put on their seatbelts, and it will repeat it every 10 seconds until they actually comply.”

Ashby highlighted that inthinc decided to go with an automated voice instead of other types of alerts because they can confuse the driver even more.

“Other solutions use beeps and lights, but the problem with that is it can mean a variety of things; it’s just beeping at you and you’re not exactly sure what it’s beeping about,” he said.

Making The Call on Safety

Using a directional antenna installed in the cab’s headliner just above the driver, this yet-to-be-released device detects cell phone waves emitted from the driver seat and reports it to inthinc’s portal. Fleet managers then get notified via email, text message or phone that their drivers' vehicles are in motion and a cell phone is in use whether they’re calling, texting or emailing.

At the manager’s discretion, settings can also be adjusted to either send an in-cab voice alert or quietly report the violation, so drivers who are using their cell phones behind the wheel won’t necessarily know they’re being caught in the act.

Ashby said the ‘cell phone visibility feature’ is currently under development, set to be an addition to existing waySmart technology, not at all related to other cell-jamming applications.

“Our approach for this is just detection; it’s not really smart to be jamming cell phones while on the road. If someone’s using the phone, then the system reports it to the manager and they can assess for themselves if that was a warranted phone call or not,” Ashby said, adding that inthinc’s modus operandi is actually before the fact, not after.

“We’re all about correcting bad habits so we can form safer drivers. We’re a proactive solution, versus a reactive solution. We’re trying to prevent accidents from happening, not figuring out what happened after the fact,” he said.

[W]aySmart also has other safety features, too.

In case of emergencies, drivers can hit a call button that puts them in direct contact with the manager (or whichever phone numbers are programmed in the system).

And, in case contact cannot be made with the driver, Ashby said waySmart will still be able to detect the status of the vehicle itself, as crash sensors are installed onboard as well.

“We have a crash detector, so the manager will receive a call, an email or a text message if the vehicle has been involved in an accident,” he said.

In a worst case-scenario where the vehicle is lost altogether, a black box, or data recorder, (the kind you find on jetliners) is also installed onboard, which in turn can send crash reconstruction data to inthinc themselves.

Ashby said that besides being a safety system, waySmart also serves as fleet management application, allowing users to log in service hours, record vehicle inspection alerts, and input safety checklists, which, in turn, they can send back to their fleet manager.

It’s not solely for trucks either. The waySmart can be installed on anything from a Ford F150 pick-up, to a colossal mining hauler.

http://www.todaystrucking.com/danger-will-robinson-going-too-fast-says-safety-system

Company: Cintas Corp.

Operation: Designer and supplier of corporate uniforms, promotional products, safety products, protection services and document management services

Problem: Cintas provides services to approximately 900,000 businesses around the world. To do that, though, requires some 10,000 vehicles spread across a large area, creating a logistical challenge when enforcing company vehicle regulations.

Everything from seat-belt use to speeding policies sat on the books to protect the well-being of Cintas’ employees as well as others out on the road. But simply having policies on record was not enough to persuade drivers to follow them.

“Cintas has dedicated considerable resources to ensure [its] employees return home safely each and every day,” says Josh Moore, Cintas project manager.

While Cintas ranked among the best in its field in safety categories, the company realized it could do more. Reducing speeding incidents, crashes and increasing safety-belt use among drivers was just part of the equation. The company also realized it was wasting fuel through excessive idling and at the same time harming the environment—something environmentally responsible companies today try to prevent.

Solution: For Cintas, the solution came in the form of telematics company inthinc. Inthinc’s software, tested in 1,200 company vehicles, offered all of the answers to Cintas’ problems, from verbal coaching of drivers, to audible in-vehicle alerts, to driver and fleet scorecards.

The verbal coaching provides drivers real-time alerts anytime an unsafe driving maneuver such as speeding, aggressive acceleration or hard braking occurs. Failure to wear a seat belt also triggers alerts. Violations are recorded in the inthinc.com management portal for viewing by management. Drivers are provided a grace period to correct the action before the violation is recorded, stresses inthinc.

“We color code each driver score as a way to signal which drivers should be recognized for safe driving and which are posing the biggest threat to safety,” Moore points out. “High scores are reflected with a green color to let us, and the driver, know their driving performance is in good standing. Drivers operating recklessly on the roads and having violations are coded yellow, and multiple violations are coded red to indicate they need additional training.”

The result has been an 85% reduction in speeding and an 89% increase in seat-belt use. Overall, vehicle incidents have been decreased 46%.

Cintas is also able to use data from the in-cab devices to view performance scorecards for both individual drivers and the fleet as a whole.

“The verbal coaching feature has had a huge impact, keeping our drivers safe on the road,” Moore says. “Even with excellent driving courses and training, sometimes drivers become unaware of their driving habits. Having an in-cab device coaching drivers in real time has been a huge help in correcting dangerous driving behaviors.”

As well as improving overall driver safety, Cintas has been able to reduce carbon emissions and fuel use. By utilizing inthinc’s idle alerts, drivers are notified if a vehicle has been idling too long. Notifications are sent to managers if the driver does not respond.

While Cintas is used to delivering solutions to others, in this case, it was the company that was the recipient of some positive intervention.

http://fleetowner.com/fleet-management/fleets-online-behavior-modification

At Barrick Gold Corp, being the world’s best gold company means finding, acquiring, developing and producing quality reserves in a safe, profitable and socially responsible manner.

To help promote safety across the entire company, which has 25,000 employees and 3,000 vehicles, spanning 26 operational mines on five continents, Barrick Gold developed a three-point plan with the ultimate goal of zero employee fatalities. First and foremost, the company needed to boost awareness to increase employee safety. To reduce vehicle incidents and accident-related costs, the firm would also need to improve driving behaviours.

As a result, Barrick Gold committed to installing inthinc waySmart across its global fleet, which immediately put the focus on safety. It provides in-cab verbal coaching and audible alerts that sound when the driver exceeds the posted or manager-assigned speed limit, drives aggressively or doesn’t wear a seatbelt. Because the alerts are consistent, they encourage the development of safer behaviours which can significantly reduce the risk of an accident.

“We preferred waySmart because it is the only solution that actually talks to the driver,” says Bob Dechant, director of safety and health for Barrick Gold. “Having a voice in the vehicle, coaching in real-time, is a very effective way to get drivers to improve their habits.”

Managers can use the inthinc.com management portal to monitor real-time vehicle locations, driver habits and trip details. The data and insights also allow managers to reward safe drivers and identify those who may require further training.

waySmart has effectively supported Barrick’s safety culture around the world. It has helped keep employees safe by reducing unsafe driving habits and vehicle incidents. After its installation, the number of speeding violations across all Barrick sites decreased by 80 percent and vehicle incidents dropped 68 percent within the first year. As a result, crash-related costs dropped significantly, exceeding savings goals by more than 50 percent.

“inthinc has been very effective in improving driver safety,” says Dechant. “Not only did we significantly reduce our number of incidents, but we experienced a dramatic drop in accident-related costs. The service more than paid for itself within one year.”

Due to the nature of the gold-mining business, Barrick Gold employees frequently work in remote locations far from established bases. waySmart’s work-alone timer and emergency call button send alerts and distress calls from anywhere via Iridium-based satellite technology. The driver determines how long he expects a specific task to take, then sets the timer accordingly. If he doesn’t return to reset or deactivate the timer, the device sends the manager an alert, notifying him that the employee has yet to return to the vehicle. The calls can be routed to Barrick’s security or dispatch centres where personnel are able to identify the exact location of the stranded vehicle and provide a timely response.

“Our inthinc initiative promotes better drivers,” says Dechant. “It makes us aware of bad, good or otherwise stale driving habits and has had a direct impact on the cost of operating our mining sites.”

http://www.canadianmanufacturing.com/purchasing-and-procurement/fleet/gold-for-safety-82950

inthinc Technology Solutions Inc. has released an updated version of smartZones—an enhanced GPS-based technology that allows fleet managers to draw boundaries around customized regions for easier fleet administration and safety monitoring.

• Enables fleet managers to assign specific attributes within a created zone that map to their companies’ safety policies— including speed limits, seat belt use and aggressive driving 

• Allows fleet managers to create speed limits for various parts of work area if operating in a region with no defined speed limits

• In-cab verbal notification tells drivers to slow down if they exceed the assigned speed limit

• Drivers may also receive verbal alerts for excessive idling, or upon entering or exiting a caution zone or hazardous area

• Provides automated text or email alerts to fleet managers if an accident or other dangerous activity occurs within the defined area

• Seatbelt Use alerts drivers when their seatbelt is not fastened

• Caution Area Alert alerts drivers when they are approaching a hazardous area

• Zone Arrival/Departure Alerts notify fleet manager when drivers enter or exit a defined zone

• Driver Behavior Alerts provides safety alerts for hard turns, hard braking or hard dips within a zone

• Free-form drawing tool enables users to create smartZone boundaries without being constrained by having to work with only circles or square shapes

• Allows creation of any number of smartZones to monitor

• Provides regional or individual driver scorecards, in-cab verbal coaching, GPS and trips reporting, electronic hours-of-service logs and more

• All information managed from the web-based inthinc.com management portal 

• Helps reduce fleet-wide speeding by over 80% within the first month of using the system

http://www.oemoffhighway.com/product/10819696/inthinc-smartzones-fleet-management-and-safety-system

http://moderncontractorsolutions.com/articlesdetail.php?id_articles=1426&id_artcatg=9

Obviously driving a 400 ton haul truck like it’s on a NASCAR track is as far from a good idea as one can get, yet it unquestionably happens on every mine site.  It’s a risk to personnel and equipment, and can adversely affect fuel economy and wear on the vehicle.  To address this issue, inthinc Technology Solutions, Inc. (yes, it’s lowercase inthinc) has developed a Fleet Management system called WaySmart to track driving behavior and efficiency.

The vehicle-mounted WaySmart system will detect factors such as speed, seat belt usage, erratic driving behavior (often the result of driving drowsy, weaving and so on) and will alert the driver with a verbal announcement.  Apparently this verbal announcement is horribly annoying, which quickly helps to correct the unsafe behavior.  If the behavior continues for 15 seconds of alert, a log of the event will be sent to a central database for management intervention.  This will work two ways, however – while it will become easy to identify unsafe operators for discipline, safe drivers (i.e. those that don’t alert the system) can be rewarded with an easily-quantified metric of safety.

There are other uses for the WaySmart system beyond correcting unsafe driving practices.  If the system detects a crash, it will immediately send out an alert to inform emergency responders of the accident.  It also tracks efficiency of the vehicle in order to help optimize up-time and mitigate fuel costs.  The WaySmart system can also keep track of operator hours, either through manually tracking on the dashboard interface or automatically tracking – it will detect when the vehicle is in motion and will count that as time on-the-clock.

Oh, it will also detect when cell phones are in use, so no texting while hauling.

The system has been deployed across the board to Barrick sites, and they have reported great success with it.  They have published a brief description of their global deployment here, in the Safety Programs section.

More information on the WaySmart system or inthinc’s other fleet management offerings can be found here.

http://www.thehighgradegeek.com/?p=209

inthinc will showcase its automatic driver alert near blast zones and its crash and rollover detection systems.

inthinc Technology Solutions is a global provider of telematics, fleet management and driver-safety solutions for some of the largest mining corporations in the world. inthinc offers the ability to manage fleets, improve safety, and meet compliance requirements in the most rugged and remote conditions.

“The inthinc system has changed driver  behaviors in several areas,” Bruce Huber, former senior director of Safety and Health at Barrick Gold said. “Seat Belts are now in use, speeding has been eliminated and aggressive driving has been dramatically reduced.”

inthinc waySmart is a proven driver-behavior-based fleet management solution that uses in-cab verbal coaching and real-time notifications to improve driver safety, fleet efficiency and compliance. Fleet managers can monitor driver behavior with features such as GPS-based vehicle and trip tracking and in-cab verbal coaching alerts for speeding, idling, seat belt use, aggressive and fatigued driving. waySmart communicates by satellite or cellular signals allowing fleet managers to monitor vehicles around the world with real-time incident notification, regardless of how remote the service location.

In addition, inthinc offers blastZones technology, allowing managers to create customized geo-zones around open pit blast areas and send real-time, in-cab alerts to drivers. blastZones enables managers to verify the location of its vehicles through the inthinc.com management portal and receive automated text or email alerts when drivers enter and exit a defined region, ensuring the blast area is cleared.

According to inthinc, Cintas has seen an 85% decreased in speeding and 46% drop in vehicle incidents since deploying the software across 1,200 fleet vehicles. Additional deployment is now planned based on the success of the initial rollout, inthinc said.

“I believe the inthinc system has the potential to be a game-changer for Cintas,” said Rick Gerlach, director of safety at Cintas. “The system uses state-of-the-art technology to influence driving behaviors and reduce risk in a real-time environment. But the most important benefit of the technology is that it not only allows us to identify drivers who could benefit from some additional safety training at the wheel, but also provides an opportunity for Cintas to recognize and reward our drivers who make safety a core value at all times.”

Cintas also saw an 89% increase in seat belt use within one year of implementation.

According to inthinc, drivers receive audible alerts in real-time when performing unsafe driving maneuvers including speeding, aggressive acceleration or braking, hard turns, hard bumps or failure to wear their seat belt. Drivers are given a predetermined grace period to correct the action before the violation is recorded online in the inthinc.com Management Portal where managers can view fleet and driver performance.

“Cintas has dedicated considerable resources to ensure its employees return home safely each and every day,” said Josh Moore, six sigma black belt at Cintas. “What we like about inthinc is that it is a proactive, rather than reactive, approach to promoting safer driving.”

http://fleetowner.com/technology/cintas-cuts-speeding-incidents-inthinc-technology

Cintas has safety policies and driver training programs in place, but it wanted to further improve its safety metrics.

“Cintas has dedicated considerable resources to ensure its employees return home safely each and every day,” said Josh Moore, six sigma black belt at Cintas.

The company installed telematics technology from inthinc in 1,200 vehicles in its Uniform Rental division.

Although the company ranked highly in driving safety categories, according to inthinc, Cintas was able to reduce the number of speeding events it experienced by 85%, and increase seat belt use by 89%, within one year of implementation. These specific improvements resulted in a 46% decrease in the number of vehicle incidents the company experienced in its Northeast division during a six-month period, for example.

The system itself uses real-time updates to inform company drivers about their driving behavior.

“We color code each driver score as a way to signal which drivers should be recognized for safe driving and which are posing the biggest threat to safety,” Moore said. “High scores are reflected with a green color to let us, and the driver, know their driving performance is in good standing. Drivers operating recklessly on the roads and have violations are coded yellow and multiple violations are coded red to indicate they need additional training.”

As well as improving overall driver safety, Cintas focused on using the technology to reduce vehicle idling. The telematics technology notifies drivers when a vehicle is idling for too long, and if the driver doesn’t respond, sends a notification to the fleet manager.

“Cintas is making a strong conscious effort to reduce its footprint on the environment,” Moore said. “By setting up these alerts, our drivers are aware of how long their vehicle has been running idle and are reminded to turn the key, allowing us to not only save on gas, but substantially reduce carbon emissions as well.”

The system’s web-based Management Portal also allows the company to gauge driver performance, for example to identify high-risk drivers, and spot trends in order to improve driving behavior. Rick Gerlach, director of safety at Cintas, noted that the system also allows the company to recognize and reward drivers who focus on safety.

The company is planning a more widespread rollout, according to inthinc.

http://www.automotive-fleet.com/News/Story/2012/08/Cintas-Using-Telematics-to-Reduce-Vehicle-Incidents-and-Idling.aspx?ref=eNews-Friday-20120831&utm_source=Email&utm_medium=Enewsletter

The inthinc solution was initially installed in more than 1,200 Cintas vehicles, and employs verbal coaching for more effectiveness. The driver receives an audible alert in real-time when performing unsafe driving maneuvers including speeding, aggressive acceleration or braking, hard turns, hard bumps or failure to wear their seat belt.

Drivers are given a predetermined grace period to correct the action before the violation is recorded online in the inthinc.com Management Portal where managers can view fleet and driver performance.

“I believe the inthinc system has the potential to be a game changer for Cintas,” said Rick Gerlach, director of safety at Cintas. “The system uses state-of-the-art technology to influence driving behaviors and reduce risk in a real-time environment. But the most important benefit of the technology is that it not only allows us to identify drivers who could benefit from some additional safety training at the wheel, but also provides an opportunity for Cintas to recognize and reward our drivers who make safety a core value at all times.”

http://www.autosphere.ca/fleetdigest/2012/08/29/inthinc-technology-impacts-driver-behaviour/

Shane Whitten, corporate safety and fleet manager at Blood Systems, worked with inthinc Technology Solutions to test that company’s telematics platform, inthinc tiwiPro. Blood Systems installed these devices in 35 of their vehicles for the pilot program.

During the initial pilot, Blood Systems ran the devices in “silent” mode. Although the organization’s employees knew the devices were installed in their vehicles, the devices were set to not provide any verbal alerts when drivers “violated” conditions set by Blood Systems for the test. The company used this information to get benchmark figures. After establishing those benchmarks, the company turned on the alerts to conduct the rest of the test. Whitten said the company saw an immediate change.

“We had been looking for a system that would help improve fleet management and vehicle safety,” Whitten said. “We saw a solid reduction in fuel consumption and miles driven, while at the same time improving the life of the vehicles. Because drivers were immediately notified if they inadvertently exceeded the speed limit, and then given a grace period to correct their behavior, we experienced an unexpected savings in fuel costs.”

With the pilot program finished, Blood Systems now plans to roll out the solution to its entire fleet.

“Following such a successful experience in our Louisiana region, we decided to roll out the solution to our entire fleet,” he said. “We are looking forward to driving down costs and increasing safety even further.”

http://www.automotive-fleet.com/Channel/GPS-Telematics/News/Story/2012/08/Blood-Systems-to-Roll-Out-Telematics-to-Entire-Fleet-After-Successful-Pilot.aspx

The devices, made my inthinc, can alert drivers "with a voice message if a vehicle operates unsafely or outside a set of parameters", the miner noted in its annual responsibility report.

Unsafe behaviour might include excessive speed, unused seatbelts, hard turns and abrupt starts or stops, the latter two being signs of a vehicle being operated "in an aggressive manner".

Once warned, drivers have "up to 15 seconds" to correct the vehicle operation, before an alert is forwarded to a supervisor.

More than 80 percent of the inthinc device rollout was completed by the end of last year. A spokeswoman for Barrick Gold confirmed the rollout, as originally scoped, is now completed.

The exceptions are Barrick's Lumwana copper mine in Zambia and the Jabal Sayid copper-gold-silver project in Saudi Arabia. Both sites were acquired when Barrick bought Equinox Minerals last year.

"The inthinc system is yet to be installed in vehicles at these sites," Barrick Gold's spokeswoman said.

700 inthinc units have been fitted to vehicles in the Asia Pacific region, under the global project.

The system has already had a major impact on site safety.

"Since the installation of the system and when we compare our current results to our regional benchmarking, we have seen over a 90 percent reduction in speeding and a 40 percent reduction in aggressive driving," the spokeswoman said.

Copyright © iTnews.com.au . All rights reserved.

http://www.itnews.com.au/News/310878,barrick-gold-drives-site-safety-with-in-car-devices.aspx

Whether it's an electronic back-seat driver to keep your teen in line on the road or an app your child can use to check in, technology can step in to help you stay in touch with your kids and watch over them without being overbearing.

One of the easiest ways to keep tabs on your child is to use a cellphone location service. All four major carriers offer them. Sprint's Family Locator service will locate up to four phones for $5 per month. You can locate two people for $9.99 per month or five people for $14.99 with AT&T's Family Map service. T-Mobile'sFamilyWhere service enables you to track up to 10 mobile devices for $9.99. And with Verizon Family Locator ($9.99 per month), you can set up location-based alerts so you know when your child gets home, in addition to locating anyone on your Family Share plan.

Of course, a location service is really just tracking the phone's location, not your child. So you may also want your child to check in with an app like Gone Out - Later Folks ($1.99 on iTunes). It can record and share the details of any outing, including friends' names, transportation mode, location and photos.

I also like Life360 Family Locator (free on iTunes andGoogle Play), which has a panic button kids can hit if they're in trouble. Parents will receive a call, email and text with their location. For a more hands-on approach, kids can talk to a trained safety adviser with StreetSafe, a personal safety app and service (free in iTunes and Google Play; requires subscription which is $20 a month, $45 a quarter or $150 a year). Advisers can recommend the best route, keep your child company and call the police if there's an emergency.

If your child's a new driver, you'll want to check out Tiwi. The device is installed in your vehicle and monitors the car's speed, whether your child is wearing a seatbelt and how aggressively the car is being driven. If there are any concerns, your teen will hear a verbal prompt and you'll be notified via text, voicemail or email. You can also set up SmartZones, so you receive notifications when your child arrives or leaves school, home or any other designated area. Prices are quite steep, starting at $599 for the hardware and a $24.99 per month service fee. For $9.99 per month, you can add roadside assistance and emergency support.

—

Suzanne Kantra is co-founder and Editor-in-Chief ofTechlicious. Email her at techcomments@usatoday.com.

A few years ago, Barrick Gold Corp. was trying to determine how it could make a step-change improvement in safety performance across the company. After analyzing the various safety systems and tools in place at sites, we realized that continuing to focus on what I call the ‘technical side of safety’ might achieve some modest and regular performance improvements. However, we were never going to see dramatic improvement using this approach and further, it would take 40 years or more to approach zero injuries. We observed that the same tool being used effectively at one site had very little impact at another mine. The tool was the same; it was the people using the tool that made the difference.

We had to shift our focus to achieve a better balance between technical safety (policies, procedures, training and auditing) and the people side of safety (leading, motivating, coaching and inspiring). With the help of Jim Clemmer, a recognized leadership consultant, Barrick’s Courageous Safety Leadership program was born.

The foundation of the program is a two-day training program for every supervisory level employee and a one-day course for every worker. The course is designed around people. It is highly motivational, very inspirational and requires a lot of participation. There are roughly three hours of teaching (lecture) in the two day version. The rest of the time, the participants are engaged in workgroup or individual activities, all focused on specific people issues. When I left Barrick, more than 30,000 employees and contractors had taken this training. We experienced a 65% reduction in total recordable incidents. Everyone in the company credited Courageous Safety Leadership with changing the company culture.

We developed the vision “every person going home safe and healthy every day” believing it was possible to achieve that vision. Courageous Safety Leadership focuses on people skills, communication, openness and transparency, honesty and integrity. It is also about empowering people to speak up when things are not right as well as accepting responsibility. That sometimes means confronting people and hierarchies, rather than just “going along to get along.” Sometimes we must have the courage to do what is right regardless of the consequences to ourselves. At the same time, to encourage people to speak up, we need to create an open atmosphere and show them we will respect their opinions, listen to their ideas, and enlist their support in finding solutions.

Courageous Safety Leadership is about treating people like people, building relationships and trust, and empowering people to become part of the solution rather than remain as part of the problem. We mentioned communication. Some experts maintain 70% of communication is LISTENING. Listening is not generally a strong management trait.

We helped our supervisors understand the difference between management and leadership. Some companies treat these two as the same. We believed there was a distinct difference and achieving a balance between the two was essential.

It takes some emotional experience to drive a behavioral change. Why do people continue to use a cellphone while driving, even though it is widely known this is a very dangerous practice? It is because they do not want to lose their social contact. There is no reward for giving it up other than the intangible ‘safety.’ Unless we can communicate what is in it for them, they will not change their behavior. We have to connect emotionally with them so they “feel” the consequences of an incident. Courageous Safety Leadership is transparent and shows the terrible toll incidents and fatalities have on co-workers, families and friends. The impact of these situations reaches people on an emotional level, changes what they believe and ultimately results in a behavior change.

Safety was always in the forefront. “Safe production” became our mantra. We measured, compared and published results from each site regularly. We presented awards to sites that achieved good safety performance. We also presented awards to individuals who contributed to the safety culture. We celebrated safety achievements throughout the year. The senior leadership of the company was actively engaged in the recognition process so that employees could see safety was a priority for the organization.

When we look at companies with world-class safety performance, we see they have leaders who are personally committed and engaged. We cannot expect others to act with safety in mind if we do not model the right behaviors ourselves, both on and off the job.

While the traditional approach to safety has resulted in improvement over the years, consider that the structured method may also be one of our failings. Safety has often been about procedures and training—trying to get everyone to do the same jobs the same way, repeatedly. Fortunately, most people conform. For those who do not, the traditional approach has been harsh discipline, and that has not achieved much success.

We have to work with our employees on an individual basis, applying and delivering what they needed—not what we think they must have. This means a different approach with each of them and a lot of communication. That takes time, a precious commodity that none of us seem to have enough of. We had to commit to this leadership approach if we were going to realize a step-change improvement.

Note the reference to ‘time’ in this quote widely attributed to Abraham Lincoln: “Commitment is what transforms a promise into reality. It is the words that speak boldly of your intentions. And the actions which speak louder than the words. It is making the time when there is none. Coming through time after time after time, year after year after year. Commitment is the stuff character is made of; the power to change the face of things. It is the daily triumph of integrity over skepticism.”

When we take the time the results we want are evident. Take the time.

As part of the safety culture, Barrick also asked leaders to demonstrate ‘visible, felt leadership.’ You cannot create a safety culture by sending safety messages to the field from your office. You must be in the field, interacting with people, walking around, coaching, checking compliance, and asking questions. Your words and actions must communicate the sense of urgency around safety, as well as the vulnerability that exists around the work being done. Keep stressing the vision with a focus on caring for people—employees, contractors, suppliers—not statistics.

Go out of your way to acknowledge good safety performance. Respond to any safety incident or near miss with a “what can we learn” approach. Take immediate action to correct any substandard condition or behaviors, challenging negative attitudes or hierarchies if necessary. As managers, leaders should assess safety activities as part of performance reviews and compensation, and promote only those individuals with proven safety performance. Hold yourself and others accountable for following through on safety-related commitments. Make safety discussions part of every meeting.

Good leaders build a safety culture, maintain people’s trust, control risks and position the organization for enhanced success. We have the opportunity to improve safety performance if we have the right attitude. We must believe that we can create safe, incident-free workplaces, and we must work toward this objective. Yes, zero is possible, and we can achieve that with committed, engaged leadership in our organizations.

Huber currently serves as vice president of safety services at inthinc technology solutions (www.inthinc.com). Previously, he was the director of safety and health at Barrick Gold and was credited for implementing the company’s Courageous Safety Leadership program. In 2009, the International Society of Mine Safety Professionals recognized Huber with its Highest Degree of Safety Award.

http://www.e-mj.com/index.php/features/2108-couragous-leadership.html

WHO:
Rob Donahue, inthinc Technology Solutions, Inc.

WHAT/WHEN:
Panel 1: "Vehicle Monitoring - The Benefits"
Mon., June 25, 2012, 5:30 p.m.

Panel 3: "Telematics"
Tues., June 26, 2012, 10:35 a.m.

WHERE:
Exhibit Hall at 2012 FedFleet and more 
Kentucky International Convention Center in Louisville, Ky.

Working with some of the largest fleets in the world for more than a decade, inthinc offers the most comprehensive fleet management solution designed for fleet managers to monitor driver behavior. With a unique combination of GPS technology and verbal coaching, fleet owners typically see a dramatic improvement in driver behavior, as well as the ability to identify driving trends and those in need of additional training.

inthinc will also be showcasing the company's solution for government fleets at 2012 FedFleet (booth #646).

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/inthinc-addresses-telematics-strategies-government-130000968.html

Visible Felt Leadership is critical for success and was a focus in 2011. Managers and supervisors are active in the field, coaching and mentoring employees and discussing safety to reinforce the message that “no job is worth doing in an unsafe way”. The focus is making sure things are right and, when things aren’t right, helping people get it right.

Operating mobile equipment remains Barrick’s highest safety incident category. Therefore, we continued our focus on safe driving in 2011. Barrick invested $16 million to install real-time driver improvement devices, called Inthinc, in company vehicles worldwide. By year end, implementation was over 80 percent complete. The driver coaching devices alert the driver with a voice message if a vehicle operates unsafely or outside a set of parameters, giving the driver up to 15 seconds to correct the unsafe behaviour before reporting the activity to a supervisor. The devices also alert a driver if the seatbelt is not in use, as well as if the vehicle is operated in an aggressive manner (hard turns, abrupt starts or stops). The devices have proven to be useful for coaching drivers and encouraging safe driving behaviours. In 2011, sites with the Inthinc device installed had an 80 percent decrease in speeding events in company vehicles. Overall, there was a 65 percent decrease in high potential driving incidents from 2010, after installation of the coaching devices.

We have also identified ground falls as one of Barrick’s top safety risks. A number of fatal accidents from falling ground have occurred in the mining industry, including one within Barrick this year and three at a Barrick site in 2010. A Ground Control Standard has now been developed. The Standard is based on a set of principles and expectations that set the standards all sites must meet. Audits for compliance with the Standard are scheduled throughout 2012.

http://barrickresponsibility.com/2011/safety/safety

Choosing a fuel-efficient car is one good step toward reducing your monthly fuel bill, but it is not the only step.

inthinc Technology Solutions Inc., a global provider of telematics, fleet management and driver safety technologies, has examined customer data, collected from 500 fleets and nearly 50,000 vehicles, to validate suggested solutions on how to save money on fuel costs.

While the validated suggestions are aimed at fleets, they are just as valid for nearly any driver sharing the road. To some of you, these may seem obvious. Or, if you have an EV or car with stop/start technology, you can skip #3.

Otherwise – and as a word to the wise – following are solutions inthinc is offering to save money at the fuel pump, or propulsion energy, as the case may be:
 

Tip #1 - Obey the Speed Limit

According to the U.S. Department of Energy, vehicles that honor the speed limit maintain a higher miles per gallon ratio. Each five mph increment driven over 60 mph is the equivalent of $0.31 per gallon of gas.
 

Tip #2 - Avoid Aggressive Braking and Accelerating

Not only does frequent braking and accelerating create wear and tear on vehicles, it also significantly decreases MPG. A 2011 study, by the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI), has shown that by observing the speeding limit and avoiding hard braking and accelerating, drivers can improve MPG by as much as 25 percent.
 

Tip #3 - Turn the Key: Eliminate Idle Time

One hour of idle time represents 80 miles of engine wear and approximately one gallon of fuel. By turning off the engine when not driving, fuel is conserved, engine wear is limited and carbon emissions are reduced.

Tip #4 - Check Your Vehicle Regularly

Checking tire pressure regularly and replacing oil on time will ensure optimal performance. Studies have shown that properly inflated tires can gain up to three percent more miles and regular oil tune-ups will net an additional four percent.

Tip #5 - Plan Your Trips Ahead of Time
 

By mapping routes ahead of time, drivers can look for ways to cut down on the amount of travel time. Plan trips around rush-hour traffic and check local maps for quicker and flatter surface routes.

Enlightened Self Interest

We realize this is not comprehensive list, but it's a step in the right direction. We may post similar articles from time to time as the occasion arises.

Fuel (or electric) savings recommendations are more often pitched based on an appeal to a consumer's desire to save money. A broader reason is to preserve a finite or limited resource, pollute less, and all those more noble ideals that, well, have given rise to the whole generally termed "green car" movement in all its variations.

What do you think? Do you have tips you could add? Thoughts to add to the subject?

http://www.hybridcars.com/news/five-tips-save-fuel-any-vehicle-46314.html#comment-81263

inthinc Technology Solutions, Inc. recently announced it established that driver habits are closely connected to fleet operational cost savings. The company’s waySmart solution, designed to effectively improve driver safety, fleet management and compliance, allows fleet owners to optimize fuel efficiency by 20 percent, while reducing their maintenance costs at the same rate.

Since the solution ensures policy compliance, fleets can avoid incurring costly penalties and fines.

"Fleet owners from all over the globe have turned to inthinc for a fleet management solution that will not only save lives, but improve their bottom line,” said Todd Follmer, inthinc CEO. “With data collected from tens-of-thousands of vehicles using our technology for the past six years, we have proven to dramatically improve driving behavior, leading to fewer crashes, better fuel economy and safer, more productive drivers."

According to an AAA report, costs associated to accidents amount to more than 164 billion dollars each year. inthinc’s technology solutions however, let fleets avoid collision costs, as it offers real-time in-cab verbal alerts to drivers anytime they speed, drive aggressively, or don’t wear a seat belt. By ensuring that drivers incorporate safer driving habits, fleet managers can reign in speeding and aggressive driving, and ensure substantial fuel efficiency while reducing instances of accidents.

"While working for 34 years at one of the largest mining companies in the world, we achieved a 77-percent reduction in driver incidents in one year after installing inthinc technology across our fleets,” said Bruce Huber, new vice president of safety at inthinc. “By improving driver behavior, we were not only able to protect the lives of our drivers, but save money on fuel and maintenance costs as well."

The waySmart solution also allows fleet managers to continuously monitor fleet vehicles via satellite and cellular based tracking, which helps cut down on unauthorized trips and add to company productivity.

http://green.tmcnet.com/channels/renewable-energy/articles/286292-inthincs-waysmart-solution-enhances-driver-safety-fuel-efficiency.htm

By Jyothi Shanbhag

inthinc Technology Solutions Inc. has been providing an advanced range of fleet management and driver safety solutions to many companies throughout the world and recently announced that it has inked $1 million deal with a Fortune 500 oil and natural gas exploration and production company to support the company's fleet safety and compliance initiative.

According to the sources, the Fortune 500 company has picked inthinc to monitor fuel usage, view GPS-based trip details and provide their drivers with real-time, in-cab coaching and alerts for speeding, seat belt use, excessive idling and other potential risky driving behaviors.

“Oil and gas organizations need a solution that fits the unique needs of their industry in terms of fleet accessibility and driver performance,” said Pete Allen, senior vice president of Sales at inthinc. “We are proud to support driver safety initiatives and work with companies to increase fuel efficiency and contribute to further reducing other fleet operational costs.”

With usage of the inthinc.com management portal, fleet managers can get real-time insight into fleet activity and performance. In addition, they can also use the integrated GPS tracking and telematics capabilities to see, for example, where each vehicle is located, where drivers stopped, the duration of their stop, and how long it takes each driver to get from one location to another throughout the entire route.

In addition to the above utilities, oil and gas corporations can depend on the inthinc solution for its Iridium (News - Alert)-based satellite communications connectivity that is available for workers in remote areas. inthinc technology also allows energy companies to create smartZones -- or customized geo-fences -- around drilling sites, alerting drivers when they approach a hazardous area.

In related news, inthinc Technology announced that it is the preferred telematics provider for the largest Mining corporations in the world. As the leader in global telematics, inthinc offers these companies and their vendors the ability to manage their fleets, improve safety and meet compliance requirements, even in the most rugged and remote conditions.

http://smarter-utility.tmcnet.com/topics/smarter-utility/articles/285424-north-american-natural-gas-producer-picks-inthinc-telematics.htm

By Julie Thompson

On Dec. 7, 2005, Rianna Woolsey was a 16-year-old varsity songleader at Tersoro High School in California. That evening she drove her Volkswagen Jetta to a pep-squad event, with her boyfriend Austin Follmer following in his pickup truck. 

The teens were speeding on a winding road when Rianna lost control of her car and hit a tree—she did not survive. Rianna left behind her parents, three siblings and a wide circle of close friends.

Seven months later, when Austin’s dad, Todd Follmer, was asked to become the CEO of inThinc, a company that created crash-data recorders for NASCAR vehicles, the memory  of Rianna’s death was painfully fresh in his mind.

"

When I see something I think is right ... , I just don't give up," Follmer says. Photo by Dan Campbell.

“(The accident) was originally the whole driving force behind my thought process [of joining the company],” says Follmer, MBA ’87. “I know that when my son’s girlfriend passed away, speed was a contributing factor. I thought, ‘Why isn’t there technology for parents to monitor their kids’ driving and the speed limit? If that technology was in place could her life have been saved?’ The answer was easily yes.”

Now, six years later, Follmer has helped inThinc’s revenue grow from $2.5 million to $40 million annually, overseeing the creation of new software that works to prevent crashes and unsafe driving. The software provides in-cab instructions (like telling drivers to slow down or wear a seatbelt), GPS-based maps, real-time incident notifications and more.

Based in Salt Lake City, inThinc now sells equipment to billion-dollar companies in more than 10 countries, with clients including Schlumberger, Halliburton, the State of Utah and mining company Barrick Gold.

While most of inThinc’s revenue is generated through sales to big corporations, it continues to sell to families—especially those with teenage drivers. Every 55 seconds a teen is injured or killed in a car crash. InThinc’s tiwiFamily technology monitors unsafe driving behavior and can notify parents when their teen is driving aggressively. 

Follmer estimates the company’s software has prevented hundreds of crashes and injuries, and saved companies millions in damages. 

He adds that after adopting inThinc technology, clients have seen a 73 percent increase in seatbelt usage, a 90 percent reduction in speeding violations, an 89 percent reduction in aggressive driving behaviors and an 80 percent improvement in crash rates. 

Jason Wilson is a North America regional manager for Barrick Gold who converted from inThinc skeptic to true believer. Initially he considered the technology a nuisance, but soon noticed the real-time coaching helped him decrease speed and wear his seatbelt more regularly. 

Now he’s an inThinc advocate, using the company’s software to monitor Barrick Gold’s carbon footprint and tire wear on its vehicles. Wilson says Barrick Gold has saved more than $2 million in maintenance costs by using inThinc.

“There has been a huge reduction in automobile-related accidents worldwide,” Wilson says. “There has been a huge decline in speeding tickets, and when there is an accident, because inThinc generates records, we are able to know how to change things in the future.” 

It’s no wonder that inThinc’s scope has expanded so broadly during Follmer’s tenure. As a 16-year-old freshman studying finance and computer science at the University of Central Florida, it took him nine years to graduate because he was so busy launching new businesses. 

By the time Follmer finished school, he was married with a son on the way. At the recommendation of a UCF professor, Follmer came to Texas for an MBA, hoping to lay the foundation for a more stable career. He taught a real estate class and finished one semester early. After graduation, he joined Salomon Brothers on Wall Street, and then later worked as vice president in the investment banking division at Donaldson, Lufkin and Jenrette in Dallas. 

But soon he felt the pull to be more independent.

“I’m very entrepreneurial,” Follmer says.” I like to blaze my own trail, and ultimately with my education at the McCombs School and the work experience I got at Salomon Brothers and DLJ I was able to go out on my own.”

Follmer relocated his family to California and formed Engles, Urso, Follmer Capital Corp., a private equity concern that acquired companies such as Vitality, Electrolux and Florida Global Citrus. He currently sits on the Board of Directors for Aerus LLC and Tristar Enterprises. 

And while Follmer didn’t found inThinc, he maintains an entrepreneur’s zeal for the company. He hopes to expand by reaching out to insurance companies, encouraging them to use the equipment in their own vehicles and offer driver discounts to customers who install it.  

But beyond the bottom line, Follmer is proud that the company’s technology can help prevent fatal accidents like Rianna’s, whether it’s in a family minivan or a mining company truck. And that’s the motivation that he carries with him each day at the office.

“When I see something that I think is right and that I think should win, I just don’t give up. I don’t quit.”

http://mccombstoday.org/2012/04/putting-an-end-to-distracted-driving

inthinc Technology Solutions has launched a fleet management and driver safety solution whereby utility fleet managers can monitor driver behavior using GPS-based vehicle tracking and in-cab verbal coaching alerts for speeding, idling, seat belt use and aggressive driving, keeping utility workers and the public safe.

The philosophy described by the American Public Works Association president in the August 2011 issue of the APWA Reporter is a critical one.

"Regulation and safety standards are at the heart of an effective fleet operation," then President George Crombie said. "Ignoring safety and regulatory standards is like playing poker; sooner or later you are going to lose financially, get someone hurt, and lose credibility in your community."

The inthinc solution communicates via satellite to a portal, allowing managers to reward safe driving behavior and identify drivers in need of additional training. Managers can receive instant notification via email or text message when a driver has been in an accident or committed a severe infraction.

Read more: Ensuring utility, public safety on the road - FierceEnergy http://www.fierceenergy.com/story/ensuring-utility-public-safety-road/2012-04-03#ixzz1uDhcTx9T 

According to analyst firm Berg Insight, www.berginsight.com, Gothenburg, Sweden, fleet-management systems for commercial vehicles in North America is growing across the board—including in heavy-industry sectors such as construction. In fact, the firm expects the overall fleet-management market to reach 3.8 million by 2015.

Industries like construction will likely contribute to these numbers, especially if the benefits of adopting fleet-management technology continue to gain notice. One company, inthinc Technology Solutions, www.inthinc.com, Salt Lake City, Utah, continues to develop industry-specific telematics solutions that offer realtime insight into a company’s vehicles and other jobsite equipment. 

From mining to utilities, oil and gas, and construction, there are quantifiable benefits of adopting a technology solution that can provide global satellite communications coverage to remote and rugged work areas. These quantifiable benefits may include reduced equipment loss, due to theft or misuse; increased employee efficiency; fuel savings; and cost savings related to increased vehicle uptime due to proactive maintenance. 

In some cases, benefits are not quantifiable—such as the increased level of safety GPS tracking lends employees as they travel to and from remote, isolated, or dangerous jobsites. In many cases, fleet-management technology solutions also employ sensors that monitor driver behavior such as speeding, idling, seatbelt use, and aggressive driving, therefore discouraging these behaviors.

Another company, GPS Insight, www.gpsinsight.com, Scottsdale, Ariz., also offers GPS-enabled fleet-management solutions. The company’s GPS Vehicle Tracking Solution allows you to map, manage, and monitor fleets in realtime via a Web interface or mobile device. GPS Insight also offers geofencing technology that allows construction owners to set up and receive alerts and reports on a vehicle’s activities.

Imagine the time and cost savings if a piece of equipment could call for help by itself, or give up its location to owners without human intervention. The solution would not only create tangible benefits to the bottomline, it would provide an increased peace of mind for construction professionals.

In the construction industry in particular, it’s impossible to keep an eye on all of a company’s assets—humans, vehicles, etc.—at the same time. But with innovative fleet-management technologies, construction owners can have a greater level of visibility into its operations at any time and from anywhere.

http://www.constructech.com/news/articles/article.aspx?article_id=9173

Overall, implementation of fleet management systems is growing. Analyst firm Berg Insight, www.berginsight.com, says the number of fleet management systems deployed in commercial vehicle fleets in North America is expected to reach 3.8 million by 2015.

The mining industry accounts for just a small portion of those installed systems, but it’s a market with special requirements. A lot of fleet managers want to monitor driver behavior, but in the mining industry that tracking capability can be especially important. inthinc Technology Solutions, www.inthinc.com, has fine-tuned its fleet-management offering to appeal to mining. This means making the system work in rugged and often somewhat isolated conditions.

So how is fleet management different at a mining site? For one thing, there are blasting areas to be aware of. Inthinc’s system deals with this reality by offering blastZones technology with its fleet-management system. blastZones gives manager the ability to create customized geofences around open pit blast areas. It can then send alerts to drivers in realtime if they enter a zone. Managers can also receive alerts, via text or email, when drivers enter and exit the zones. This way they know when the blast area is clear.

Other features include an emergency call button for drivers, crash detection, roll-over notifications, and electronic driver logs. The ability to automatically record driver hours and other data electronically has been an oft-cited feature of fleet-management systems, especially as more fleets are using electronic logs to meet government regulations related to records keeping.

Managers can also keep track of drivers using GPS-based vehicle tracking for location, and sensors monitor driver behavior such as speeding, idling, seat belt use, and aggressive or fatigued driving. In-cab audible alerts will also let drivers know when they are exhibiting one of these behaviors.

A mining site may be located miles from any town, so inthinc’s system uses satellite or cellular connectivity to provide fleet managers data in realtime from anywhere. Fleet management can ease workers’ minds in the potentially dangerous area of a mining site.

http://www.connectedworldmag.com/latestNews.aspx?id=NEWS120215065327290

inthinc Technology Solutions Inc., a Salt Lake City, Utah-based vendor of fleet telematics systems, is in late-stage field testing of a patented cell and text signal detection antenna. When integrated with the vendor's fleet management system, the antenna picks up on cell phone wave frequencies being emitted from the driver seat area and verbally warns the user to stop. It can record the incident in real-time on a web portal, or directly inform a fleet manger, providing the information needed to enforce compliance with company, state or federal regulations.

"We are a driving safety company," says Corey Catten, inthinc's chief technology officer. "We help people drive better by changing the behavior of drivers."

Catten says the telematics system the company sells uses the same verbal nagging technique to complain when drivers exceed speed limits, turn aggressively, slam brakes too hard or take bumps too fast. The new antenna, for which the company is taking pre-orders from dealers for delivery by mid-year, adds texting or talking on cell phones while driving to that list of infractions.

"It's almost having your spouse, or your mother, or your driving coach sitting next to you in the driver seat all the time," Catten says. "The constant coaching gives drivers the chance to do the right thing over a grace period—and if they don't, we record a violation on the web portal accessible to the owner."

The sensor is a highly directional antenna that sits like a halo, over or under the driver. It listens for signals coming just from that area. It consists of a thin circuit board about the size of a half a sheet of writing paper with a cable. Catten says the company hasn't decided what the outside case will look like yet, but 20, second-stage prototypes are installed on vehicles in the Salt Lake City area now.

The devices will be offered to inthinc customers as either a self-install add-on, or installed for about $50, Catten says. Other service costs have yet to be determined.

The company's timing looks good. The National Transportation Safety Board issued a call for a nationwide ban on use of cell phones while driving on Dec. 13. And that came on the heels of action by the U.S. Dept. of Transportation's Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration which issued a final rule on Nov. 23 banning the use of hand-held mobile phones by drivers commercial vehicles traveling interstate, and operators of vehicles carrying hazardous cargo anywhere. 

Some companies in the construction industry, including Bechtel and the Shaw Group, already have begun to implement broad mobile device restrictions or bans, while others, as reflected in comments made to the federal DOT's final rule during comment period and recorded with the publication of the rule, bring up many nuances for interpretation, such as convoy coordination, push-to-talk one-button calling, and use by concrete mixers while idling.

"The antenna patent was issued a year ago," Catten says. "It's good that it's coming out now because of the increase in attention paid to driver inattentiveness causing a lot of problems."

http://enr.construction.com/technology/information_technology/2012/0102-cell-phone-nanny.asp

Using video and radar equipment from a nondescript vehicle, SafeComm Services monitors driver performance to help clients move toward a “zero accident” goal through safety performance programs.

“In the first year of using the driver observation program, there is a 50% drop in incidents, with a continuation downward,” says McCharen.

The videotapes document drivers’ actions through a detailed audio of happenings taking place during the observation and video imaging of a driver’s speed as recorded by the radar unit.

Each driver’s observation includes two documented reports—an Excel document scoring the driver’s performance and a Word document noting the driver’s positive practices—as well as targeted areas for improvement and an overall evaluation. Observation frequencies are specific to client requests.

Serious issues with the potential for a severe incident are e-mailed to a company’s manager within seconds of completing the observation.

“Every day, you’re saving a life, and you do it because you train the driver,” says McCharen. “It’s not just the new drivers who need a lot of work. I’ve heard comments from new clients about the guy who’s been with them 25 years, and when he saw the video he said he’d never do that again. We’re putting a mirror up in front of that driver and letting him see himself.”

In the solid waste industry, the risk of Worker’s Compensation issues is greater than that of vehicle accidents, notes McCharen.

SafeComm approaches its work from the idea of the accident pyramid, he says. The premise of the accident pyramid—first brought up in the 1931 book, Industrial Accident Prevention, a Scientific Approach, by H.W. Heinrich—is a ratio of one major injury to 29 minor injuries to 300 no-injury, near-miss incidents (McCharen calls them “observed habits”).

For example, a rear-end incident could involve following: distance, ankle injury, and improper cab exits.

“It will eventually catch up to you,” says McCharen. “Instead of waiting for that accident to happen, we address the habit on the front end by using the videos as a training tool. There’s no disagreement because there’s no denying what’s going on.”

SafeComm Services encourages clients to use the video not “as a hammer to beat [employees] up,” but rather as a training tool.

“When we do the observation, we don’t simply film it,” McCharen says. “Our guys are trained to use teaching and training methods.”

For example, a video can demonstrate how a lane change almost resulted in an accident, illustrating why a driver needs to check mirrors every three to five seconds.

“We talk about the four-second following distance rule,” says McCharen. “We break it down as to why it takes four seconds instead of just telling them that it does.”

Following distance is the most common violation SafeComm Services notes.

“It’s commonly accepted in the general public to be in a line of 20 vehicles like you’re going around in NASCAR,” McCharen says. “People don’t realize they are dependent upon other persons in line. In the trucking industry, you lose a second and a half of reaction time because that’s how long it takes for that brake light to come on.”

The video is used not to solely point out faults, but also to flag good driving habits, McCharen says.

“We try to separate the herd from the people who are doing a good job, and they should be rewarded,” he says. “For those who need corrective training for a serious infraction they keep repeating, human resources loves the fact there’s a sound basis to do terminations if they have to.”

The mere thought that SafeComm is observing drivers in any given company is enough to promote good driving habits, says McCharen.

“We work with the same group of drivers every month,” he says. “They know we’re coming back, and even if you’ve not been observed under our process, you hear about it, and we’re often ‘seen’ out there when we’re not there.”

Not only does SafeComm Services observe unsafe driving behaviors, but it also notes efficiency-related issues, such as making stops unrelated to work and other improper usage of time.

GreenRoad Technologies also monitors driving performance through a device installed in the vehicle analyzing driver performance in real time through a color-coded system displaying a green, yellow, or red light that alerts a driver executing a high-risk maneuver.

“It helps improve driving performance as it relates to safety as well as fuel efficiency,” says Glenn Pereira, director of product management for GreenRoad Technologies. “There is the additional benefit of reduced costs. It’s changing the driving culture of organizations.”

Driving performance affects three areas, says Pereira:

• Safety—minimizing the probability of a number of crashes and associated costs, including liability and insurance premiums

• Fuel efficiency based on driving habits—“The ROI can be justified merely on the fuel efficiency,” says Pereira.

• Reductions in operating costs

Various driving maneuvers are analyzed by the technology.

“For example, if you’re driving along at a reasonable speed and you swerve into a curve or you brake while you’re exiting a corner, when the technology detects driving risks associated with the maneuvers above a certain threshold, then it provides feedback to the driver,” Pereira says.

High-risk maneuvers set off a flashing yellow light to the driver. Seriously risky maneuvers prompt a flashing red.

The technology is not meant to be punitive, Pereira says.

“The vast majority of drivers don’t intentionally drive aggressively or in a more risky way,” he says, adding that some safe and efficient drivers can become somewhat more aggressive as a result of a conflict earlier in the day, for example.

“The technology reminds them when they are performing a high-risk maneuver so they can self-correct,” he says. “That helps in getting driver buy-in, because if a driver doesn’t actually believe in the system, or they don’t want to drive more carefully, then there is a different challenge that needs to be addressed.”

At the same time, managers and supervisors have access to the data through a web-based application and can see overall safety scores across locations, the fleet, for individual drivers, and for individual vehicles. Management can review single trips or historical performances.

“It’s almost as if they’re riding along with the driver, Pereira says. “Traditionally, companies have either used an approach of following the vehicle or have the driving trainer sit in the vehicle with the driver and evaluate their performance when they’re driving.

“The challenge of that is the driver knows they’re being evaluated by the trainer or supervisor, so they will drive safely and effectively while they’re being evaluated, but for the rest of the time, they’re going to do whatever they feel like doing.”

While GreenRoad has typically been installed aftermarket, there are OEMs offering it as a factory option, Pereira says.

The technology often augments in-house training and incentives, which Pereira says is utilized by most of GreenRoad’s end users.

Inthinc offers a fleet management and driver safety solution based on real-time verbal coaching for drivers and up-to-the-second, web-based dashboards for the fleet manager.

TiwiPro is an in-cab system incorporating Inthinc technology and designed to significantly change driver behavior and prevent crashes. Drivers receive verbal, in-cab alerts as soon as they exhibit a dangerous driving behavior such as speeding, seat belt violations, unsafe braking, turning, or acceleration.

TiwiPro is designed to be a user-friendly, web-based dashboard offering management a full range of exception-based reports of safety-related incidents by driver and by vehicle.

The technology is a hierarchy-based system with multilevel permission/role and offers fleet monitoring through a web-based portal.

The technology’s RFID capability allows data to be assigned to individual vehicle drivers. It also features a mapping interface for trips and event identification.

Reports and trend analyses are based on user permissions/roles, overall score dashboards (fleet, division, and team levels), trending charts pinpointing areas of improvement or special risks, miles per gallon reporting, driver and vehicle performance, idle reporting, red flags, events, violations, warnings, trip analysis, coaching events, and corrective driving behavior tracking.

Reports can be scheduled to be created and sent automatically; reports can be e-mailed, exported, or printed. The archive has 12-month legacy data storage and repository.Driver performance scoring is based on a scale of zero to five on custom algorithms and computations.

Each incident is captured and reported in real time through cellular technology, enabling instant notification of accidents and other serious exceptions requiring immediate response.

The real-time incident notifications are sent instantly via e-mail, text message, or phone. Also included is an emergency call button for the driver, as well as crash and rollover detection.

The technology also offers Smart Zones Geofencing with zone arrival and departure alerts.

Another feature is live fleet and dispatch, a fleet-locating and mapping interface, with vehicles able to be located through address searches, GPS locations, and last communicated positions.

Speed notifications are based on posted speed limits through Inthinc’s Street-by-Street capability and can be set for speed and device sensitivity.

According to Inthinc, the in-cab mentoring has demonstrated a more than 80% reduction in speeding violations and aggressive driving. The technology behind tiwiPro is estimated to have prevented more than 200 crashes and 65 injuries and to have saved companies nearly $19 million in damages over 155 million documented miles.

TiwiPro is typically installed after vehicles are purchased, although it can be looped into the vehicle bid process as well.

Monitoring driver behavior is one factor in safety. Driving vehicles with the tools necessary to help ensure that is another.

It’s practically standard for waste collection vehicles to come equipped with safety cameras, notes Kevin Watje, chief executive officer of Wayne Engineering, a longtime advocate of doing so.

“First, take the decision-making about whether you’re going to be safe or unsafe out of the thing. Anything that’s safe should be put on as a standard item, not as an option,” he says. “From that point, you make it available for your customers so they can afford it and don’t have to make a decision about safety.”

Safety cameras also augment ergonomics by allowing drivers to back up, maneuver more quickly, and get a good view of their surroundings, Watje says.

Since backing up accounts for the causes of a significant number of accidents, “most of the safety process has its genesis in the backing up or the rear of the truck,” Watje says. “Having somebody behind the truck—like in a rearloader—and feeding trash back into the rearloader when nowadays people are using cell phones, drinking their coffee or even reading newspapers while on the road can be a disaster when they’re not seeing that early morning collection crew in front of them stopped and loading.”

Another feature that has become standard is automatic tailgate unlatching and opening, replacing the traditional turnbuckle method.

“The guy had to get out, undo the turnbuckles and walk around the back of the truck,” Watje says. “Anytime you do that, you’re in a blind spot and that’s where accidents happen. There are still a few rearloader vehicles out there with turnbuckles on them, but for the most part, that has become a thing of the past.”

Most of Wayne Engineering’s vehicles do not require an employee to exit the truck at the landfill, Watje says.

“Even with a hydraulic latching system, you still have to get out of the truck, operate the levers, unlatch and open it up,” he says. “The ultimate safety protocol when going to the landfill is to keep the guy in the truck. Getting out of the truck, he’s exposed to machinery and other trucks, as well as whatever is on the floor.”

Lighting also is becoming a more common safety feature in the back of the truck, Watje says.

Case in point: strobe lights, which cause a quicker reaction.

“We have more lighting in the back to try to catch attention,” he says. “But some states won’t allow white strobe lights. Where we can, we encourage it.”

Reflective clothing also is becoming more common, Watje says.

“From our perspective, safety involves public safety—trying not to run over people or knock them over—and employee health and safety, which is ergonomics-related,” says Frank Kennedy, sales director for Curotto-Can Inc.

There are a number of options for waste-collection vehicles that assist from a public safety aspect, including mirrors, rear-vision systems, and Global Sensor System’s infra-red system, which applies the brakes when an object is within a predetermined area, Kennedy points out.

“Companies are interested in that because accidents are expensive and there’s the potential to hurt somebody, which could be a liability issue,” he says.

Curotto-Can’s design for waste-collection vehicles addresses safety and efficiency, Kennedy says, combining a frontloader with an automated, four-second “pickup-dump-return” cycle.

Kennedy contends that system is “the most productive and safest,” compared with traditional automated sideloaders with the arm behind the cab.

That creates a safety hazard, he says.

“The operator is required to rubberneck or use a mirror or some secondary device,” he says. “He’s rubbernecking to do his job 800 times a day. We think that’s a bad idea from an ergonomics standpoint and from a public safety standpoint.

“A car can pull in front of the truck while he’s looking behind. He instinctively takes his foot off the brake and creeps a little forward. He can hit a car, a guy darts out of the driveway, a kid runs in front of the truck—all kinds of things can happen if you’re distracted 800 to 1,000 times a day.”

From an ergonomics standpoint, Kennedy says, his company’s end users like the forward-facing system because they experience fewer neck and back injuries.

Routes are also more efficient when the truck only stops for four seconds, Kennedy adds.

As for trends in safety, Kennedy says his company is seeing end users increasingly request more visibility, enhanced conspicuity, and the use of ‘safety yellow’ paint on vehicles. He’s also seeing greater use of GPS and RFID.

Increased training also is a notable trend, Kennedy says: “We’ve never done more than we’ve done this year. For whatever reason, people want it, need it and we supply it.”

Curotto-Can recently was part of a pilot program in Charleston County, SC, in which it was compared with a “best of class” automated sideloader and a new frontloader equipped with the Curotto-Can system. The loaders were equipped with GPS and RFID and piloted on 5,000 homes whose carts had RFID tags.

“They ran each truck alternating days of the week with the same driver and they determined via data the first time ever that our system was 22% to 25% more efficient in that environment,” Kennedy says. “They also determined that they were putting eight gallons less fuel in them.”

As a result, Kennedy says, the system is being adopted in the county in two phases.

Tom Robbins, director of engineering for E-Z Pack, points out that while his company conforms to ANSI requirements for the safety requirements for vehicles, at a client’s request, and for extra cost, the trucks may include third-party manufactured features not necessarily included in ANSI, such as backup cameras and monitors and brake-activation devices that will set the brakes when the truck gets too close to an object.

Robbins says such features are becoming increasingly common in vehicle bid specifications, as companies continually seek ways to keep employees safe.

Another concern is that of liability costs, addressed through warnings, decals, wording, and placement as defined by ANSI standards, Robbins says.

“Manufacturers are keenly aware of the fact that our end users want to make sure their employees are safe,” he says. “We feel very much compelled to do that, not just because people who buy our equipment want to keep their employees safe, but we want to have a safe piece of equipment—it’s a mutual goal.”

To that end, many operations maintain safety directors or safety personnel and may provide a financial incentive for safe driving, says Robbins.

Operations in the public and private sector are increasingly specifying certain safety measures based on previous accident experiences, Robbins says.

“The ANSI group within our industry has a party line that tells of accidents and problems in our industry so we can be aware of it and be cognizant in how to design around that in the future,” he notes.

“The manufacturer will typically take the attitude that even though ANSI is a voluntary compliance standard, it’s something you provide because it’s the right thing to do.”

In Tallahassee, FL, the 87 drivers of solid waste collection trucks who service 46,000 customers are given annual financial incentives for having no accidents.

Lighting also is becoming a more common safety feature in the back of the truck, Watje says.

Case in point: strobe lights, which cause a quicker reaction.

“We have more lighting in the back to try to catch attention,” he says. “But some states won’t allow white strobe lights. Where we can, we encourage it.”

Reflective clothing also is becoming more common, Watje says.

“From our perspective, safety involves public safety—trying not to run over people or knock them over—and employee health and safety, which is ergonomics-related,” says Frank Kennedy, sales director for Curotto-Can Inc.

There are a number of options for waste-collection vehicles that assist from a public safety aspect, including mirrors, rear-vision systems, and Global Sensor System’s infra-red system, which applies the brakes when an object is within a predetermined area, Kennedy points out.

“Companies are interested in that because accidents are expensive and there’s the potential to hurt somebody, which could be a liability issue,” he says.

Curotto-Can’s design for waste-collection vehicles addresses safety and efficiency, Kennedy says, combining a frontloader with an automated, four-second “pickup-dump-return” cycle.

Kennedy contends that system is “the most productive and safest,” compared with traditional automated sideloaders with the arm behind the cab.

That creates a safety hazard, he says.

“The operator is required to rubberneck or use a mirror or some secondary device,” he says. “He’s rubbernecking to do his job 800 times a day. We think that’s a bad idea from an ergonomics standpoint and from a public safety standpoint.

“A car can pull in front of the truck while he’s looking behind. He instinctively takes his foot off the brake and creeps a little forward. He can hit a car, a guy darts out of the driveway, a kid runs in front of the truck—all kinds of things can happen if you’re distracted 800 to 1,000 times a day.”

From an ergonomics standpoint, Kennedy says, his company’s end users like the forward-facing system because they experience fewer neck and back injuries.

Routes are also more efficient when the truck only stops for four seconds, Kennedy adds.

As for trends in safety, Kennedy says his company is seeing end users increasingly request more visibility, enhanced conspicuity, and the use of ‘safety yellow’ paint on vehicles. He’s also seeing greater use of GPS and RFID.

Increased training also is a notable trend, Kennedy says: “We’ve never done more than we’ve done this year. For whatever reason, people want it, need it and we supply it.”

Curotto-Can recently was part of a pilot program in Charleston County, SC, in which it was compared with a “best of class” automated sideloader and a new frontloader equipped with the Curotto-Can system. The loaders were equipped with GPS and RFID and piloted on 5,000 homes whose carts had RFID tags.

“They ran each truck alternating days of the week with the same driver and they determined via data the first time ever that our system was 22% to 25% more efficient in that environment,” Kennedy says. “They also determined that they were putting eight gallons less fuel in them.”

As a result, Kennedy says, the system is being adopted in the county in two phases.

Tom Robbins, director of engineering for E-Z Pack, points out that while his company conforms to ANSI requirements for the safety requirements for vehicles, at a client’s request, and for extra cost, the trucks may include third-party manufactured features not necessarily included in ANSI, such as backup cameras and monitors and brake-activation devices that will set the brakes when the truck gets too close to an object.

Robbins says such features are becoming increasingly common in vehicle bid specifications, as companies continually seek ways to keep employees safe.

Another concern is that of liability costs, addressed through warnings, decals, wording, and placement as defined by ANSI standards, Robbins says.

“Manufacturers are keenly aware of the fact that our end users want to make sure their employees are safe,” he says. “We feel very much compelled to do that, not just because people who buy our equipment want to keep their employees safe, but we want to have a safe piece of equipment—it’s a mutual goal.”

To that end, many operations maintain safety directors or safety personnel and may provide a financial incentive for safe driving, says Robbins.

Operations in the public and private sector are increasingly specifying certain safety measures based on previous accident experiences, Robbins says.

“The ANSI group within our industry has a party line that tells of accidents and problems in our industry so we can be aware of it and be cognizant in how to design around that in the future,” he notes.

“The manufacturer will typically take the attitude that even though ANSI is a voluntary compliance standard, it’s something you provide because it’s the right thing to do.”

In Tallahassee, FL, the 87 drivers of solid waste collection trucks who service 46,000 customers are given annual financial incentives for having no accidents.

Global Sensor Systems includes an audible warning on the control box that will sound—as lights go off—to alert the driver what’s going on behind the truck.

“When the system has detected an object—such as a person or vehicle—and the object moves out of the protected area, then you can back up the vehicle,” says Glenn. “Or there is an override for the automatic braking feature on the control box, so the driver can touch the switch on the control box in the cab and continue to back up if the driver is satisfied it’s safe to do so.”

The automatic braking feature can be put back into the system by touching the “on” switch on the control box in the cab, or the next time that vehicle is placed in reverse, the automatic braking feature is automatically reset. Thus, the system is not driver dependent for resetting the braking feature.

“Sometimes the driver is busy looking at mirrors and other things and doesn’t look at the monitor when there’s a closed-circuit television system there,” says Glenn. “That has happened and people have had accidents. The best drivers sometimes have accidents. They’re distracted.”

Global Sensor Systems is installed as part of a vehicle specification and as an aftermarket addition. Global Sensor Systems offers DVDs for driver training.

Liability has become a major issue driving the decision to use more systems such as Global Sensor Systems, Glenn says.

Public perception—driven by accident statistics—is also very critical, he adds.

“It’s important for a large corporation to communicate to the public that you are doing everything you can to keep them safe, including the workers,” Glenn says. “Most of these companies are genuinely concerned about and wanting to do everything as safely as possible.”

One company that has written Global Sensor Systems into its specifications for new vehicles and is retrofitting its existing fleet with the technology is Veolia Environmental Services North America.

The company provides a full range of services to commercial, industrial and residential customers in 12 states, the Bahamas, and Canada, operating 72 collection facilities and 29 solid waste sanitary landfill facilities in North America.

“We feel that the true safety experts are the employees in the field—they are the ones who are the safety managers,” says Ken Arms, regional safety manager for Veolia in Florida, Georgia, and Alabama.

“Each employee, every day, is responsible for operating safely, and the company is also responsible for providing safe equipment to them in as safe as possible work environment.”

Several months ago, Veolia formed a rapid-action team to look at various truck specifications, primarily from a standpoint of safety, but also to create more consistency in truck specifications.

The team considered backing accidents as a factor.

“Backing accidents are near or at the top of the list of frequency year in and year out,” says Arms. “In any given year, backing accidents account for 20% to 30% of all solid waste accidents.”

Because of that, most trucks in most solid waste fleets have backing cameras on them, he says.

“Yet, we continue to have these backing accidents,’ he says. “Our team agreed that this is a problem and we need to address it as a top priority.”

The team performed field tests with active and passive systems and ultimately decided to equip new trucks and retrofit existing ones with Global Sensor Systems.

“We believed the active system gives you that one last line of defense before the backing accident occurs,” says Arms. “It’s always up to the driver to perform a safe backing operation. If the Global Sensor Systems locks you down, you need to get out and look to see why.”

Augmenting the technology at Veolia are defensive driving programs for new hires and on-the-job training. The company has monthly safety meetings and also utilizes the Smith System’s professional driver training.

“We’re hoping to put a real big dent in these backing accidents with these Global systems,” Arms says.

For more than three decades, Intec Video Systems has produced video cameras for use in the refuse industry, among others. The company has seven products within its XL Series of Car Vision cameras, including black and white and color models.

The color systems are available in standard and extreme-duty models, offering clear, flat-panel imaging designed for a wide range of applications. Intec Video Systems also provides color zoom and infrared cameras.

Years ago, what was once regarded as a “gadget” is now considered a necessity against the backdrop of the cost of accidents to a refuse operation, points out Roy Barbatti, national sales manager for Intec Video Systems.

“In fact, in the state of California now, it’s mandatory that every new garbage truck have a working camera before it can be delivered,” he says. “It’s tied into the backup alarm for the Department of Transportation so consequently, if the camera is not working, you can’t move your vehicle.”

Mirrors do not display everything around a vehicle, Barbatti points out. To address that, he says his company has designed its system to provide a large field of view and low-light sensitivity.

The cameras are typically included in municipal and private company vehicle bid specs, Barbatti says.

“Some of the companies are putting three to five cameras on a vehicle because they want them for alley view, as well as the hopper and the arm,” he says. “It’s more than just looking directly behind you.

“A frontloader, for instance, must pull up to a bin, dump it, and set it back down, and the first thing you have to do is back up. If you’re in a schoolyard where there are children—and usually there are one-man vehicles operating now—that frontloader has to back up and be able to see. What you really need is the greatest field of view so you can see as far as you can rather than just looking down and seeing just your bumper.”

Intec Video Systems also tie into radar.

“We have that set up into our system and built into our monitor, which not only by sound but by lighting tells you just how close the thing is behind you to look at your monitor,” says Barbatti.

Barbatti says the advantage of using a black-and-white system comes in its low-light sensitivity.

“We’re now getting better with color, but color has a different lux factor,” he says. “With the lowest point in black and white at .05 lux and just moonlight itself, you can see perfectly clear. Many vehicles are operating at midnight and around the clock. You have to be able to see.”

Intec Video Systems does not use filters, Barbatti says.

“A lot of companies use LED, but that means you can only see clear as far as the LED can see, but not as far as the eye can see,” he adds.

The camera systems are now becoming vehicle bid spec items for major operations, Barbatti says.

Addressing the relationship between safety and efficiency, Barbatti points out that operations these days can’t afford to have a worker standing behind a truck, directing the driver in backing up.

Not only is that inefficient, but it also presents potential accidents involving the employee outside of the truck if the driver doesn’t see him, he adds.

“It’s a creature comfort for a man to be able to see more than just the mirrors,” Barbatti says. “If the truck is automated, he can see the arm move out and know what he’s grabbing and go up into the hopper so he can see the hopper’s empty, so he doesn‘t tip the can. A lot of this is about how you keep the truck on the route and not damage the cans and containers and the efficiency of being able to utilize that truck to the best potential profitability and not be down.”

The PreView Radar system from Preco Electronics offers multiple configurations for refuse trucks. The most integrated system offered includes almost 360 degrees of coverage and integrates cameras and sensors that are strategically placed in areas most often out of the driver’s view, says Mark Regan, national sales manager and waste expert for Preco Electronics.

The system includes three main tools that work in concert:

• The PreView Rear Object Detection sensor and camera combination—The sensor detects people and objects directly behind the refuse truck; the operator receives an audible alert. The driver utilizes the camera to visually validate the obstruction while indicators illuminate on the screen, giving the driver a general proximity of the distance between the sensor and the object detected.

• The PreView Side Object Detection sensor and camera combination—This sensor detects items to the side of the vehicle, allowing drivers to enter traffic safely.

• Strategically placed cameras—One is placed at the rear, the other on the opposite side of the driver. When nothing is detected by the sensors, the driver sees a split screen showing both camera views on the monitor. Once something is detected, the monitor will automatically switch to the full screen of the area where the radar picked up an object, allowing the driver to easily see the danger and assess how close the detected item is to the vehicle. The system also can be simplified to a single sensor on the back with an in-cab LED display.

Regan says he’s seen customers add PreView Radar systems at the OEM level for new refuse trucks while also rolling out the system by region, state, or vehicle life in the existing fleet.

He also notes solid waste operations are reducing or eliminating group incentive programs while incorporating individual incentives.

“The concern has been people aren’t reporting close calls or minor injuries when there is a group incentive on the line as they don’t want to be the person who cost the team their safety bonuses,” he says.

FleetMind Solutions Inc. manufactures a scalable fleet management system that enables waste-collection operations to improve efficiencies in incremental steps as managers see fit.

“Onboard computers are placed on the fleet of trash collection vehicles, which are connected to the electronic control module [ECM] of the truck and has GPS and various peripheral connections that include a driver interface, cameras, scales, RFID reader, and different components with different purposes,” says Don Padilla, vice president.

“The entire system is seamlessly connecting the haulers’ mobile asset—the garbage truck on the street—in real time to the haulers’ routing and billing systems, and the route management system [RMS], where you have various tools to help manage the fleet. It’s doing more than just seeing where the truck is on a map—all of this data is being sent into the RMS software in real time, allowing you to capture everything that is happening with the truck, including driver behavior, truck diagnostics, and service verification throughout the day.”

That includes RPM, speed, hard braking, excessive idling, time, service verification, extras, exceptions, and disposal information.

“You’re also recording time stamps of events such as gate crossings, what time a customer was serviced, how long it took, when did the driver go to the landfill/transfer station, as well as any incremental activities, such as lunch breaks or downtime. It also records the system, records stops that are serviced and not serviced, and, if not serviced, it allows the driver to record the reason it wasn’t serviced,” Padilla says.

FleetMind can accommodate a camera for times the driver needs to take a photo for service verification, such as a car blocking access to a waste container.

“It’s like having the CEO of the company driving with the driver all day long,” Padilla says. “How much differently would he operate that vehicle and how much differently would he run his route? The CEO gets to travel along with him, because in essence that’s what you’re doing. You know everything that truck is doing.”

Not all companies jump in and get the onboard controls with all of the peripherals to start, Padilla says. Some start with a GPS and engine data (ECM) option so they can track their trucks and driver behavior.

“They start with that module, and then they can add to it,” he says. “Our system is designed to be scalable. From there, they can add a driver interface, a hand-held unit, a flat-screen unit, a camera system, an RFID system, a scale system—all of these peripherals to build up to whatever they want to accomplish.”

The industry is in its infancy stages for onboard computing and tracking, says Padilla. FleetMind has about 10% of the market covered with its technology—including several of the top 10 haulers—and Padilla has seen a significantly growing interest over the last two years.

“Five years ago, we were convincing people that they needed technology to help them gain efficiency,” he says. “Now they know that it works because it’s been in the market all these years and it’s proved itself ... so it’s just a matter of when they are going to deploy rather than if they are going to deploy.”

FleetMind enables supervisors to go beyond a verbal report from someone in the community complaining about a truck driver’s habits, to actual verification.

“You can also create a variety of alarms to help you manage by exception,” says Padilla. “For example, if you don’t ever want the driver to idle any more than six minutes, you can configure the system to create an excessive idle alarm, which when triggered will send an e-mail to notify a supervisor and it gets reported into a reporting module.

“So you can pull up all of the alarms a driver had over a period of time and coach them to better safety and productivity. You can notice hard-braking incidents, which usually indicate someone is driving too close to the car ahead. You actually have hard data you can sit down and show the driver.”

FleetMind also produces an idling and a fuel consumption report, which helps managers identify the correlation between the idle time and the amount of fuel being used.

“When you sit down with the driver, you can show him the exact data that correlate to his route versus the other drivers in the fleet. It makes a huge difference in their buy-in and especially on safety related programs,” Padilla says.

The system also helps with efficiency. “There’s a saying in the industry: ‘There’s no such thing as a bad customer, just bad pricing,” Padilla says. “Let’s say you have two customers who both have the same level of service and a 6-yard container serviced once a week. One customer has mostly paperwaste with some solid waste in it that weighs 100 pounds a yard and the other has mostly solid waste weighing more than 180 pounds a yard, but then they’re both priced the same way because both have a 6-yard dumpster.

“By having a scale on the vehicle that measures each customer, you can easily differentiate between the two and price your customers properly,” he adds. “Then there are those extra six bags by the side of the container. In the past, we would always charge the customer for that extra, but half the time they would dispute the charge. With the FleetMind system, you take the picture of the extras with GPS location, time-stamped and dated so there are no disputes.”

Traditionally, systems such as FleetMind have been an aftermarket product.

“Most of the large haulers now have started what we call a ‘smart’ fleet initiative—they know the future and they’re very cognizant as to the driver’s experience,” Padilla says. “They’re asking us now if we can begin to talk to manufacturers and have our system specified so when they order the trucks, they want to be able to order the FleetMind option so the system will come in the truck right from the manufacturer.”

J&J Refuse in Dover, OH, integrates FleetMind into it operations.

“We use it to confirm that we have completed all of our stops,” says Keith Walker, the company’s controller. “We use it to know where the drivers are, how far along they are on their routes, and whether they need help getting their routes completed.”

J&J Refuse uses FleetMind for communication between the back office and the vehicles.

“They can text us back and forth,” Walker says. “Almost all of our trucks have backup cameras that are integrated within the FleetMind system to show up on the screen, so when they put the truck in reverse, the camera images the full screen, when they put it back in drive to go forward, the camera image is in the bottom quarter of the screen.

“For safety, it’s a big thing because they can see what’s directly behind them and they also hear what’s behind them as they’re backing up,” Walker says.

FleetMind helps the office staff at J&J Refuse track the locations of the truck, so if something were to happen, the staff could flag problems and intervene.

Also, the drivers can use the system to send a message that goes out to all of the managers simultaneously, so if one person is not available, someone else can step in to respond.

J&J Refuse does a weeklong training of new hires for both safety and efficiencies.

In addition to cameras, there are other safety technologies adding to the safety value of solid waste collection.

According to research studies by Brake Sentry, brake adjustment defects account for nearly one-third of all truck crashes and have the highest rate of out-of-service violations.

Brake Sentry is a visual brake stroke indicator designed for severe-duty vocational applications. The stationary referencing gauge shows the legal stroke limit, and a pushrod indicator is at each brake chamber, enabling visual inspection for out-of-adjustment conditions without having to rely on “feel.”

Daniel Judson, technical director for Brake Sentry, says there is confusion in the industry’s fleet maintenance operations with respect to proper inspection and maintenance of brakes equipped with automatic slack adjusters.

Most technicians routinely perform manual adjustment to automatic slack adjusters rather than measure the “applied stroke” of the pushrod to identify defects for correction, he says.

The National Transportation Safety Board concluded that “manually adjusting automatic slack adjusters is dangerous and should not be done except during installation or in an emergency to move the vehicle to a repair facility,” he adds.

When technicians equate adjusting with correcting, they don’t know how to identify or correct contributing causes, so they simply adjust the brakes, Judson adds.

Judson likens that to a mechanic topping off a coolant level in an engine that has lost all of its coolant—while he’s adjusting the level, he’s not correcting the cause, he says.

Common brake maintenance practices conceal brake defects, return defective units to service, drive up costs, increase exposure to risk and liability, and defeat the purpose of preventative maintenance inspections, Judson adds.

The likelihood that some brakes will be out of adjustment is high, given long intervals between preventative maintenance procedures and other factors that adversely affect the function of automatic brake adjusters, causing accelerated wear on those brakes in compliance and ultimately result in more frequent brake work, downtime, and parts and labor expense, he says.

Although there is one municipal solid waste operation that had Brake Sentry factory installed, in most cases it is done on existing equipment with the installation being simple, Judson says.

“Because of CSA2010 implementation, there’s a lot more focus being put on compliance, typically because brakes are typically the number-one service violation, so people are looking for solutions to that,” Judson says. “Brake Sentry becomes a very simple solution for the drivers. The drivers are the ones who need to be able to inspect and identify if there is any brake adjustment. This makes it simple for them. Because of maintenance costs, this also saves a lot in terms of efficiencies because of the time and labor involved.”

When it comes to checking loose wheel nuts, the typical method is a visual and tactile inspection.

“When drivers leave their vehicles, they are supposed to do a walk around and physically touch the nuts to make sure they aren’t loosening,” says Stefni Walters.

Walters is the owner of Wheel-Check, a loose wheel-nut indicator used on commercial vehicles, including waste disposal trucks. Wheel-Check is a triangular plastic part affixed to the wheel-nuts that change position when one of the nuts is loose. The ends point in the same direction, so when the indicator is out of line with the others, it indicates a loose nut that is evident when someone walks around the truck to do a visual inspection.

“There are a lot of problems with weight loads and not doing correct maintenance on the nuts,” Walters points out. “There’s wear and tear and they will lock off. It’s like wearing a seat belt—it’s one of those extra safety precautions you want to take.”

Visibility systems are critical, attention-getting elements of a waste-collection vehicle.

Truck-Lite manufacturers a line of strobes that are mounted on truck roofs, the back of the collection bar, or in a position that takes the place of a turn signal, allowing the signal to serve as a dual-functioning signal and strobe, notes Lee Lydic, national fleet systems development manager for Truck-Lite.

While strobes used to be gas-filled, diode electronics makes is possible for the company to manufacture Class 1 and medium- and high-profile strobe lights, Lydic says.

“They’re not susceptible to the vibration that the gas-type strobes are,” he says. “These particular type strobes in the collection industry create a lot better life expectancy on the lamps because of vibration and everything else involved in the collection of waste.”

The lights are increasingly being written into municipal specifications, Lydic says.

“A company cannot afford to have somebody run in the back of their truck,” he says. “The more light they can put on it to be visible, they want to because a lot of these trucks start out early in the morning.”

Until three years, Truck-Lite could provide lights for the majority of trucks except for the forward-loading ones. That need has been addressed through the introduction of an LED headlight, Lydic adds.

Looking ahead to incorporate more efficiencies, Ruan Transport Corp. is spearheading a project whereby it is running large payloads for a dairy operation with CNG trucks.

And while the company does not have any Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) trucks in place at the time in the solid waste industry, “we are aware that they are beginning to haul a full 80,000 pounds, which is a nationwide top total vehicle limit for Class A trucks and we understand companies are doing some of that work with small fleets at that total payload,” says Ben McLean, senior vice president and CIO for Ruan Transport Corp.

McLean says Ruan has noted solid waste customers are taking the lead in their willingness and readiness to use natural gas as an alternative fuel.

“Waste Management and Republic Services are running a lot of CNG and Liquefied Natural Gas trucks and this really started largely with local refuse hauling trucks,” says McLean. “That’s where the industry has seen the most adoption of CNG-powered vehicles with some of the overall lower gross vehicle weight.”

While Ruan’s first large-scale project with CNG is not in solid waste, “everything we’re learning in that project will be applicable to us moving into the hauling we do for solid waste companies,” McLean notes.

To date, the diligence undertaken by Ruan has proven out and the fleet is performing within the estimated parameters, McLean says.

“[The project] is a large dairy outfit with 30,000 cows that happens to have a lot of solid manure waste that by the first quarter of next year will produce enough renewable natural gas to power the fleet,” he says. “It will be manure that through a digester produces methane gas.”

As for efficiencies, “we knew there was going to be some loss of efficiencies in miles per gallon,” McLean points out.

The price per gallon for natural gas can be about $1.50 less than diesel, but the fuel efficiency is much lower, he says, such as in the 5-miles-per-gallon range. “It makes the break-even or return on investment a bit longer than it would otherwise,” he adds.

Ruan is incorporating CNG engine options through Cummins Westport. It has less horsepower than the company would otherwise put in a unit “and we feel the engines won’t last quite as long, but the engine manufacturers are coming out with larger engines,” says McLean. “This is an 8.9-liter engine and they’re going to come out with 12- and 13-liter engines that burn natural gas. That will be a big improvement for us because we expect the life of those engines in an 80,000 pound total vehicle weight application to last longer.”

As for maintenance, natural-gas engines have spark plugs that must be changed throughout their life cycle, so Ruan is monitoring what it takes to maintain the engines in a normal operating mode, McLean says.

“That may be another area where we just won’t see the same efficiency as we would in a diesel engine,” he says. “Obviously, all of this needs to be covered by the savings in fuel. We’re working very hard to demonstrate that it can work and even work with these larger payloads, which is the niche we see in the market.

“It’s a period of innovation, and we’re one of the players in the market looking to find a better and more sustainable way to do this in a way that supports the US fuel independence as opposed to reliance on petroleum and the global sources we go to in procuring that fuel.”

http://www.erosioncontrol.com/MSW/articles/15550.aspx

SmartZones allows managers to assign specific attributes within a created zone that map to their companies safety policies, such as defining speed limits, inthinc said.

Accidents occur when there is a lack of safety controls, said Corey Catten, CTO. Our smartZones technology empowers fleet managers with the tools they need to protect their drivers in all environments and situations.

The system will allow the creation of a speed limit, for example, within a given geofenced area. If a driver exceeds the assigned speed limit, they will receive an in-cab verbal notification. Drivers may also receive verbal alerts for excessive idling, or upon entering or exiting a caution zone or hazardous area.
The smartZones also provide automated text or email alerts to fleet managers if an accident or other dangerous activity occurs within the defined area.

Other alerts that can be set up include seatbelt use, zone arrival/departure, and driver behavior alerts for situations such as hard turns or braking. Users can also use the free-form zone creation tool to create a custom boundary.

smartZones is a standard feature of the inthinc waySmart and inthinc tiwiPro solutions.

Click here to download an overview of inthinc smartZones technology.

http://fleetowner.com/truck_technology/archive/gps-based-technology-1221/

Global telematics company inthinc Technology Solutions has released a GPS-based technology that offers the ability to draw boundaries and set safety controls within those boundaries.

SmartZones allows managers to assign specific attributes within a created zone that map to their companies safety policies, such as defining speed limits, inthinc said.

Accidents occur when there is a lack of safety controls, said Corey Catten, CTO. Our smartZones technology empowers fleet managers with the tools they need to protect their drivers in all environments and situations.

The system will allow the creation of a speed limit, for example, within a given geofenced area. If a driver exceeds the assigned speed limit, they will receive an in-cab verbal notification. Drivers may also receive verbal alerts for excessive idling, or upon entering or exiting a caution zone or hazardous area.
The smartZones also provide automated text or email alerts to fleet managers if an accident or other dangerous activity occurs within the defined area.

Other alerts that can be set up include seatbelt use, zone arrival/departure, and driver behavior alerts for situations such as hard turns or braking. Users can also use the free-form zone creation tool to create a custom boundary.

smartZones is a standard feature of the inthinc waySmart and inthinc tiwiPro solutions.

Click here to download an overview of inthinc smartZones technology.

http://fleetowner.com/truck_technology/archive/gps-based-technology-1221/

According to the company, the information allows fleet managers to enforce compliance with company, state and federal regulations, including the standards set forth in the recent National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) recommendation – which called for the nationwide ban on driver’s use of cell phones.

In anticipation of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Association's (FMCSA) recent ban on all cell phone use for commercial vehicles -- and in support of the NTSB recommendation – inthinc (Salt lake City, Utah, U.S.A.) developed the patented technology to help fleet managers remain compliant with federal regulations.

The technology can decipher various wave frequencies including phone calls, text messages and emails. Managers can adjust the settings to either send an in-cab voice alert to drivers when a cell signal is detected, or quietly report the violation to the manager via email or text alert, says inthinc.

If commercial carriers violate the federal rule, they may face fines of up to $11,000, says inthinc.

"The Department of Transportation (DOT) has made it clear that the responsibility rests with the carriers and that written anti-cell use policies are not sufficient preventive measures," said Todd W. Follmer, CEO of inthinc Technology Solutions. "Distracted driving accounts for 16% of traffic fatalities."

Working with various federal entities, inthinc designed the cell and text detector according to specifications recommended by the FMCSA, NTSB, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the DOT.

http://www.telecomengine.com/article/inthinc-m2m-antenna-supports-federal-ban-cell-phone-use-while-driving

In a release, Corey Catten, CTO, inthinc Technology Solutions, said, "Accidents occur when there is a lack of safety controls. Our smartZones technology empowers fleet managers with the tools they need to protect their drivers in all environments and situations."

One of the special features of the inthinc solution is that it allows fleet managers to assign specific attributes within a created zone that map to their companies' safety policies, such as speed limits, seat belt use and aggressive driving.

Apart from smartZones, the inthinc solution also offers fleet managers regional and individual driver scorecards, in-cab verbal coaching, electronic hours-of-service logs, GPS and trips reporting and a lot more. All of this can be managed and monitored from the web-based inthinc.com management portal.

Calvin Azuri is a contributing editor for TMCnet. To read more of Calvin’s articles, please visit his columnist page.

Edited by Rich Steeves

http://embedded-m2m-solutions.tmcnet.com/topics/embedded-m2m-solutions/articles/243521-custom-attributes-added-inthinc-smartzones-geo-fencing-technology.htm

Being environmentally responsible is easier than ever and is critical to maintaining a healthy future: those were the overarching messages at Utah Business magazine’s 2011 Green Business Awards.

Being green used to be unusual and something that people looked at with skepticism, said Rob Adams, REDCO director of property development. Now green is normal and something people want to get more involved in. REDCO won the overall Green Business award.

That acceptance is a good sign, but it’s not enough, said Forest McNabb, Big-D Construction senior vice president. McNabb borrowed a saying from the civil rights movement and adapted it to green practices.

“The day we’ve stopped talking about ‘green,’ we’ve succeeded. The goal as we move forward is to stop talking about green and live it,” he said.

McNabb emphasized that doing business and living responsibly is about the future and what type of world is left to coming generations.

DwellTek Principal Brad Peacock said the problem for many people is they want to contribute but don’t know how to or are put off by the cost of switching to green practices or products. It’s the job of those who are already working on sustainability to make a bigger difference by engaging those who aren’t yet and helping them find ways to be green, he said.

That was how inthinc Technology Solutions got started, said Cory Catten, chief technology officer. The company makes vehicle systems that reduce idle time, speeding and aggressive driving. The system originally began as a way to decrease crashes, Catten said, but the company realized it had the benefit of reducing fuel consumption as well. Now it works both angles, using its strengths to promote energy efficiency.

Utah Business congratulates the Green Business award winners, who are leading the way in the community to make sustainability the standard rather than the exception.

Complete list of honorees

Community Initiatives
Jordan Valley Water Conservancy District
Salt Lake City Corporation – Recycling Program

Workplace Initiatives
Utah Orthopaedics
CBRE

Education Initiatives
Salt Lake Community College – Green Academy
Westminster College Meldrum Science Center

Corporate Achievement

Residential Construction
Mountain Vista Homes
DwellTek, LLC

Commercial Construction
GSBS Architects
Creative Times, Inc. (dba CTI Construction)

Transportation
inthinc Technology Solutions
Washakie Renewable Energy

Technological Innovation
Enerlyte
Packsize International, LLC

Product
UV Pro Floors
Kaddas Enterprises, Inc.

Overall
REDCO
(11.18.11)

http://www.utahbusiness.com/issues/articles/11750/2011/11/green_getting_better__but_can_go_further

http://www.truckinginfo.com/news/news-detail.asp?news_id=75455&news_category_id=9

According to company sources, inthinc offers these companies and their vendors’ solutions to optimally manage their fleets, improve safety, and meet compliance requirements irrespective of rugged and remote conditions.

In a release Todd Follmer, CEO, inthinc Technology Solutions said, “inthinc has a long history in the oil and gas industry. We didn’t adapt our technology to ‘work’ for oil and gas companies; we sat down with oil and gas companies to specifically develop a solution to meet their needs more than ten years ago. And we continue to collaborate with these corporations to anticipate and solve the operational and safety challenges they face as their business evolves.”

inthinc waySmart serves as a comprehensive fleet management and driver safety solution that helps fleet managers monitor driver behavior with features such as GPS-based vehicle and trip tracking, in-cab verbal coaching alerts for speeding, idling, seat belt use, aggressive and fatigued driving.

Officials added that waySmart leverages satellite communication or uses cellular signals to let fleet managers monitor vehicles globally with real-time incident notification even if the service locations were remote.

inthinc also features electronic Hours-of-Service logs and other features using which oil and gas companies can maintain compliance with CSA criteria outlined by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and other regulatory and internal compliance requirements.

All this information is made available in real-time via satellite or cellular connection or may be downloaded later via Wi-Fi connection, explained officials.

The telematics devices leverage inthinc smartZones technology which lets managers create customized geo-zones around any region and assign custom attributes like speed limits and idle monitoring within each zone. This enhances driving and reduces risky behavior.

smartZones provide managers with automated text or email alerts when drivers enter and exit a defined region, besides alerting managers if drivers commit a violation within the defined boundaries.

Recently, inthinc introduced new technology that speaks to drivers when their vehicles are left idling for too long as part of its tiwiPro and waySmart fleet management solutions.

Shamila Janakiraman is a contributing editor for TMCnet. To read more of Shamila’s articles, please visit her columnist page.

Edited by Jennifer Russell

http://satellite.tmcnet.com/topics/satellite/articles/237393-inthinc-telematics-solutions-ga-ground-among-oil-gas.htm

As I commute back and forth from Salt Lake City each day, it has become increasingly obvious just how much pollution is settling in the valley, especially on those hot summer days. One day, in particular, I recall the smog being so bad the Wasatch Mountains had become invisible from the I-15 freeway. I believe this is a problem that we as a state can solve together.For the last decade I was an idler. That is until one morning when I picked up my son from school and was informed by a UtahCleanCities representative of the impact my idling has on the environment.

It is time for citizens and business owners to be accountable for the pollution they contribute. Groups such as UtahCleanCities are hard at work, influencing motorists to cut down on idling. I am proud to see Utah legislators working together on an ordinance to limit idling time for motorists. Local businesses like inthinc Technology Solutions Inc. have worked to create viable options for commuting drivers and fleet managers to cut down on emissions while also saving money. To me this seems like a win-win situation. May we all consider how much of an impact we individually have on the environment and take steps to cutting down on our idling time.

Salt Lake City

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/700187858/Stop-being-idle.html

"Along with our customers, we share a common concern and responsibility to reduce the impact commercial vehicles have on the environment," said Corey Cattan, chief technology officer at inthinc. "Having a verbal alert for idling in commercial vehicles allows drivers to be aware of how long they have left their engine running and helps them stay aware of the environment -- not to mention saving their organizations thousands of dollars in wasted fuel."

Based on the type or purpose of the vehicle, fleet managers can customize when an idling alert is given. For example, if the vehicle is required to remain running in order to perform certain functions such as pumping fuel or running refrigeration, managers can adjust the alert sensitivity accordingly. For a delivery vehicle, on the other hand, the fleet manger can set alerts to occur at any number of 30-second intervals based on the average 'delivery stop' duration.

Fleet managers can monitor idle time for each vehicle in their fleet via inthinc's Web-based management and reporting software. In addition to idling trends, the inthinc portal also provides team and individual driver scores for speeding, seat belt use, and aggressive driving, allowing fleet managers to reward top drivers or provide additional training for those who have lower scores. The portal will also track GPS location, trips details, fuel usage, and other safety and cost-related information.

About inthinc inthinc is a global company centered on telematics, fleet solutions and driving safety. Its breakthrough driving safety solutions are designed to safeguard lives, save money and protect the environment. inthinc technology dramatically improves driver behavior and has been documented to reduce accidents by more than 80 percent. For more information.

http://www.automotive-fleet.com/Channel/Fuel-Management/News/Story/2011/09/inthinc-Adds-Verbal-In-Vehicle-Idling-Alerts-to-Its-Fleet-Management-Solution.aspx?prestitial=1

Listen Now! The Peggy Smedley Show - McCall Service

The Peggy Smedley Show, the voice of M2M and connected devices, is an informative, yet fun, talk show hosted by Peggy Smedley, president of Specialty Publishing Co. The show broadcasts live for one hour each Tuesday at 12 noon CT. The Peggy Smedley Show features discussions with top newsmakers and technology companies, as well as in-depth analysis of the week's biggest connected devices stories and trends.

Refuse vehicles see cleaner performance and higher efficiency from new technologies.

These are exciting times for the refuse vehicle industry. New products and trends, such as the rapid growth of alternative fuels and hybrid power systems are boosting waste vehicle performance. Moreover, telemetric route and tracking software products are seeing wide adoption by fleets. Hybrid power has seen many years of pilot programs, but it’s definitely a sign that the technology is gaining acceptance when one of the country’s largest sanitation districts, New York City’s NYSD, completes a hybrid vehicle pilot program and plans to order 25 more. According to Rocco DiRico, deputy commissioner, NYSD Support Services, his agency’s move to hybrid vehicles is based on needs that are common to the waste industry. “Were pursuing it for a lot of different reasons, but obviously fuel economy, independence from foreign oil, economics in general, and clean tailpipe emissions are important,” says DiRico. “Then there’s Mayor Bloomberg’s plan to reduce carbon by 30% by 2017, and that gives us an extra reason to pursue this.”

Considering the size of NYSD’s fleet, a transition to hybrids would certainly have an impact on the city’s environment. According to the department’s most recent annual report, NYSD dispatches about 4,992 trucks to collect 49,535 tons of curbside residential refuse. It also uses 450 rolloff containerized trucks to collect an additional 8,000 tons.

With such volumes and the concentration of New York City’s population, reliability is critical. Says DiRico, “Transitional technology can sometimes be a nightmare, but these particular trucks have been reliable and quite simple and transparent to the operator. So we’re now pursuing 25 more, and the budget has improved dramatically. They are about 25% of the original cost of the preproduction models, so we’re around $50,000 in terms of the differential cost between the newest cleanest diesel and the hybrid hydraulic version of that truck. That’s quite inexpensive compared to what we were expecting to see. And with the lower cost plus the hope of getting 20% to 30% gains in fuel economy, this a very exciting endeavor.”

Bosch Rexroth, Rochester Hills, MI, was one of the manufacturers that partnered with Crane Carrier in the NYSD pilot program. The company contributed its Hydrostatic Regenerative Brake (HRB) parallel hydraulic hybrid system to the project. The HRB system powered the Crane Carrier LET2 chassis in the trucks, integrated with a Heil refuse body hydraulic system for weight savings and efficient packaging.

According to Michelle DuHadway, account manager for Rexroth’s parallel regenerative hybrid braking systems unit, fuel savings weren’t the only benefits. “We’re finding that savings on brake replacements and reduced maintenance costs are substantial and, in some cases, a bigger benefit than the fuel savings,” says DuHadway. The majority of Rexroth’s trucks are in Europe, but the company has some preproduction units field-testing in New York, Virginia, and Texas.

“We’re getting ready for limited production units right now and full production later this year.” The company is also studying the feasibility of retrofits. Recently, Rexroth retrofitted its HRB system to a 2007 Mack Truck Granite Chassis with a Heil Environmental Formula 5000 rear-loader body, as part of a pilot at the Fairfax County Solid Waste Program in Virginia. “You really need enough of the same vintage truck models,” says DuHadway. “It’s not mechanically difficult, but it really comes down to the software and making sure the truck gives a good return on investment.” The HRB system was also displayed on an American LaFrance, Condor Truck at the 2011 Waste Expo.

The city of Baltimore tested a Condor truck with the HRB system, and hybrids should be an area of continued growth, says Richard Ball, director of marketing at American LaFrance, Somerville, SC. But not as fast as CNG. “We do a good strong LNG and CNG business, and we just did our largest natural gas fleet for Livermore, California,” says Ball. Condor delivered a fleet of 29 CNG trucks, including a mix of rear loaders, front loaders, automated side loaders, and rolloffs to Livermore Sanitation.

Mack Truck was another participant in NYSD’s hybrid pilot and contributed a diesel-electric hybrid Mack TerraPro Low Entry model refuse truck. According to the company, it was the first production-intent parallel diesel-electric hybrid truck in the US designed specifically for Class 8 heavy-duty applications and meeting the EPA 2010 emission regulations. The TerraPro hybrid runs on a 325-horsepower Mack MP7 engine and Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) exhaust aftertreatment technology, and the diesel-electric hybrid power train features an integrated starter, alternator, and electric motor. The system captures energy from braking and converts it to electricity that’s stored in lithium ion batteries that power the electric motor, which assists the MP7 diesel engine with propulsion. In keeping with the trend towards natural gas, Mack recently introduced a natural-gas version of the TerraPro Cabover, available in either liquefied or compressed natural-gas-fueled models. Republic Services recently took delivery of 41 natural-gas TerraPro models.

Autocar, Hagerstown, IN, announced the commercial launch of its E3 advanced series hybrid chassis at Waste Expo 2011.  After a thorough field test and validation program in the greater Miami area, a total of 11, E3 vehicles demonstrated that combining Autocar’s class 8 truck with the Parker Hannifin RunWise® hybrid system exceeded all expectations for both economy and reliability. The RunWise® hybrid module is the critical element, according to Mark Neale, director of applications engineering at Autocar. It replaces the vehicle’s standard automatic transmission, and because the E3 produces more torque at the wheels during initial propulsion, field tests demonstrate fuel consumption reductions of 30% to 50%, with typical savings of 45%. But Neale notes that the E3 saves more than just fuel.

For the environment, Autocar has committed to delivering the lowest emissions possible. By saving 4,500 gallons of diesel fuel per year in the average refuse application, the reduction of carbon dioxide per year drops by 50 tons per truck. Brakes last much longer because, in normal conditions, the mechanical brakes aren’t needed until the unit slows to 3 mph. Operators can expect an increase of eight times the typical life expectancy on the brakes, not to mention less in the way of noise and brake dust. In fact, adds Neale, the brakes and most of the E3’s operations run through the hybrid drive’s processor,

“We also do full engine management through the E3 because it’s a series system hybrid rather than a parallel,” says Neale. “So the RPM at the wheels are not necessarily dependent upon the RPM at the engine, and we can manage that engine more like a generator rather than a typical automotive engine. That’s one of the advantages of a series system over a parallel system: There is a disconnect between the engine and the drive axle.”

For operators wishing to connect up close with the E3, Autocar has been running demonstrations in Florida, Texas, and Indianapolis, for the Department of Energy’s Clean Cities Coalition Show. “We’ll be moving down into the Carolinas next,” says Neale, “but basically we have a rear loader in addition to the automated side loader, and anyone interested in learning more or physically operating the demo should contact their Autocar distributor for dates and locations.”

In Canada, Montreal-based Effenco Inc., offers a unique regenerative braking system called HEAD (hydraulic equipment assisting device). According to Simon Poulin, business development manager at Effenco, rather than applying the energy to move the truck, the HEAD system uses the stored energy to assist the engine when it is the least efficient: at idle while driving auxiliary equipment, such as the compactor, automated arm, and other devices driven by a PTO. “When the truck stops and the arm or the compaction cycle is deployed, HEAD cuts the fuel injection so the engine is turning without any fuel consumption, and this drives the hydraulic system of the truck,” says Poulin. “So it’s like the engine being driven without any fuel for the arm lift and compacting cycle of the truck.”

The HEAD system includes a dashboard-mounted screen that functions as an onboard dynamic driving guidance interface. The screen gives feedback to the operator about driving efficiency and displays performance data. After a two-year pilot program, Effenco now has five trucks on the road. “Most of the trucks are operating in Canada, but we’ve passed the pilot stage and we’re now selling our system,” says Poulin. “Very soon we should have two trucks in the US, probably around August.”

New Advantages

Hybrid drive systems aren’t the only new technologies getting headlines in the refuse vehicle industry. New designs in power takeoff units are making great strides in efficiency. For example, in September 2010, Kenworth Truck Co. introduced a new front-engine power takeoff (FEPTO) option for the Kenworth T800. The T800 FEPTO is designed and for municipal and vocational fleets that require a front engine PTO for snowplow, dump, mixer, refuse, crane, and other applications.

Eaton Vehicle Group, Southfield, MI, has also introduced a new power technology, POD (Power On Demand). The POD system replaces traditional fixed displacement gear and vane pumps with a variable displacement piston-type pump operating through load-sensing valves and manifolds. Benefits include reduced fuel consumption because there is almost no power needed at idle, yet the pump can quickly ramp up its output to match a load.

“We have about 10,000 piston pumps in service with the majority of those being in the city of New York,” says Corey Moore, Eaton’s market segment director for commercial, government, and military transportation. “And we believe that the data shows that they will last the life of a refuse truck, whereas a traditional gear pump has to be replaced 1.5 times over the lifetime of a truck. So the piston pump is out there, and it’s reliable, and it’s more efficient and quieter than the gear pump.”

According to Moore, another advantage is the ability to vary the displacement with increased engine speed. This eliminates the need for over-speed control valves typically used with gear and vane pump systems. Besides improving the efficiency of the circuit, productivity is better because the packer mechanism can work at all engine speeds.

Furthermore, pack at idle is easily attained because a variable displacement pump can match engine power by utilizing constant torque controls, either electronic or built into the pump. This results in reduced noise and further improves system efficiency. When combined with a hydraulic launch assist system, the fuel savings can reach 25% to 40% compared to traditionally equipped trucks based on actual field experience. Eaton reports that with both OEM and retrofit applications on refuse trucks, shuttle busses, and service trucks, HLA systems have covered more than 250,000 miles in daily operation. Peterbuilt is one of the latest manufacturers to announce limited production availability of Eaton’s HLA system in its Model 320 Hybrid Class 8 refuse truck.

Another new product from Eaton is the LifeSense hose, a patented hydraulic hose-condition monitoring system. LifeSense continuously monitors the health of hydraulic hose assemblies and alert users when an assembly approaches the end of its useful life. This technology allows the people to get the full life out of their hoses and eliminate failures that stop trucks from operating,” says Moore.

The McNeilus line of ZR trucks offers Eaton’s POD system as one of its newest products. According to Jeffry Swertfeger, director of marketing and communications for McNeilus in Dodge Center, MN, the ZR Series has a number of innovations. “On the ZR side loader, this is our first zero-radius side-loading refuse truck,” says Swertfeger. “We took a hard look at all the things in the market that we’ve learned from the side loaders we’ve been building for 10 years and took an existing body architecture and adapted a proven arm to it, then added a sophisticated control system that is all Multiplex-based controls. These are still new to the refuse industry but very common for us across our corporation’s products.”

The multiplex controls have diagnostic capabilities to simplify diagnostics and provide easier system analysis. For example, if a driver takes a truck out in the morning and notices that the arm isn’t operating as fast as normal, it would be typical to take it back to the shop and write up an issue. But the multiplex control pad has a series of status lights, including oil temperature, so the driver can check his control panel and see that the oil isn’t hot yet and it’s going to be sluggish until he gets his first loads going. “That’s something we never had before, where we can actually cross-talk to the chassis and understand what’s going on, and it’s a significant feature from a reliability standpoint,” adds Swertfeger.

Electronic Control Systems See More Data

Freightliner Trucks, a division of Daimler Trucks North America LLC, Portland, OR, recently announced improvements to electronic systems with its SmartPlex Electrical System for the Freightliner 114SD and Business Class M2 platforms. The electrical system provides flexibility for truck equipment manufacturers when configuring a truck to suit specific body installations. SmartPlex focuses on providing manufacturers with an efficient and reliable solution to increase the ease of body integration and application programming. It uses Freightliner’s proprietary control modules that connect to the J1939 data bus, controlling power to lights and equipment. SmartPlex also introduced a flex switch and lamp module—with capacity for up to 24 switches located in the overhead compartment.

Critical data monitoring of vehicle status is getting a boost from E-Z Pack in Cynthiana, KY. According to Tom Robbins, director of engineering, the new EZ Track product answers customer requests for an onboard monitoring system that would give drivers and maintenance and fleet managers, a dashboard-style presentation of a vehicle’s status for both the chassis and the body.

The system allows a driver to interact with a touch-screen tablet monitor in the truck. A maintenance manager can access the same information from a computer, which includes functions of the body and the chassis alike, plus options for up to 150 reports. “EZ Track uses a mobile modem that transmits information from the truck, and it’s an extensive range of data,” says Robbins. “The system reports critical information about hydraulics, including temperatures and oil levels. It also monitors how quickly the body is reacting, and the number of stops and pickups within a given time. Load capacity is monitored so a driver will know when it’s time to go to a landfill. If there’s a problem with a particular engine function the maintenance manager could get on the radio and tell an operator to pull off the road before there’s a critical failure.”

A GPS tracks the truck’s location and has a navigation function designed for use with routing systems software. Another unique feature integrates a truck’s video cameras for viewing on the screen (about 8 inches by 10 inches) and all of the views can be seen simultaneously in a matrix-style format. “We included a virtual keyboard for typing notes, and drivers can access a check list for their pre-trip inspections,” says Robbins. “The concept is to have an iPad-style device that can be removed from a cradle so an operator could walk around the various points on a truck and interactively go through a checklist. The wireless function could transmit the information to a database as it is checked off.”

Flexible programming allows users to develop monitoring for specific areas of performance, such as an automated arm. The system can compare various routes and statistics and show a truck’s performance and gauge an operator’s efficiency. For example, it will report fuel usage and miles per gallon. “This will train the driver to operate at maximum fuel efficiency,” says Robbins. An additional function called Easy Score helps maintenance managers in keeping up the truck and tracking an operator’s performance.

Telemetrics Market Surges

Navigation and route optimization software (telematics) and hardware are hot items for boosting refuse vehicle performance and efficiency. According to BCC Research, Wellesley, MA, the telematics industry will grow by 31% over the next five years to become a $20 billion market worldwide. Refuse vehicle fleets are a key component in that projected growth, and many companies are targeting the industry aggressively.

For example, CapturIT Onboard Intelligence, Exeter, NH, offers MyRoute Optimizer, to analyze existing routes, redesign master routes, and optimize daily distribution and collection. “We have expanded our software solution for managing mixed recyclable facilities,” says John O’Hare, vice president operations at CapturIT. “We see that as a very important step because the market has shifted and is moving towards new processes in receiving and costing.”

CapturIT’s tracking system helped the city of Grand Rapids, MI, in the creation of a program that turned around a floundering recycling program. “We went from dual stream to single stream and needed tracking to know if our recycling carts were at the right location and how often they were tipped,” says James Hurt, public services director for the city of Grand Rapids.

The program is based on creating an incentive for recycling by awarding points that can be redeemed at local businesses, and for goods and services provided by the city. Readers on the trucks allow CapturIT to track the RFID tags on the recycling carts, so the citizens don’t need to do anything more than the initial registration of their cart with the program. “It’s been an overwhelming success,” says Hurt. “We started with 37,000 carts because that’s how many recycling program customers we had going into the program, and in less than a year we have delivered 43,000, so that’s 6000 more than we originally anticipated.”

The benefit of having points that can only be used in local city businesses made it an instant attraction to the chamber of commerce. They provide administration services and named the program “Local First.” Along with all of the community benefits, Horn notes, Grand Rapids is saving money, thanks to lower tipping fees on the refuse side. “We get charged per ton and we have saved a lot of money because all that recycling material is removed from the wastestream.”

Another CapturIT product, MyStreet, allows for real-time data communication between the truck and the back office with GPS truck location, pickup verification with time and GPS coordinates, and the ability to monitor the engine RPM, truck speed, fuel consumption, foot brake signal, and odometer data in real time. CapturIT’s Ecometer allows real time feedback to drivers of driving behavior.

The rolloff container market is benefitting from telemetrics, says, Steven Van Ooyen, chief executive officer of Track What Matters, Flower Mound, TX, “Our business breaks up into two areas. The more unique item for us goes beyond GPS tracking and watching routes and solution-based events such as a hydraulic lift or dumping, and that’s the active tracking side,” Van Ooyen says. “The other side we get into with the containers. Often those bins are left for an extended period of time, and hopefully they end up where they’re supposed to be, but occasionally the wrong person picks them up and takes them to the wrong place. We have battery-powered weatherproof tracking devices to solve that problem. For truck fleets, Track What Matters allows fleet managers to see the current location of all trucks, paths traveled, speeds, stop times, idling times, and mileage.

Reducing idle time is a major benefit to tracking systems, according to Paul Benbow, marketing manager, Mobile311, Cary, NC. “It’s a big issue in the refuse industry, and we typically see a 10% to 20% reduction once managers begin tracking these idle time situations. Mobile311 also lets users flag work items in the field with a one-touch solution. Data such as the location, time, and type of work are instantly uploaded to a web-based map via a smart phone application.

Safety was a major consideration in Waste Connections’s, decision to contract with DriveCam Inc. of San Diego, CA, a global driver risk management company. Waste Connections signed a five-year contract to renew DriveCam’s managed service program across its entire fleet of 4,000 vehicles. In addition, Waste Connections has committed to including DriveCam’s latest product release, Fleet Tracking, on all of its vehicles over the same term.

According to a study at the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute, voice-based systems are a safer form of in-vehicle navigation. Verbal and audio systems do have advantages, says Andrew Watson, director of marketing at inthinc Technology Solutions in Salt Lake City, UT. “Our device is real time and verbal, so if a driver turns too fast or hits a bump too hard or they are speeding, a voice warns them,” Watson explains. “If they are speeding, it gives them a grace period before it logs a violation in the record. So the intent is to change a driver’s behavior rather than punish them. Then their habits improve, and consequently there’s an increase in safety.”

Tracking systems can have an impact on insurance fees, notes Mark Roberts, CMO of Discreet Wireless, Roswell, GA. “We did a customer satisfaction survey last year and the number-one benefit was a reduction in costs,” says Roberts, “with fuel being first, but also maintenance and insurance. You can also increase your driver productivity, safety and customer service with the integrated Garmin navigation and dispatching device.” Discrete’s Marcus product line can reroute drivers to new jobs, organize fleet routes, and send instant alerts from a computer or from a smart phone. It gathers GPS fleet data and statistics by vehicle, time, location, fleet, driver, or an individual event. “Expect this industry to continue evolving,” Roberts adds. “It started as a track-and-trace function and something of a virtual timecard, and now it’s evolving.”

An Answer to Cylinder Liner Cavitation Erosion

As is generally known, water in traditional coolants allows corrosion throughout an engine’s cooling system, where the most serious problem is cavitation of cylinder liners caused by the erosive effect of collapsing bubbles over the surface of the liners’ exterior face. Eventually, the resulting erosion can penetrate the wall of the cylinder.

Evans waterless coolant, with its large separation between the operating temperature and the boiling point prevents cavitation erosion of cylinder liners, as confirmed in John Deere’s Engine Cavitation Test, performed in April 2009 by a third-party laboratory.

Additionally, with its boiling point of 375°F, Evans waterless coolant permits higher temperature engine operation at a lower pressure, reducing stress on cooling system components.

The Future Is Coming Fast

Ultimately, the theme of evolution could well be applied to most other areas of technology in refuse vehicles. For example, the first fully electric refuse truck was unveiled at Pollutec 2010 by small and medium truck manufacturer, PVI, France, and its partner SITA, a subsidiary of Suez Environment. The 26-ton, zero-emission truck’s electric power train boasts significantly reduced noise pollution, zero local emissions and no idling during inactive periods. It has a maximum speed of 70 kilometers per hour at full payload, and the added benefit of 100% starting torque. Drivers will be able to collect a payload of 16 tons in two rounds of service. The modular plug-in battery pack was also designed to be interchangeable or accommodate a partial recharge between two daily service rounds.

On another front that relates to the future of heavy-duty electric powered vehicles, Hyundai Heavy Industries is supplying electric buses to the city of Seoul, Korea. The e-Primus bus relies totally on batteries, and has regenerative braking. It can attain speeds up to 62 mph, with a range of about 50 miles, and needs just 30 minutes to recharge its lithium-ion polymer batteries. Volvo Trucks is now selling its model RE Hybrid in Europe. The design uses a diesel engine and electric motor either simultaneously or independently of each other. The electric motor also can power the compactor.

Hybrids in the lighter weight classes continue to enter the market. In March 2011, Hino Trucks, Novi, MI, unveiled four models of the newly designed Class 4 and Class 5 cab-over-engine (COE) hybrid powered trucks. In the Class 4 market, Hino will offer the 155 diesel model and its first US Class 4 diesel-electric hybrid model, the 155h. The 155 and 155h models carry a 14,500-pound GVW rating. In the Class 5 market, Hino will offer the 195 diesel model and the first-ever US Class 5 diesel-electric hybrid model, the 195h. The 195 and 195h models will carry a 19,500-pound GVW rating.

Here in America, at the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, Vision Motor Corp. is supplying one big-rig truck and one terminal tractor for testing for 18 months to the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles, with an anticipated start in 2011. Vision Motor Corp. designs and manufactures advanced zero-emission, hydrogen fuel cell hybrid electric drive, Class 8 heavy-duty commercial trucks. Both vehicles have batteries recharged by hydrogen fuel cells. The trucks will be tested under typical conditions for these short-haul vehicles. These are important projects if judged just on the merits of the budget. Each port has agreed to provide $212,500 from its Technology Advancement Program funds toward the cost of the $1 million project.

Another project at the ports will partner US 1 Industries with Capstone Microturbines for a pilot to test a truck powered by batteries that use a microturbine to recharge the batteries when they reach a predetermined state of discharge. Recharging batteries is an area of constant research, and power can come from some unique areas of a vehicle. For example, Levant Power in Cambridge, MA, is developing a shock absorber that can generate electricity and lower fuel consumption by 1.5% to 6%. The company is targeting trucks and buses as ideal candidates for its technology.

Considering the past migration of natural gas from lighter vehicles to Class 8 trucks, it’s more than likely that history will repeat itself with these new technologies. So it’s fair to say that we’re just seeing the beginnings of a new age in refuse vehicle technology, and a very exciting future is already taking shape.

ASLs Versus Traditional Rear Loaders

“The automated sector is a growing market”, says Terrance Barnes, vice president at Loadmaster, who has seen a continuous increase in ASLs in the solid waste market in the recent five years.

Earlier this year, Loadmaster debuted the Eclipse automated side loader system at the Waste Expo show in Dallas, TX, which incorporates an integrated display panel allowing custom settings and adjustments to the speed and force of the arm. This “brain” allows for programmable internal control of the vehicle, which produces smoother movements of the arm and lessens the jerking and jarring that the vehicle endures during the pickup process. As a result, the life of the body and chassis is prolonged. Moreover, display panel alerts and proximity switches provide troubleshooting messages that assist drivers or technicians to quickly locate problems. Safety is also a key player, as managers can lock the customized settings to prevent unintended or unauthorized changes to the desired arm settings.

While this technology might be new to the solid waste market, it has been a veteran of the construction market for use in loader applications.

Loadmaster’s Eclipse can be adapted to any chassis, and the company is in the process of developing a dealer training school to educate about the basics on the Eclipse display panel’s use and benefits. Loadmaster offers hands-on training, which is performed onsite in an actual truck.

Author's Bio: Writer Ed Ritchie specializes in energy, transportation, and communication technologies.

http://www.mswmanagement.com/september-october-2011/collection-vehicles-latest-1.aspx

By MISSY SULLIVAN

“Our goal in partnering with Mobileye is to provide customers with the most effective tools to reduce accidents and promote fleet safety across their organizations,” said Todd Follmer, CEO of inthinc Technology Solutions. “Unlike other driving safety systems that rely on improving safety by recording driver behavior for post-trip analysis, our system changes the behavior at the time and place of a driver incident, in hopes of preventing a collision entirely or assuaging negative effects.”

Mobileye’s solution will be integrated into the inthinc Portal—a web-based dashboard that provides fleet managers with real-time data around vehicle location (GPS), trip details, driver behavior and other performance indicators. The portal delivers each driver’s ‘score’ to help organizations understand where improvements are needed. The inthinc algorithm will integrate the data provided by Mobileye’s solution as an additional resource in determining a driver’s overall safety score.

“inthinc’s integration of our real-time collision avoidance technology into its existing solution extends both the literal vision of its drivers, and the visibility of fleet managers,” said Skip Kinford, CEO for Mobileye, Inc. “inthinc views our solution not as an expenditure, but as an investment, both in the safety of their customers and in the reduction of accident-related costs.”

inthinc’s partnership with Mobileye will not only add valuable camera-based functionality to its arsenal of driver behavior and fleet management capabilities, but will also allow customers to manage all aspects of safety and fleet monitoring from one unique source.

For more information about Mobileye, visit www.mobileye.com.

http://www.fleetmag.com/web/online/Industry-News/inthinc-chooses-Mobileye-to-provide-collision-prevention-and-mitigation-technology/1$5631

inthinc solutions focus on real-time driver mentoring and fleet risk management. A device inside the vehicle not only verbally notifies drivers of unsafe behavior such as speeding (via the inthinc Speed-by-Street capabilities) and seatbelt use, but also wirelessly transmits vehicle performance data to a web-based management portal in real time. The inthinc Portal allows fleet managers to view GPS location, trips data (including breadcrumbing), idle time and MPG, driver performance scores by group or by individual, and other customizable cost-saving and safety dashboards. In addition, inthinc offers cell and text detection and collision avoidance capabilities. 

A natural fit to meeting the needs of federal, state and local fleets, inthinc has a long history of developing technologyto help organizations stay compliant with regulations published by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA). For example, in order to help customers stay compliant with a proposed rule by the FMCSA, inthinc offers electronic hours-of-service driver logs through the company’s electronic on-board recorder (EOBR)—including automated IFTA tax reporting—and also addresses safety criteria outlined in the FMCSA ‘CSA’ program.

“We are pleased to work with the GSA to offer inthinc fleet management and driver safety solutions to agencies across the country,” said Todd Follmer, CEO, inthinc Technology Solutions. “Our technology is a unique system that drives value for fleets by focusing on accident prevention and cost-cutting capabilities for fleets of any size.”

"inthinc saved my company," said Don Macleod, owner of Southwestern Nevada LLC. "We were able to prove to the insurance company that they couldn't find us negligible for something we weren't at fault for. inthinc's data and accident reviewing capabilities are the only reason we are in business today."

Using the tiwiPro system, Macleod has access to accident data -- including how fast drivers were traveling before an accident, what road they were on, the speed limit of the road segment, and the exact timing of the accident among other things.

"We reviewed each individual accident," said Macleod. "And in every incident the driver was not aggressive driving or speeding -- there was no fault attributed to the driver."

After reviewing the crash data, Macleod discovered the true cause of the accidents: each truck had been hauling the same type of trailer -- leased from the same company -- and each trailer had worn-out bolts. The bolting system caused the trucks to wobble as they rounded curves and ultimately flip over.

In addition to its crash reconstruction capabilities, tiwiPro offers GPS capabilities to help fleet dispatch and location monitoring, as well as real-time, in-cab driver safety alerts that verbally notify drivers when speed limits are exceeded or if their seatbelt isn't fastened.

Click here to read the complete case study.

About inthinc
inthinc is a global company centered on telematics, fleet solutions and driving safety. Its breakthrough driving safety solutions are designed to safeguard lives, save money and protect the environment. inthinc technology dramatically improves driver behavior and has been documented to reduce accidents by more than 80 percent. For more information, please visithttp://www.inthinc.com.

inthinc will integrate Mobileye’s real-time driver assistance solution, complete with camera-based lane departure warning, forward collision warning and headway monitoring warning, into its fleet management offering.  Mobileye provides additional collision-avoidance safety measures for fleet drivers, as well as those sharing the road in an effort to help prevent and mitigate vehicle collisions.

“Our goal in partnering with Mobileye is to provide customers with the most effective tools to reduce accidents and promote fleet safety across their organizations,” said Todd Follmer, CEO of inthinc Technology Solutions. “Unlike other driving safety systems that rely on improving safety by recording driver behavior for post-trip analysis, our system changes the behavior at the time and place of a driver incident, in hopes of preventing a collision entirely or assuaging negative effects.”

Mobileye’s solution will be integrated into the inthinc Portal—a web-based dashboard that provides fleet managers with real-time data around vehicle location (GPS), trip details, driver behavior and other performance indicators. The portal delivers each driver’s ‘score’ to help organizations understand where improvements are needed. The inthinc algorithm will integrate the data provided by Mobileye’s solution as an additional resource in determining a driver’s overall safety score.

“inthinc’s integration of our real-time collision avoidance technology into its existing solution extends both the literal vision of its drivers, and the visibility of fleet managers,” said Skip Kinford, CEO for Mobileye, Inc. “inthinc views our solution not as an expenditure, but as an investment, both in the safety of their customers and in the reduction of accident-related costs.”

inthinc’s partnership with Mobileye will not only add valuable camera-based functionality to its arsenal of driver behavior and fleet management capabilities, but will also allow customers to manage all aspects of safety and fleet monitoring from one unique source.

As the only finalist offering both GPS tracking and in-cab verbal mentoring for drivers, inthinc is differentiated in its approach to fleet management and driver safety by focusing on accident prevention. The in-cab verbal coaching provided by inthinc solutions warns a driver of speeding, an unfastened seatbelt, or aggressive driving and gives them a chance to correct their behavior before flagging a violation in the system. This approach actually changes driver behavior as opposed to simply punishing mistakes.

inthinc currently offers two solutions for commercial fleets:

--  inthinc waySmart(TM): a ruggedized solution aimed toward heavy
    industrial fleets operating in remote areas and high-impact
    environments (Oil & Gas, Mining, Construction, etc.). waySmart
    offers technology developed to meet standards required by the Federal
    Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), including an electronic
    on-board recorder (EOBR) for automatic hours-of-service (HOS)
    tracking, inspection alerts, global satellite communications
    connectivity, and in-cab driver mentoring.

--  inthinc tiwiPro(TM): a device for commercial fleets of any size, and
    the only product on the market that focuses on changing driver
    behavior through real-time, in-cab verbal alerts for speeding,
    seatbelt use, aggressive driving and other notifications. GPS
    tracking, emergency hands-free communication and geo-fencing are
    included.

inthinc solutions send real-time vehicle and driver performance data wirelessly to the web-based inthinc Portal. Through the portal, fleet managers monitor vehicle location, driver trends, driver scoring, hours-of-service (HOS) information and more from one interface.

Final award winners will be announced at a Telematics Update Awards ceremony on June 7th in Novi, MI.

About inthinc: 
inthinc is a global company centered on telematics, fleet solutions and driving safety. Its breakthrough driving safety solutions are designed to safeguard lives, save money and protect the environment. inthinc technology dramatically improves driver behavior and has been documented to reduce accidents by more than 80 percent. For more information, please visit http://www.inthinc.com.

• Eliminates paper logs, saving 10 minutes-a-day per driver


• Automates IFTA Fuel Tax reporting


• Notifies drivers and fleet managers when hours are exceeded


• Performs safety checks including pre- and post-trip inspections

Integrating electronic logs capabilities with the waySmart solution allows organizations to manage HOS data in tandem with real-time fleet management reporting including features such as:

• Real-time, in-cab, verbal alerts for Speeding, Seatbelt Use and Aggressive Driving


• GPS tracking and Trips reporting


• Emergency global satellite communications connectivity


• Crash Detection and Accident Reconstruction

Earlier this year, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) proposed a rule* that would require interstate commercial truck and bus companies to use an EOBR. The proposed rule will impact an estimated 500,000 carriers in the United States. Carriers that violate this EOBR requirement can face fines of up to $11,000 for each offense, while also endangering their safety fitness rating and Department of Transportation (DOT) operating authority.

"inthinc HOS Electronic Driver Logs are developed to meet federal standards related to EOBRs for commercial vehicles," said Corey Catten, CTO, inthinc Technology Solutions. "We also work very closely with some of the largest fleets in the world and have incorporated their feedback -- tailoring our technology to what drivers and fleet managers need to maximize productivity."

About inthinc
inthinc is a global company centered on telematics, fleet solutions and driving safety. Its breakthrough driving safety solutions are designed to safeguard lives, save money and protect the environment. Inthinc technology dramatically improves driver behavior and has been documented to reduce accidents by more than 80 percent. For more information, please visit www.inthinc.com

*DOT, press release: "DOT Issues Proposed Rule Requiring Electronic On-Board Recorders for Interstate Commercial Truck and Bus Companies," January 31, 2011

According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), Americans consumed nearly seven billion barrels of oil in 2010 (roughly 145 billion gallons).* Using the conservative average price of gas in February 2011 ($3.21), Americans are projected to spend $455 billion on gasoline in this year alone assuming consumption remains constant. Organizations relying on fleet vehicles understand the enormous burden of these fuel costs and the impact each gallon of fuel has on the environment.

In an effort to cut down on fuel consumption and to support commercial fleet needs, inthinc developed technology to allow organizations to have tighter control on the impact commercial vehicles have on the environment—while still allowing them to operate an efficient fleet. Two primary components inthinc tackles are vehicle idling and speeding.

According to an independent study** the average driver idles roughly 16 minutes every day—creating almost 94 million metric tons of CO₂ and burning over 10 billion gallons of gasoline annually. inthinc’s fleet management solution uses an in-vehicle device that monitors engine idling and records how long vehicles were left standing still in an unproductive mode. This information is displayed in real time on the web-based inthinc Portal where fleet managers can see which vehicles need to be shut down.

In addition, inthinc solutions coach drivers with real-time verbal alerts when speed limits are exceeded. While optimal fuel economy varies by vehicle type, gas mileage decreases rapidly at speeds above 60mph. By ensuring drivers keep the posted speed limit, inthinc helps ensure organizations maintain appropriate levels of fuel consumption—minimizing costs for the organization and keeping the environmental impact as low as possible.

“A primary component of our product development over the past decade has included creating ways to help our customers reduce the carbon footprint,” said Todd Follmer, CEO, inthinc Technology Solutions. “We are proud to participate in the global mission of ensuring a clean environment and look forward to playing a major role in providing ‘green’ technology for the commercial vehicle industry.”

About inthinc

inthinc is a global company centered on telematics, fleet solutions and driving safety. Its breakthrough driving safety solutions are designed to safeguard lives, save money and protect the environment. inthinc technology dramatically improves driver behavior and has been documented to reduce accidents by more than 80 percent. For more information, please visit http://www.inthinc.com.

*http://tonto.eia.doe.gov

**Carrico, A.R. et al., Costly myths: An analysis of idling beliefs and behavior in personal motor vehicles. Energy Policy (2009), doi:10.1016/j.enpol.2009.03.031

Shane Whitten, Corporate Safety and Fleet Manager at Blood Systems, decided to test a system from inthinc, called the tiwiPro, in 35 of its vehicles. Whitten initially deployed tiwiPro across his fleet in the Louisiana region. He wanted to ‘test’ a specific area as a benchmark where he could set objectives and track progress before rolling it out to the rest of the fleet systemwide.

During the test the devices were set to “silent mode,” which means the device would track speeding violations, compile trip reports, and monitor driver safety without turning on the verbal, in-cab driver mentoring feature.

All the data was displayed in real time through the inthinc Portal, a Web-based dashboard which enabled the managers to track where the vehicles were at any given moment, where they had been, how fast they were going, and any other safety-related issue. Reports were then made available for individual drivers and for the entire fleet so managers could track progress at a glance.

“We had been looking for a system that would help improve fleet management and vehicle safety,” said Whitten. “We saw a solid reduction in fuel consumption and miles driven, while at the same time improving the life of the vehicles. Because drivers were immediately notified if they inadvertently exceeded the speed limit, and then given a grace period to correct their behavior, we experienced an unexpected savings in fuel costs.”

Blood Systems also found that driver productivity improved. “We found that our vehicles were being used much more appropriately across the board,” Whitten said.

The Web-based reporting system provides commercial fleets with a way to increase driver safety and monitor organizational compliance by monitoring speed, aggressive driving, seatbelt use, idle time and other risky or inefficient driving behavior.

Developed in part to help commercial fleet owners meet the Compliance, Safety, Accountability (CSA) standards defined by the U.S. Department of Transportation, the inthinc Portal collects behavioral data from devices (inthinc waySmart and inthinc tiwiPro) in individual vehicles. The data is then analyzed to generate driver ‘scores’ in real time, providing fleet managers with the information they need to reward top drivers - or determine the area of additional training needed for low-performing drivers.

The portal also collects GPS information so fleet managers can see driver location in real time.

“There are several disparate driving safety technologies in the market today; one-dimensional GPS technologies, monitoring technologies and fleet tracking systems, for example,” said Todd Follmer, CEO, inthinc Technology Solutions. “Our technology connects all aspects of fleet management to provide a comprehensive solution - and the inthinc Portal serves as the reporting backbone that makes it possible.”

Some of the features the new inthinc Portal now offers include Real-time Dashboards, Real-time GPS Vehicle trip data or “breadcrumbing,” Live Fleet view, fuel Efficiency (mpg) data, Stop Report, IFTA fuel tax reporting and Hours of Service logs.

http://www.fleetmag.com/web/online/Industry-News/New-inthinc-portal-scores-commercial-drivers-in-real-time/1$5167

"Construction companies have several types of vehicles with various uses and operational challenges," said Todd Follmer, CEO, inthinc Technology Solutions. "We have developed a solution that not only keeps drivers safe regardless of vehicle type, but that also provides management with the tools they need to monitor asset location and vehicle utilization."

Among the features inthinc offers its construction customers include:

• Insight into idle time and fuel consumption
• Real-time, in-cab verbal coaching for drivers of commercial construction vehicles
• Vehicle log-in and electronic hours-of-service tracking
• GPS 'live fleet' view and trips reporting
• Global satellite communications coverage for remote work site connectivity
• Asset tracking capabilities for trailers, large vehicle accessories or other fixed assets

http://www.forconstructionpros.com/online/Construction-News/inthinc-Introduces-Fleet-Management--Driver-Safety-Solution/4FCP19778

Developed in part to help commercial fleet owners meet the Compliance, Safety, and Accountability (CSA) standards defined by the US Department of Transportation, the Portal collects behavioral data from devices (inthinc’s waySmart and tiwiPro) in individual vehicles. Data is then analyzed to generate driver “scores” in real time, providing fleet managers with the information they need to reward top drivers—or determine the area of additional training needed for low-performing drivers. The portal also collects GPS information so fleet managers can see driver location in real time.

Some of the features the Portal offers include:

•Real-time dashboards—Driver safety and performance monitoring on both an individual or team basis.

•Real-time GPS vehicle trip data or “breadcrumbing”—Immediate insight into route detours or instances of unsafe driving behavior.

•Live fleet view—Driver proximity to defined locations as well as time spent at a particular location.

•Fuel efficiency (mpg) data—Understanding of how vehicle use and speed can be optimized to reduce fuel costs.

•Stop Report—Insight into when vehicles arrived at a destination, when they departed, how long they were there, and both the idle and “wait” time associated with each stop.

•IFTA fuel tax reporting—Automated reports to aid commercial fleets in tax reporting.

•Hours of service logs: Electronic HOS log reporting available to help organizations comply with federal regulations.

For more information, visit www.inthinc.com.

http://refrigeratedtrans.com/information-management/inthinc_portal_centralizes_fleet_safety_management_0304/

Get MP3 (4.4 MB | 12:27 min

http://podcast.tech-talk-with-craig-peterson.com/index.php?id=1627

Updated: Thursday, 10 Feb 2011, 2:03 PM PST
Published : Thursday, 10 Feb 2011, 11:58 AM PST

Elizabeth Esther on GDLA: MyFoxLA.com

Video from:
Good Day LA

Posted by: Tony Spearman / myFOXla.com

http://www.myfoxla.com/dpp/good_day_la/elizabeth-esther-on-gdla-20110210

Like many life-saving technologies, this one began with a tragedy. Todd Follmer’s teenage son was driving too fast in Coto De Caza when his girlfriend, also speeding in the car behind him, swerved off the road and slammed into a tree. The teen girl died as a result of her injuries. In the years since the accident, Todd has made safe driving a priority at his company, Inthinc. And now, Inthinc has a parent-friendly on-board computer called“tiwiFamily” that can be installed in a teen’s car. The device provides verbal coaching, speeding warnings, GPS tracking and can even prevent texting while driving by triggering the teen’s mobile phone to go into safe mode when the car is moving. 

When I spoke with Todd Follmer, CEO of Inthinc, he explained that this technology “is important for parents because when teens drive, parents aren’t there to give directions.” tiwiFamily acts as part surrogate driving coach, part mentor and, according to their site, part guardian angel. It’s the kind of coaching and accountability that is vital for inexperienced drivers.

Courtesy Inthinc.
Mom. Technically. is a weekly column by Elizabeth Esther about her relationship with the tech world. Elizabeth is a local freelance writer and married mother of five.
More family and parenting: Visit OC Moms for deals, events, features, contests, and news & information just for you. Find OC Moms on Facebook and follow us on Twitter @themomblog. You can also sign up for the weekly OC Moms newsletter.

If, for example, parents are worried about speeding, they can rest assured knowing Inthinc has a proprietary database that knows all the speed limits of every street across the country. If a teen goes over the speed limit, the tiwiFamily device will issue a verbal warning to reduce speed and give a 15 second grace period for the teen to do so before sending an alert to the parents. Parents can also create customized geographic boundaries through an Internet portal and access reports on where their teen drove, when they arrived and their general driving behavior. This web-based dashboard lets parents know where their teen is at all times.

One of the most dangerous aspects of teenage driving is distracted driving. Follmer informed me that studies on safe driving showed that driving while texting is more dangerous than driving while intoxicated. It’s a sobering reality that is happily mitigated by the tiwiFamily’s ability to disable a teen’s phone or place it on safe mode while the car is moving. If someone calls or texts your teen while he/she is driving, the caller will be notified that your teen is on the road and can’t respond immediately. The best part is that your teen won’t even hear the distracting ring/text alert from their phone.

And if parents are concerned about their teen having access to telephone communication while driving, the tiwiFamily has an e-call feature that allows parents to call directly to the in-car unit and speak with their teen. Parents can program numbers into the device and if a teen ever gets into trouble, emergency services can be summoned by a quick push of the button.
Although teens might object to parents knowing every detail of their driving behavior, the statistics on teen-related car accidents are frightening. The tiwiFamily can provide indispensable peace of mind to parents of beginning drivers. In fact, it just might save their lives.   

Mom. Technically. is a weekly column by Elizabeth Esther about her relationship with the tech world. Elizabeth is a local freelance writer and married mother of five.

More family and parenting: Visit OC Moms for deals, events, features, contests, and news & information just for you. Find OC Moms on Facebook and follow us on Twitter@themomblog. You can also sign up for the weekly OC Moms newsletter.

http://www.ocregister.com/articles/stop-287242-teen-texting.html

Todd W. Follmer, CEO of InThinc speaks with bnetTV at the 2011 Showstoppers event held in Las Vegas and gives us a overview of the company and their products.

http://www.bnettv.com/ces-2011/inthinc/

As drivers grow unwilling to unplug from the connected world during their jaunts across town, technology firms are racing to bring the Web into the car.

 

Others are offering innovations to keep us safe while we use those new services while barreling down the highway at breakneck speeds.

The connected car was a central theme at the recent International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, where automakers and aftermarket manufacturers showed off the latest innovations for the vehicle.

Here's a sampling of the best from the showroom floor:

Tiwi

The tiwi is a small computer that parents can install on the dash or windshield of a new teen driver's car, tracking his or her every move.

Parents have access to a Web portal that grades the teen on things like braking, turning and speed control.

"It knows the posted speed limit on every street, so if you break the speed limit, it talks to the driver and tells them to slow down," said Andrew Watson, director of marketing.

Parents can get text-message alerts if the driver is going too fast, not wearing his or her seat belt or leaves a specified geographic area, among other things.

The tiwi (rhymes with kiwi) also contains a modified cell phone that allows the teen to make a one-button phone call (the parents get to choose the number) and allows the parent to call into the device using a standard phone number.

It picks up automatically, sending the parent's voice directly into the car, no questions asked.

But can the teen outsmart the unit by unplugging it?

"When they unplug it, it'll send a text message or e-mail to the parent to let them know that they did it," Watson said.

The unit costs $299 with a one-year service deal, with a monthly fee of $30.

http://www.freep.com/article/20110116/NEWS09/101160438/1001/NEWS/Technology-companies-vie-to-bring-Web-to-cars

Device attaches to windshield and connects to car's electrical system

A 2009 study (PDF) from the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute found that truck drivers who were texting were 23 times more at risk of a "crash or near crash event" than "nondistracted driving." As reported by CNET's Jennifer Guevin, the study also found that "texting took a driver's focus away from the road for an average of 4.6 seconds--enough time...to travel the length of a football field at 55 mph."

Teenage drivers are especially vulnerable. In addition to being less experienced drivers, they are more likely to text than adults. A Federal Communications Commission consumer advisory on texting while driving quotes the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration as reporting that driver distraction was the cause of 16 percent of all fatal crashes in 2008, resulting in 5,800 fatalities and 515,000 injuries. The American Automobile Association says that "taking your eyes off of the road for two seconds doubles your risk of getting into a crash."

Inthinc, a Salt Lake City company, was at the Consumer Electronics Show with a solution for parents and companies whose employees have company issued phones. The product, which is called Tiwi and costs $299 plus a $29.95 monthly subscription fee, can disable a cell phone for calling or texting, according to CEO Todd Follmer. It can also report the person's speed, whether they're engaged in aggressive driving, and even if they're using their seat belt. Parents or employers can check in via an Internet portal.

Inthinc CEO Todd Follmer

Listen now: (Credit: Inthinc)

Read more: http://news.cnet.com/8301-30977_3-20028092-10347072.html#ixzz1AxY8Y5wn

Ford chief executive Alan Mulally: ''We will electrify in steps''

CES is the place to be if you are a hi-tech firm with a gadget to unveil to the world.

In 2011, it was the place Ford chose to unveil a new car - the electric version of its Focus. It will be on sale in the US by the end of the year and Europe soon after.

Debuting the Focus at CES rather than the Detroit Motor Show indicates how important in-car electronics have become to every manufacturer and car owner.

"The most exciting innovations are not the ones happening in homes and offices, they are in cars," said Audi boss Rupert Stadtler. "These changes will link the way we drive with the way we live which until now have been separate."

Anyone who has bought a new car recently knows that those innovations have been making themselves felt for a while as manufacturers swap dials for digital displays and tachometers for touch screens.

Information driven

Audi's e-tron spyder concept car hints at the future of electric vehicles

At CES the links between the computer world and the car world are laid bare. One example of the cross-connection was the deal Nvidia announced with both Audi and BMW to use its Tegra 2 chip to draw the 3D graphics on the instrument panels of future vehicles from both firms.

Low power chips such as Tegra 2 were only going to become more important as petrol is swapped for batteries, said Nvidia founder Jen-Hsun Huang.

"If you have barely any power you had best be miserly on energy consumption," he said, "because energy consumption directly relates to weight and that directly relates to fuel efficiency."

As he implies, the need to get the most out of a vehicle becomes acute if it is battery powered.

The limited range of electric vehicles and the time it takes to re-fuel means it will become essential for drivers to plan their route and know the location of charging stations before they set out.

Fuel stations litter most nations and anyone taking a drive in a petrol powered car can rely on finding one no matter where they go. The same is not true of charging stations and may not be for a long time. As of January 2011, there were only 1800 charging stations in the whole of the US. By contrast, there were more than 120,000 gas stations.

Ford is seeking to ease this information burden using apps for Apple and Android smartphones that future owners of their electric Focus will use to plan routes and find charging stations before the car runs out of juice.

Via the phone and the dashboard of the car, the app will tell drivers if they are driving efficiently or not. This is because those who are gentle on the brakes and accelerator will get many more miles from a full battery than those with a lead foot.

All this points up the fact that cars are rapidly becoming mobile databases awash with information about the vehicle, its surroundings and how it is being driven.

Social networking

Venkatesh Prasad, technical leader of Ford's infotronics group, said in the future cars will know huge amounts about the lives of their drivers, the routes they take, their music tastes and where they go to shop and eat.

They were going to be able do this, he said, because of the huge amount of social network information people are getting happier to share. Including a car in the circle of friends who are party to this data could help the vehicle prepare itself for the "context" of each journey.

"That will help it understand your context," he said. "What you want before you get in, when you get and what changes when some passengers leave."

This could mean cueing up the music you like, storing podcasts of radio shows you may have missed or looking ahead to secure a parking spot in town.

The dawn of an age when cars can do this was very close, said Mr Prasad.

Smarter car

Even now cars are fitted with sensors that make them far more adept on the road than their drivers.

Modern cars know they are in a crash long before their occupants

For instance, cars know a crash is taking place about seven milliseconds after initial impact as the pressure wave from the smash hits acceleration sensors. Many respond almost a millisecond later by tensioning seat belts, unlocking doors, rolling down windows and inflating airbags.

By contrast, a human will take up to 300 milliseconds just to realise another car has hit them let alone take any action.

These driver assistance systems are becoming standard on newer cars and there is a growing market in gadgets that add some of that intelligence to older vehicles.

At CES, MobileEye showed off a dashboard mounted camera that can warn of collisions several seconds before they happen or it can alert a driver if they straying out of their lane.

Taser showed off the Protector system that can, when paired with a mobile, stop a person calling or texting while driving. It is one of many similar gadgets that try to make driving safer.

Also at CES, inthinc showed off the Tiwi, a device that monitors a car's speed and location and relays the information to parents keen to keep an eye on where their offspring are going and how fast. It also delivers verbal warnings if it detects a car being driven faster than the speed limit or handled recklessly.

Todd Follmer, creator of the gadget, said it can also be programmed to recognise "geo-fences" and warn when a vehicle is taken beyond these virtual borders.

Developing Tiwi was not straightforward, said Mr Follmer, because there is little standardisation among manufacturers about the format of information sent over the data bus inside a car.

"It's mandated that diagnostic codes are published so anyone can work on your car," said Mr Follmer. "But a lot of the stuff we get is not standard. We have to reverse engineer what's on the bus to get at it."

His comments cut to the crux of the debate about the smarter cars we will all be driving in the future, how much they will know about us and what happens to that data - are we still in the driving seat?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-12144581

inthinc Technology Solutions Inc. has introduced a touchscreen driver interface that works in conjunction with the company's waySmart commercial driving safety solution. The touchscreen can be used in place of the handheld keypad interface and provides a user-friendly graphical interface, minimizing user interaction to maintain a driver's concentration on the road.

Features of the touchscreen include:
* A new graphical user interface
* Sleek design that is easy to mount and manage in the truck
* Displayed hours-of-service logging and reporting with alerts when approaching time limits
* Constant display of posted speed limit
* Support for multiple languages

"We have created an electronic log system the way only a safety company can," said Todd W. Follmer, CEO of inthinc Technology Solutions. "Our touchscreen provides all the functionality that will be needed for CSA 2010 compliance but does so with minimal driver interference so their attention remains on the road."

inthinc waySmart is a comprehensive driving safety system that changes driver behavior in real time to improve safety and fleet efficiency. A unique combination of in-vehicle driver alerts, vehicle location and diagnostics, and fleet management provide detail performance and trends for individual drivers or the entire fleet.

The touchscreen is now available with inthinc waySmart driving safety systems. Current waySmart customers can upgrade their existing handheld key pad interface. 

For more information, visit www.inthinc.com.

http://www.truckinginfo.com/news/news-detail.asp?news_id=72594&news_category_id=52

inthinc Canada was launched in September with plans to open a Toronto office in the future.

The company produces the tiwi and waySmart driver mentoring systems, which provide audible alerts to drivers who are speeding, driving aggressively or neglecting to wear their seatbelt.

If the driver doesn't acknowledge the verbal warning and immediately correct the unsafe driving activity, an alert is sent to the company's fleet manager or safety department. The waySmart system has been especially popular among oilfield services companies, prompting the opening of the Canadian office, Todd Follmer, CEO of inthinc said in a recent interview.

"We've had a significant presence in Canada with some of our oilfield services customers and in supporting them, we needed to have a bigger presence in Canada," he said. "Most of the oilfield services companies have a major presence in western Canada, which is why we've started in Calgary."

The waySmart system also allows for the electronic logging of driver hours-of-service and can follow workers from vehicle to vehicle, a capability that made the system popular with oilfield services companies such as Schlumberger.

"They have drivers who will go from one vehicle to another, so the logs have to travel with them in real-time," Follmer explains. "Let's say I've got eight employees in a van going to a job site. When they get into that van, they all log in and their hours begin to accumulate. Then when they get to the job site and get into another vehicle, the hours that were in that van have to follow them into this other vehicle and be current. It's a very complex problem to solve and somewhat unique for that type of application but it's common in the oilfield services industry."

inthinc's tiwi and waySmart offerings can prevent speeding anywhere in North America by comparing vehicle speed to inthinc's proprietary database of speed limits that includes more than 40 million road segments.

"You can't just go and buy a database that includes all those road segments," Follmer said. "We have 20 employees that all they do is edit speed data." That information is collected from states, provinces and municipalities, and end-users can easily send a notification if there's a discrepancy. inthinc will then investigate the discrepancy and, if necessary, update its database.

The waySmart system is also equipped with accelerometers that can detect aggressive driving maneuvers like hard-braking, sudden acceleration and abrupt lane changes. Fleet managers can customize the settings to indicate how much leeway they wish to give their drivers before being notified of infractions, but the systems are designed be corrective rather than punitive.

"You have to give your driver a chance to change their behaviour in real-time or it's just a 'gotcha' system," Follmer said. In fact, that's the main differentiator between inthinc's solutions and other tracking systems in the market, he claims.

"Others have a post-processing environment where data is captured in the vehicle, analyzed to some extent by a computer program, a report is generated, a human being has to look at the report and then decide 'What am I going to do with this information'?" Follmer contends. "All of that costs time and money. We change driver behaviour in the vehicle."

Coming soon, inthinc will be adding the ability to automatically put cell phones into "safe mode" so they can't be used to make calls or send text messages while the vehicle is in motion. And by next year, the company will be coming out with a walk-around inspection feature that will instruct a driver on what to check during their pre-trip inspection.

It will also include a timer, so the manager can ensure drivers are taking sufficient time to actually conduct a complete inspection. The driver will then enter a signature using the touch-screen display and the inspection report will be automatically filed along with the driver's electronic hours-of-service logs.

Follmer says inthinc's systems deliver a payback by: improving driver behaviour and reducing accidents; eliminating speeding fines; improving compliance; and by reducing idle-time, which can also be measured by the system. After two years of testing, Barrick Gold recently announced it is spending $16 million to install waySmart in all its worldwide vehicles.

Full deployment in about 3,000 company-owned vehicles is expected to be completed as early as December, inthinc says. For Barrick, a haul truck accident can cost millions of dollars in damage and even more in downtime, which is also true of the oilfield services industry, Follmer notes.

"Halliburton can have an accident with a vehicle with $1 million worth of equipment on it, but it may also be a key part of an eight-asset operation at a wellhead," he explains. "If they don't have this one, none of those other ones get to work either. And if they don't produce a barrel of oil today, by definition that barrel of oil becomes the last barrel that ever gets produced out of that well -and that could be 15 years from now. If they don't get that job done today, that revenue effectively gets pushed way out into the future, so it's very expensive to have an asset go offline in that context."

For more information, visit www.inthinc.com.

http://www.trucknews.com/issues/story.aspx?aid=1000392606&type=Print%20Archives

Driving around scenic Salt Lake City, Ashley Alexander is like most any young person — the temptation to make a phone call or send a text message is ever present.

"I know I shouldn't do it, but sometimes it's just too tempting when you get that text message while you are driving and you can't wait to get off the freeway," she said.

But in her driver's seat, texting is impossible. As soon as the car is traveling more than 3 mph, her cell phone chimes and the screen says ZOOMSAFER.

Ashley's phone has been shut down by her tiwi, the latest invention of inthinc, a Utah-based high tech company with University of Texas business school graduate Todd Follmer at the helm.

Before he joined the company, their business was building crash data recorders for NASCAR.

"In 2001, when Dale Earnhardt died, they'd had four deaths in the previous two years," Follmer said.

Data from inthinc's devices helped in the design of safer cars, helmets and tracks. NASCAR hasn't had a single fatality since.

Now Follmer is steering the company to do the same thing for teens.

"The big leap we have made is looking at what behavior happens before a crash that we can affect using technology," he said. "Change the behavior — change the result."

The company's original device plugs into the car's computer under the dash and connects to a box on the windshield. When the driver does something wrong, it gives him or her 15 seconds to drive responsibly — and then it sends a wireless message to mom and dad.

"They are given a letter grade from an F to an A+," Follmer said.

The cell phone shutdown is an added feature that's almost ready for market. So if Ashley tries to send a text... "I can't call, I can't text. It's just a blank screen, and it won't let me do anything," she said with a laugh. "It's probably a good thing."

A person trying to send a text to a teen driver gets a message saying she received your text, "but is driving and focused on the road."

Engineers here hope to build this technology into a billion-dollar business, but Follmer also knows the personal cost when teen drivers make mistakes.

Just a month before he came to work for inthinc, his son's girlfriend died after her car hit a tree. She had been speeding.

"It's the number-one cause of death of teens, 6,000 teens a year, the number one cause of injury," Follmer said. "Over 400,000 kids get injured every year."

The inthinc technology is already in 20,000 commercial vehicles, everything from trucks delivering oil to the cars driven by hundreds of Mormon missionaries.

At $300 to install and $35 a month, it's not cheap; but if it keeps a kid's eyes on the road — and hands off the phone — it may well be worth it.

http://www.wfaa.com/news/national/Texan-drives-technology-to-keep-teens-safe-while-driving-107126518.html

Photo: Ford Motor Company

Ford Motor Company's MyKey feature allows parents to limit their teen's driving speed. It also alerts drivers when they're speeding or when their seatbelt isn't buckled.

Distracted driving caused by using a cell phone is the leading cause of death among teenage drivers in the United States, claiming an average of 4,000 lives a year. In 2008, nearly 6,000 people died in the United States - and more than half a million people were injured - in crashes involving a distracted driver.  

While 30 states have banned texting while driving, studies show a ban is not stopping text-obsessed drivers.

But now, new technology is aimed at counteracting this, and other, disturbing driving trends.

Phone application designed to save lives 

Software developer Wayne Irving was alarmed by the number of deaths and injuries being caused by drivers who were talking or texting behind the wheel. Especially since his own text-obsessed daughter was learning to become a new driver.

Irving's concern prompted him to develop a mobile-phone application to help drivers resist the temptation of talking or texting behind the wheel.  
 

His software, "SMS Replier,"  lets drivers program their Smartphones  -- so when a call or text message comes in while they're driving, the phone sends an automatic message letting the sender know they are driving and cannot answer.

"It was specifically built for people who desire to be responsible, who are looking for a solution to help them not get a ticket, not get in an accident, not risk their life," he says.

10,000 signatures and still counting

Irving designed his application for Smartphones because he believes more and more people - especially young people - use cell phones as their primary means of communication.

Iconosys, Inc.

Example of an auto-reply message using Iconosys Inc.'s SMS Replier™ Smartphone app.

"Everything is going to the smart phones," he says. "The smart phone is the new laptop.  It's the new notebook computer. They're making them bigger, they're making them more feature-rich, they're stronger; they're more powerful than desktops were just three years ago."

To raise awareness about the dangers of distracted driving, Irving hit the road himself. Setting out from his home in California in his 12-meter-long motor home, he traveled across the U.S. gathering more than 10,000 signatures in support of his cause.

He arrived in Washington in time for the U.S. Transportation Department's recent National Distracted Driving Summit, where other new safe driving devices were unveiled.

Built-in safety features

Irving's SMS Replier is one of a number of new applications designed to reduce highway fatalities.

Among the others is one the Ford Motor Company is putting into several of their car models to help young drivers develop better driving habits.

Using a special, computer-coded car key called MyKey, parents can limit the car's speed to no more than 130 kilometers per hour. Warning chimes can also be set to sound at 72, 89 and 105 kilometers per hour.

The key can also be programmed to limit the volume of the car radio and to release continuous alerts if the driver fails to wear a seat belt.

Brian Bennie, supervisor of MyKey development at Ford, says it was designed to give parents peace of mind.

"We know that teenagers drive distracted and they may not wear their seat belt all the time. This encourages good, safe driving behavior," he says.

inthinc Technology Solutions, Inc.

The Tiwi in-vehicle monitoring device mentors teens with verbal alerts to help them develop better driving habits.

In-vehicle monitoring devices

However, parents don't have to buy a car with special built-in features to control their teens' driving habits. They can install a small device like the Tiwi in-car computer, which can be mounted on the car's windshield, to continuously monitor their kids' driving.  

Tiwi uses GPS [Global Positioning System] technology to alert young drivers with a voice reminder when they're speeding, for example, and can detect when they're not wearing their seat belts.

The system is designed to give the driver several opportunities to correct their behavior. If the teen doesn't, Tiwi can notify parents immediately, either by phone, text message or e-mail.

While American companies continue to develop products to help young drivers stay safe, state and local governments are also doing their part to promote safer driving habits.

So far, 30 states and Washington, D.C. prohibit texting behind the wheel. And eight states have now passed laws prohibiting drivers from talking on handheld cell phones.

http://www.voanews.com/english/news/usa/people/Innovative-Technology-Keeps-Watch-on-Teen-Drivers-105021979.html

By Erika Morphy
TechNewsWorld 
09/29/10 10:34 AM PT

The strong arm of the law is not enough to still the busy hands of texters while they're driving, and it appears the solution to the problem technology has caused may have to come from technology rather than enforcement. A number of approaches to nudge drivers into compliance have hit the market, but so far there is nothing available that can't be circumvented by a determined texter.

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http://callcenterinfo.tmcnet.com/news/2010/09/28/5031838.htm

Barrick Gold Corporation is investing $16 million to install waySmart driver monitor systems in its fleet of vehicles worldwide, according to inthinc Technology Solutions Inc., a global company centered on telematics, fleet solutions, and driving safety.

This follows a successful pilot project conducted at Barrick sites in 2009. Implementation is already underway at Barrick's Nevada mines, including Cortez, Bald Mountain, and Ruby Hill, and the company targets full deployment in 3,000 vehicles worldwide by December 2010.

The inthinc system provides specific real-time, in-cab voice alerts to drivers if they make an aggressive turn, speed, or fail to buckle a seatbelt. The alerts coach the drivers to correct the behavior and, if not corrected within the grace period, the system sends a message to the supervisor by e-mail or text message.

The waySmart system from inthinc can also provide a wide range of real-time and historical reports regarding vehicle positioning and trends for driver and fleet performance. An SAE J211-compliant crash data recorder can trigger an immediate alert when a crash happens and provide court-admissible data to help determine the cause, according to the company.

http://www.automotive-fleet.com/News/Story/2010/09/Barrick-Gold-to-Deploy-Telematics-in-3-000-Vehicles.aspx?interstitial=1

inthinc Technology Solutions Inc., a global company centered on telematics, fleet solutions and driving safety, today announced that Barrick Gold Corporation will invest $16 million to install waySmart™ driver monitor systems in its fleet of vehicles worldwide.

This follows a successful pilot project conducted at Barrick sites in 2009. Implementation is already underway at Barrick’sNevada mines, including Cortez, Bald Mountain, and Ruby Hill, and the company targets full deployment in 3,000 vehicles worldwide by December 2010.

The inthinc system provides specific real-time, in-cab voice alerts to drivers if they make an aggressive turn, speed or fail to buckle a seatbelt. The alerts coach the drivers to correct the behavior and, if not corrected within the grace period, the system sends a message to the supervisor by email or text message.

“From our first meeting with Barrick, we knew safety was one of the company’s highest priorities,” said Todd Follmer, CEO of inthinc. “Our system will help the company make its current safety policies even more effective with in-cab driver mentoring, real-time alerts and driver performance reporting to help reduce vehicle incidents.”

The waySmart system from inthinc can also provide a wide range of real-time and historical reports regarding vehicle positioning and trends for driver and fleet performance. An SAE J211-compliant crash data recorder can trigger an immediate alert when a crash happens and provide court-admissible data to help determine the cause.

“The waySmart system clearly identifies which drivers are performing well and which drivers need more training,” said Bruce Huber, senior director of safety and health at Barrick. “It is a useful tool to coach drivers, encourage safe and cost-effective driving behaviors, and prevent vehicle incidents.”

About Barrick Gold Corporation

Barrick is the gold industry leader in production and reserves, with interests in 25 operating mines employing 20,000 people worldwide. The company also has projects and exploration programs on some of the world’s most prolific mineral trends. Barrick’s vision is to be the world’s best goldcompany by finding, acquiring, developing and producing quality reserves in a safe, profitable and socially responsible manner. For more information, visit www.barrick.com.

About inthinc Technology Solutions Inc.

inthinc combines innovative technologies with engineering expertise to create breakthrough driving safety solutions that save lives, save money and protect the environment. inthinc technology dramatically improves driver behavior and has been documented to reduce accidents by more than 80 percent. For more information, please visit http://www.inthinc.com andwww.tiwi.com.

http://suppliersandequipment.mining.com/2010/09/24/barrick-gold-to-deploy-inthinc-driving-safety-system-worldwide/

The global company stated that implementation already is under way at Barrick Gold of North America's Cortez, Bald Mountain and Ruby Hill operations in Nevada.

The plan is to fully deploy the inthinc system in 3,000 vehicles worldwide by this December, according to the announcement from inthinc, which doesn't capitalize its name.

The inthinc system provides specific real-time, in-cab voice alerts to drivers if they make an aggressive turn, speed or fail to buckle a seat belt. The alerts coach the drivers to correct the behavior and, if not corrected within the grace period, the system sends a message to the supervisor by e-mail or text message, according to Salt Lake City-based inthinc.

Barrick likes the "waySmart system clearly identifies which drivers are performing well and which drivers need more training," said Bruce Huber, Barrick's Toronto-based senior director of safety and health.

"It is a useful tool to coach drivers, encourage safe and cost-effective driving behaviors and prevent vehicle incidents," he said.

"From our first meeting with Barrick, we knew safety was one of the company's highest priorities," said Todd Follmer, chief executive officer of inthinc. "Our system will help the company make its current safety policies even more effective with in-cab driver mentoring, real-time alerts and driver performance reporting to help reduce vehicle incidents."

The waySmart system from inthinc can also provide a wide range of real-time and historical reports regarding vehicle positioning and trends for driver and fleet performance.

Also, a crash data recorder can trigger an immediate alert when a crash happens and provide court-admissible data to help determine the cause, according to inthinc.

http://elkodaily.com/mining/article_442f8778-c699-11df-9469-001cc4c03286.html

ZoomSafer, the leading provider of software to prevent distracted driving, and inthinc(TM), a leading provider of technology to improve driving behavior, announced today at the Department of Transportation's second national Distracted Driving Summit a partnership to deliver an integrated solution to proactively improve teen driving behaviors and eliminate the dangerous temptation to text when behind the wheel.

"Texting while driving is a deadly game played every single day by more than 26% of young drivers," said Matt Howard, CEO of ZoomSafer. "Like many things that are good for them, young people probably won't like it, but TeenSafer(TM) software combined with inthinc's tiwi(TM) device is a simple, yet practical way for parents to keep their kids safe while driving."

"Tiwi is your teen's personal safe driving assistant that provides real-time coaching to help kids become better drivers," said Todd Follmer, CEO of inthinc. "By integrating the TeenSafer software into tiwi, we can help young adults become safer drivers and make better decisions as relates to vehicle controls and mobile phone controls."

The TeenSafer solution for smartphones includes:

-- Automatic On/Off -- TeenSafer will automatically launch/exit "Safe Drive Mode" based on integration with inthinc's tiwi device installed in the car.

-- This multi-trigger architecture completely eliminates the battery drain associated with earlier attempts to solve this problem.

-- Safe Drive Mode -- Locks the keypad and screen (except to dial 9-1-1)

-- Silences all alerts, tones and ringers

-- Automatically replies to incoming texts, email and phone calls with a customized message telling others they are busy driving

-- Blocks access to texts, email, IM, browsing and other applications

-- Restricts hands-free inbound and outbound calling to a defined white list of up to three priority/emergency contacts

-- Provides real-time notifications when software is installed, each time the driver starts and stops driving, and whenever 9-1-1 calls are made.

TeenSafer is currently available for BlackBerry OS 4.2.1 and newer and Android support will be available shortly. The fully integrated version will be available on the inthinc website shortly.

About ZoomSafer

ZoomSafer is a leading provider of software for mobile phones to prevent distracted driving. We offer innovative safe driving solutions to businesses, corporations and government organizations as well as families, young drivers, and mobile professionals. For more information, please visit http://www.zoomsafer.com.

About inthinc

inthinc(TM) is the developer of the tiwi(TM) and waySmart(TM) by tiwi brands. tiwi provides driving safety solutions for families and commercial fleets of all sizes. Its solutions have been used by some of the world's most safety-conscious organizations, including NASCAR(R), mining and oil and gas companies, and families with young drivers.

http://www.forbes.com/feeds/businesswire/2010/09/21/businesswire145705820.html

The company also announced a major supply deal with Barrick Gold Corp., which is investing $16 million to deploy inthinc's waySmart system across its global fleet of 3,000 vehicles.

The company's Canadian office will be based in Calgary and there are plans to open a second location in Toronto, inthinc CEO Todd Follmer announced.

"Our Calgary office represents our support and commitment to current and future clients in Canada," he said. "This location will enable us to provide closer contact with our rapidly expanding client base in the Canadian market. We feel an investment in this market is an investment in our future."

inthinc's waySmart system has proven popular in the oil patch. The system provides real-time driving advice, which aims to instantly correct driver behaviour. The system can inform a driver when he's speeding, not wearing a seatbelt or engaging in other risky driving behaviour. The company claims its system has proven to: improve seatbelt usage by 73%; reduce speeding violations by 86%; and reduce aggressive driving by 89%.

A lighter-duty tiwi version is also available, with much of the same functionality with some limitations. The tiwi product gained prominence last year when inthinc launched a joint initiative with Valvoline called the Guaranteed Fuel Savings Program. That program combines inthinc's tiwi driver mentoring system with Valvoline lubricants to deliver a 4% fuel savings. In an interview with Trucknews.com, Follmer said the program is proving to be successful and is ongoing.

The Barrick Gold deal marks a milestone for the company, and follows a pilot project that was conducted at Barrick sites in 2009. Barrick is planning to roll the waySmart system out across its 3,000 vehicles by December, the company says. The system warns drivers, through audible alerts in real-time, when they are exhibiting unsafe driving behaviour. If the warnings are ignored, a fleet manager or supervisor receives an alert.

"From our first meeting with Barrick, we knew safety was one of the company's highest priorities," Follmer said. "Our system will help the company make its current safety policies even more effective with in-cab driver mentoring, real-time alerts and driver performance reporting to help reduce vehicle incidents."

"The waySmart system clearly identifies which drivers are performing well and which drivers need more training," added Bruce Huber, senior director of safety and health at Barrick. "It is a useful tool to coach drivers, encourage safe and cost-effective driving behaviours and prevent vehicle incidents."

For more info, visit www.inthinc.com.

http://www.ctl.ca/issues/story.aspx?aid=1000386118

RAY: She’s going to hate this thing, Blair! It is intrusive. But the stakes are so high in the case of a new teen driver (life and death) that some parents may decide that the invasion of privacy is worth it, at least for the first few years of driving.

http://www.bostonherald.com/business/automotive/view.bg?articleid=
1259595&srvc=business&position=recent

COTO DE CAZA Todd Follmer takes off in his Jeep.

"Please buckle your seat belt."

The words are coming from a device on the inside of his windshield.

He drives a bit, and then slams on the brakes.

"Aggressive driving," the computerized voice says.

Follmer whips his Jeep around a corner, tires squealing, and the voice repeats itself.

He then accelerates the car to a tiny bit faster than the 50 mph speed limit.

"Speeding violation!"

Follmer, 50, is driving erratically to show how a new device he developed, called tiwi, is every teen's worst nightmare.

In addition to sending verbal warnings to the driver, the device also can inform parents – in real time – of unsafe driving behavior via text, voice mail or e-mail. Later, parents and teens can go over the details together on a Web site.

Follmer, a father of three, believes the tiwi could play a key role in making teens safer drivers.

Before he launches into an explanation about how the device works, he wants to talk about the back story – the tragedy that, in part, sparked development of his product.

"It was the single most horrible thing to have happened to my family," Follmer says.

For another family, it was much worse.

•••

Rianna Woolsey was a popular varsity songleader at Tesoro High School when, at around 6 p.m. on Dec. 7, 2005, she left her home in Coto de Caza to drive to a pep squad holiday get-together.

Woolsey, 16, was driving her Volkswagen Jetta down Coto de Caza Drive. She was following a pickup truck driven by her boyfriend, Austin Follmer, 18 – Todd Follmer's son.

The teens were driving too fast in the 50-mph zone.

Woolsey lost control of her car, jumped a curb and slammed into a tree.

She died, leaving behind her devastated parents and three siblings – and countless friends. Some 1,500 people packed Rianna's memorial service at Saddleback Church.

About a month later, his son still reeling from Woolsey's death, Todd Follmer – a business consultant and investor – got a call from a friend. He wanted Follmer to assess the investment prospects of a privately held Utah company, inthinc, a creator of crash-data recorders.

Inthinc was supplying the devices to NASCAR, and several industries, with the aim of having the data used to engineer safer cars and equipment. Follmer thought the company had potential.

But he had another idea too:

What about putting the data to use before a crash?

•••

With Rianna's death still very much on his mind, Follmer got to work on analyzing how the technology could be applied to teenagers and safe driving.

He soon joined inthinc as its chief executive, and spearheaded the development of what eventually would become the tiwi. (The name means nothing, Follmer says – it was chosen because it's short and, he says, catchy.)

The first-generation tiwi came out in 2006. The devices were almost the size of a shoebox and cost $3,000. The latest version hit the market in October. It's a bit bigger than a toll road transponder and sells for $300, with a $30 monthly service charge.

So far, about 20,000 tiwis have been sold, mostly to operators of commercial vehicles.

But Follmer has a new market in mind. There are, he says, about 12 million teen drivers – and that's a lot of worried parents.

•••

Tania Woolsey is Rianna's mother. More than four years after her daughter's death, she is finally able to talk about her girl without breaking down.

"You want to do everything in your power to protect your children," Woolsey said. "I, better than most people, know you can't always do that."

Driving through Coto de Caza, where he owns a home, Follmer can relate to the temptation of some drivers to zoom down winding portions of Coto de Caza Drive.

He knows his tiwi can't stop a teenager from driving recklessly, but he thinks it's a start.

The device plugs into a car's on-board diagnostic port, below the steering wheel. Since 1996, almost all cars have come with such a port.

Once installed, the device can tell if the driver is wearing a seat belt – and any sudden motion made by the car, such as a quick stop or sharp turn.

The tiwi also is loaded with data of all the posted speeds on U.S. streets. Users can decide whether to trigger a speeding warning at 1 mph over the limit, 5 mph, 10 mph – whatever.

After a driving session, an algorithm computes all the warnings the driver gets into a score that allows teens to be graded on how well they drove – giving parents another tool to assess their driving habits.

Equipped with a GPS, the device also can be programmed to alert parents when a car enters or leaves a specific zone, such as a school.

The tiwi also has a phone in it that can receive only incoming calls. The message "incoming call" flashes and the caller starts speaking; the driver doesn't have the option of not accepting the call.

Oh, and if the driver unplugs the tiwi? An alert will be sent that it's been disconnected.

•••

Todd Follmer goes back to the day Rianna Woolsey died and recalls the fear and dread the tragedy instilled in him – particularly as a parent of teenage drivers.

He hopes lives can be saved with closer monitoring of driving habits.

The next-generation tiwi, he says, will be capable of detecting when a driver is text messaging or using a cell phone.

"This really isn't about Big Brother," he says. "It's about accident prevention, safety and awareness."

Tania Woolsey says she hadn't seen the tiwi, so she couldn't comment on the device.

She said her son, now 18, drives with a GPS tracking system that can follow his speed and location.

"It gives us some peace of mind," Woolsey said. "Anything that can help teens be more aware of how they drive is a wonderful thing."

Contact the writer: 714-704-3764 or ghardesty@ocregister.com
http://www.ocregister.com/common/printer/view.php?db=ocregister&id=237837

How It Works

The 2-inch gadget shines green when first activated. If the operator drives in a way that the unit deems reckless, the light turns yellow. If the driver persists in driving erratically, the illumination will turn red.

Originally envisioned as a consumer product, GreenRoad is now marketed to commercial fleets. Studies prove that aggressive driving wastes fuel, costs money and takes lives. Commercial fleets alone lose $230 billion to accidents every year. The device itself is pretty simple, utilizing available components like a GPS chip, accelerometer and CPU. It is designed to be smart enough to avoid false positives and to be unobtrusive enough to not affect driver morale or attention.

GreenRoad has 80 customers thus far, with a three-year license going for $1,000 per vehicle. The company is still looking for backing, however, having raised about $40 million already, mainly from Richard Branson’s Virgin Green Fund, Balderton Capital in London, Benchmark and DAG Ventures. Another $10 million will be chipped in by Generation Investment, the fund founded by Al Gore and former Goldman Sachs CEO David Blood. The company sees this as potentially an $80 billion industry, so they might be onto something.

A competitor to GreenRoad, TIWI, is taking a slightly different approach to a similar problem. As our own Craig Howie told us in his personal review, the TIWI is being targeted at parents of teenage drivers. The TIWI device sells for $299 plus a $39.99 monthly service charge. While the in-car device gives drivers audible warnings when programmable limits have been exceeded, the device also sends email alerts and text messages to parents with customizable reports that detail driving behavior. Inthinc, the maker of the TIWI, says that driver behavior actually improves with use, those audible bleeps giving constant reminders to drive better. They even say that insurance discounts might be available.

http://autos.aol.com/article/green-road-safety-device/

In my first day testing a real-time driver-tracking device called the TIWI, I racked up an almost unbelievable 53 speeding violations and more than a few "aggressive driving" violations. And I'm a safe driver. Honest.

It's important to note here, of course, the sensitivity of the tracking device and environmental factors: After all, my commute involves about an hour of driving on Los Angeles freeways. And if you want to stick to the 65 mph limit while merging into a left side exit lane on the San Diego freeway then good luck to you. You may cause more accidents than you prevent.

One of the main goals of this device is to help parents monitor their teenagers in the first few years of driving.

So, how did my driving compare with teen drivers?

Apparently not so well: teens studied by TIWI were much more likely to improve their driving habits when under supervision of the device, as opposed to my brash disregard for the consequences.

A New "Report Card"

Part of the real benefit of the TIWI device isn't just the real-time alerts (the driver hears audible alerts inside the car when he or she has done something outside of the letter of the law), but rather the report that's generated.

All driver movements are logged in an internet portal that's accessible to the consumer by name and password. The data are kept for a year, and the site gives a breakdown of "alerts" -- or when the device has recorded errant driving like speeding or heavy braking -- that are compiled into a daily, weekly or monthly report card.

Inthinc, makers of the TIWI device and a host of other technologies used in trucking fleets and NASCAR, allow parents to customize the reports and also the areas where the alerts are triggered.

"You can schedule email reports to be sent for you whenever you want. Every time they drive over this zone, or a speeding event five miles an hour over the limit, for example," said Grant Keaton, sales operations manager at Inthinc. "We overlay the data with a Google map so you can track the car along like a standard map."

Parents can track events even sooner than the report card, though. Alerts sent in "real time" go out immediately by phone, email or text message.

How It Works

The sensitivity settings, like almost everything else on the TIWI device, are customizable: you can set a 10 mph buffer for freeway driving, for example. Leeway or not, the small, portable product is a boon for those overseeing a new, teen or elderly driver, all of whom are who are some of the most at-risk motorists on the road. It simply plugs into the car's computer port and attaches to the windshield like any other GPS unit.

"It's your typical GPS chipset, where you have a GPS that sends and receives signals and helps to triangulate a driver's movements," said Keaton. "[There is] a cellular modem for recording the position of the vehicle every few seconds."

Parents that seek this sort of oversight can buy a TIWI device for $299 and pay a monthly service charge of $39.99 a month for email alerts, text updates and customer support. Some insurance companies offer a discount for drivers with the device installed but may request access to the data stored in the log.

My Pitiful Driving Record

So how did I manage to rack up 53 speeding violations?

Well, that comes down to sensitivity settings of the device, of course. Drivers on almost any freeway across the US generally will drive at least 1 or 2 mph above the speed limit. Around L.A., much higher speeds are customary (although, of course, we'd never recommend you follow our anecdotal evidence in your own car).

When I used the TIWI, I had the device's settings at zero tolerance, meaning that when I drove at 66 mph on the freeway, or 31 mph on a regular road, the device would bleep and warn me in a computer-synthesized voice that I was breaking the speed limit.

One day I tried very hard not to rack up a single violation. But within five minutes, I was forced to brake hard when another driver drove straight out of grocery store parking lot without giving even a cursory glance. The device beeped. On one of the quietest side streets in town, I'd already racked up an aggressive driving violation. I cued a sensitivity settings adjustment.

But pity the son or daughter of a parent or guardian who refuses to accept these excuses and banishes them from driving the family car ever again after just one day with the TIWI device in the car. Like many things, but particularly the bond of trust between a new driver and their overseer, working with this device requires a degree of patience, tolerance and understanding.

I'd even recommend that a parent or guardian test the device first before setting it up in a kid's car.

Corey Catten, data specialist at Inthinc, told AOL Autos that when monitoring teen drivers' behaviors, the TIWI device showed remarkable improvement in the areas that lead to accidents.

"[TIWI showed] a 90 percent improvement in seatbelt usage, 23 percent reduction in speeding up to 10 mph over, and a 57 percent reduction in speeding at 10+ mpg over the limit," Catten said. "During the study period, statistically there should have been 7 crashes, but there were none. The 62% reduction in the chance of an accident is based on a combination of all these numbers."

That's a greater improvement than I showed with the device, although I should note that I haven't yet been in a crash that was my fault, so statistically a crash was unlikely to occur with the device in my car. And, I always wear a seatbelt.

I did, however, find a reduction in numbers of speeding incidents during my test period, though I believe this was more to do with the sensitivity settings than a change in my driving habits.

But if I'd had a parent on or onlooker monitoring my speeds or aggressive braking -- with the threat of banishment from the family car looming over me -- I'm pretty sure the results would've been different.

After a ten-day test, I was very impressed with the device. It was easy to set up and the data about my driving habits was interesting to see laid out like a report card.

Big Brother?

Privacy issues understandably are a major concern: Who has access to the data and where is it stored, and for how long? Can insurance companies request information on your driving habits, and will that data be given out?

Inthinc's Jeff Harvey told us that the company doesn't share personal information.

"That data goes back to a database and is stored for different periods of time," said Harvey. "All of the data that is personal in nature is stored for the shortest amount of time. That data is accessible to parents through the [online] portal, which is password protected, and the data in our servers is protected. It's accessible only to the owner of the vehicle."

The company will not give any out information to insurance companies, although a driver can volunteer that information if they feel it would help bring down their premiums.

"We just store the [report card] score itself," Harvey said.

TIWI's device surprised me in its efficiency, ease of use and extra security and peace of mind it provides.

It might not turn your teenager into a model driver behind the wheel, but it could boost improvement over time.

http://autos.aol.com/article/teen-tracking-device/

Is your car a tracking device? Do you think that somebody -- "the man," perhaps? -- is keeping an eye on your driving habits and tapping into your daily routine? Well, you'd be surprised how many motorists do. And as automakers and motorists wary of crashes and insurance claims increasingly turn to communication devices that log drivers' behaviors, many suggest that these systems can result in breaches of privacy. But just how far do these systems go in terms of tracking drivers? Are privacy concerns legitimate? We take a look. 

OnStar tracking

Motorists suspicious of tracking devices sometimes take a sideways view of systems such as OnStar, GM's real-time wireless communications hub that regulates vehicle security and diagnostics.

OnStar helps GM track a stolen vehicle or respond to an emergency like a tire blowout or air-bag deployment by way of an in-car monitoring system that records GPS data, odometer readings and diagnostics such as oil and tire pressure, and sends the information back to OnStar's control center. But can it track one of the company's 5.6 million subscriber's movements or route at any given time?

Jim Kobus, a communications manager at OnStar, says that the system cannot track any vehicle's location until a customer makes contact by his or her own volition (as the GPS feature required for location triangulation is not continually deployed) or the system detects a blowout or crash.

"We never know where any of our subscribers are until you initiate an interface with us by pressing either the blue or red button," Kobus said. "The only area where that would change is in the event you report the vehicle stolen. We make sure there's a valid police report and then we begin the process to track the vehicle.

"But generally [in that scenario] there's [evidence of] criminal intent and a court order or subpoena, and we follow the court order or subpoena."

At the request of law enforcement, OnStar can remotely slow down a vehicle or halt its operation.

Kobus says that OnStar is not connected to a car's "black box" -- its event data recorder -- adding that an OnStar operator would not contact a driver in the event that, say, their tires were dangerously low. 

"We would not know that your vehicle has a diagnostic trouble code; there is no trigger mechanism," Kobus said. "Maybe there are people out there who want that notification. Some subscribers get a vehicle-diagnostics report. We go through all the vehicle diagnostic checks and send it to you once a month."

Kubus also says that while OnStar may record conversations between a driver and OnStar operator held over the car's communications system, he can "categorically" rule out any recording of a private conversation by individuals when they haven't engaged the OnStar system. Strict rules also govern OnStar's use or dissemination of any driver information, but the company will turn over driver information to authorities under court order or subpoena.

Vehicle "black boxes"

Almost all new cars come with an event data recorder, which is an electronic device connected to a variety of sensors around the vehicle both inside and outside. It can tell if a driver is wearing a seatbelt, or if the oil pressure is low, and in the event of a crash it will send a signal instructing the car's airbags to deploy. It also tracks the car's acceleration or deceleration and its speed in the seconds before a crash occurs. Such information is vital to crash investigators and commonly is used by insurance companies to determine who's at fault in a wreck.

But can it track a driver's every-day movements? GM spokesman Alan Adler explains that all GM vehicles produced since 1998 have event data recorders and that some models were fitted with the recorders from the late 1970s. The devices work by continuously collecting data, but the most recent data are continually overwriting previously stored information. In the event of a crash, the data cycle is "frozen," allowing a snapshot of the most recent data to be recorded. Insurance investigators or law enforcement officers can then retrieve that information electronically.

"We [GM] don't do anything with that data ourselves," Adler said. "It's called a black box as it's a self-contained unit, but it doesn't do the same thing as an airplane's. In the case of a crash, it doesn't say where you were, or which street you were on. It records only certain pieces of data; it's a tool in reconstructing crashes."

Adler explains that drivers have little choice but to drive with the system intact. "To get rid of the system then you have to get rid of airbags, and it's illegal to drive without airbags."

Store-bought "black box"

How about a system that tracks your route and speed and records everything you do by way of video up front and sensors mounted in the back, front and rear of the car? Sounds pretty scary, huh?

KCI Communications offers its "Black Box" product to motorists who it says want to give themselves the best possible chance of defending themselves in the event of a crash and resulting insurance claim. The device uses GPS to give a driver's exact vehicle speed, direction and position at the time of impact, as well as recording the incident with high-resolution video mounted on or above the dash. 

The trick here is that none of the customer's data are uploaded or stored by the company -- all information, or 167 hours worth of driving time, remains on a 32-gig memory card similar to those found in digital cameras. A consumer simply plugs the card into their own computer to analyze results. All information on the card is overwritten once the recordings start over.

Chris Pflanz, KCI's director of marketing, says: "You cannot remotely keep an eye on drivers. We stream live video and our main expertise is police video. GPS is not used for live tracking or any type of navigation; it is strictly for data and reconstruction ofaccidents. Once we sell a product we have no access to the data." 
 
Tracking teen or elderly drivers

Family members concerned about a teen or elderly driver may want to buy what seems like the ultimate tracking device: a real-time alert system that monitors a car's route and notifies both the driver and external viewer in the event of a speedingoffense or if the driver has left a pre-determined area, like breaching a city's limits (known as geo-sensing).

Inthinc's Tiwi system is backed by the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety, which says the device results in safer teen driving habits. The company also offers two more advanced models for fleet or commercial use.

Josh Huber at Inthinc explains that the device "monitors the speed of the car and  also aggressive driving, accelerating or braking too hard, and whether the seatbelt is on. If the driver is going above the limit it will alert the driver.

"The notifications are automatically put on a database on our website and a parent can access that database or have it sent by alerts on their phone."

Jeff Harvey, also at Inthinc, says the company's primary goal is safer driving. 

"[The device] talks back to the driver and gives them advice on how they're operating the vehicle," Harvey said. "That data goes back to a database and is stored for different periods of time. All of the data that is personal in nature is stored for the shortest amount of time. That data is accessible to parents through the [online] portal, which is password protected, and the data in our servers is protected. It's accessible only to the owner of the vehicle."

He says the information collected about a driver's habits is used to calculate a score, or grade, which is an algorithm based on the number of violations over a number of miles, and the severity of the violations. That score, Harvey says, is kept for up to a year, but again is only accessible to the owner of the vehicle, who can choose to share that information with insurance companies should they choose.
 
"We just store the score itself," Harvey said. "You wouldn't be able to drill down into the events that make up that score. They are purged out over an appropriate area of time."

Harvey adds that in the event of a stolen vehicle, the owner can log onto Inthinc's website and see where their car is, and can work independently with police for its recovery.

The future is not bleak, but it is highly connected. The way in which you interact with your vehicle will become more complex in the years to come and the relationship between you and manufacturer of your vehicle is likely to be built on something more than just car payments going forward.

http://www.myeyewitnessnews.com/auto/story/Big-Brother-Is-Your-Car-A-Tracking-Device/Zbfm-EggLEC9rkK6r4rgDw.cspx

Published in Industry, Law, Navigation

As a father, I’m not at that point in my life where I fear my son or daughter behind the wheel, but I know that I will. When my kids turn fifteen, I might want to invest in a Tiwi.

The Tiwi attaches to the car’s windshield and allows the parent to communicate to the child behind the wheel. The Tiwi also has an accelerometer and GPS so the parent knows what’s up with their progeny’s driving. You can check out more at the Tiwi website.

http://www.carbuyersnotebook.com/tiwi-for-parents-of-driving-teens-everywhere/

At the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, some of the smallest companies offered a big dose of fun or functionality.

Tiwi: Responsible parents talk to their teenagers about safe driving, but why bother when a gadget can do it for them?

Tiwi is a windshield-mounted device that issues vocal messages when drivers speed, accelerate like a drag racer, slam on the brakes or engage in other forms of aggressive driving. Aimed at teens, the GPS-equipped device, which receives not only location data but also the speed limit for the road the car is on, also sends parents updates -- by phone, text message or e-mail -- about the user's location and driving behavior.

The price of constant surveillance isn't cheap: $299, plus a $40 monthly service charge.

http://www.fastthinking.com.au/news/current-affairs/boutique-firms-display-must-have-new-toys-for-pseudo-musicians,-techy-weekend-warriors-at-ces.aspx

As a parent, the hardest thing to let your teen touch would be the steering wheels. Once he sits behind it, images of drunk driving teens suddenly flood you and cause panic attacks. That is normal, every single parent experiences that in their lifetime. Sure, you could teach them when to slow down and when to speed up but that is if you are with them. What happens now as soon as you leave them alone in the company of their friends? Gah! Panic! For new drivers, the Tiwi is the device for you.

Tiwi is a device that is mounted on the left part of the car's windshield. What it does is simple - monitor your child all the way. The device knows when your son is driving beyond your set limit and it automatically prompts him about it. It also records a hard turn, brake or gas. It gives your child a recorded message reminding him about it. If he ignores it, it will automatically prompt you, the parent, via an automatic e-mail. It also has GPS which the parent can access even if he is not inside the car. This would allow you to track down where your child really is. It is also so smart that the company thought of integrating it to the car's diagnostics and it records (and prompts your child again) when he is not wearing his seatbelt.

The Tiwi retails at $299. The price may seem kind of expensive but if it is the price you have to pay to gain peace of mind, then so be it. However, expect hours of negotiation between you and your child on when you can take Tiwi off. He really would hate having someone to tell him to slow down when he is with his girlfriend, right?

http://www.coolestgizmo.com/automobile/ces-2010-monitoring-teen-driving/

January 11, 2010 12:52:06 PM 

Active GPS personal monitoring tracking device allows you to monitor a vehicle at all times. You can see where it is in real time. You can also look at history; where the vehicle was, how long it was there, how fast it was going. Active GPS tracking can notify you if the vehicle is involved in an accident or if it leaves a specific geographic area.

The Informer is an active device personal monitoring device that allows you to monitor your spouse in real time. It can alert you when something is wrong and provide a complete history. It can also be set to monitor details like seatbelt usage and speeding.

SPRING LAKE, Michigan Speed, inexperience and distraction are key risk factors in most teen accidents. From the moment a teen backs out of the driveway, the Lemur Autovision electronic keychain is capturing driving data.

The on-board sensor records maximum speed, total distance, and any excessive braking. The keychain LCD displays this data in an easy-to-read format.When a teen returns the keys, parents can immediately review how safely their son or daughter is driving.It is all there, in the palm of their hand.

Corinne Fortenbacher, the president of Rookie Driver.Net, has just begun marketing the Lemur Autovision on their website and sees the product as a great new tool to help parents improve safety for their teen drivers.

As Inthinc CEO Todd Follmer explains (scroll down to listen to interview), the device can track the car speed and location and the speed limit. The Tiwi, which has a GPS and cellular modem, will use voice to tell the driver when to slow down. The device is also integrated into the vehicle's diagnostic port so it knows if the driver has his or her seat belt on. There is also an accelerometer that can sense a hard acceleration, hard stop or hard turn. If your son or daughter responds to the device coaching by slowing down or putting on a seat belt, nothing else happens but if they ignore the coaching, the device sends a notification to the company's portal which in turn notifies the parent via e-mail, text message or phone.

http://www.gadgetsguru.com/technology-news.aspx?t=gps%20device%20monitors%20to%20track%20in%20teen%20driving

Tiwi device mounts on windshield.

(Credit: Inthinc) 

There are plenty of things for parents of teens to worry about, but almost nothing is as scary as when your kid ventures out behind the wheel of a car or rides in a car with another teen driver.

Each year more than 6,000 teens are involved in fatal accidents. Motor vehicle accidents are the leading cause of death for teens.

Still, most parents allow their teens to drive. You can't sit in the backseat every time your kid takes the wheel, but thanks to the Tiwi, a $299 device that mounts to the windshield of your kid's car, you can now virtually watch and nag your kids as they drive.

As Inthinc CEO Todd Follmer explains (scroll down to listen to interview), the device can track the car's speed and location and the speed limit. The Tiwi, which has a GPS and cellular modem, will use voice to tell the driver when to slow down. The device is also integrated into the vehicle's diagnostic port so it knows if the driver has his or her seat belt on. There is also an accelerometer that can sense a hard acceleration, hard stop or hard turn. If your son or daughter responds to the device's coaching by slowing down or putting on a seat belt, nothing else happens but if they ignore the coaching, the device sends a notification to the company's portal which in turn notifies the parent via e-mail, text message or phone.

When asked if the device could actually slow down or stop the car, Follmer said that it's possible, "but not knowing exactly what the situation is, the liability of doing something that absolutely affects the operation of that car wouldn't be something we would want to take on."

For more information, visit Tiwi.com.

Listen now:

 http://radiolarry.com/cnetaudio/todd_follmer_inthinc.mp3

http://news.cnet.com/8301-30977_3-10431784-10347072.html

At the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, some of the small companies offer a big dose of fun or functionality.

Tiwi:Responsible parents talk to their teenagers about safe driving, but why bother when a gadget can do it for them?

Tiwi is a windshield-mounted device that issues vocal messages when drivers speed, accelerate like a drag racer, slam on the brakes or engage in other forms of aggressive driving. Aimed at teens, the GPS-equipped device, which receives not only location data but also the speed limit for the road the car is on, also sends parents updates -- by phone, text message or e-mail -- about the user's location and driving behavior. 

The price of constant surveillance isn't cheap: $299, plus a $40 monthly service charge.

david.colker@latimes.com

dawn.chmielewski @latimes.com

Times staff writer Michelle Maltais contributed to this report.

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-ces-oddgadgets9-2010jan09,0,2536466.story?page=2

Using Safety Technology to Combat Distracted Driving

By Thi Dao

Audible Driver Mentoring Can Lower Insurance Rates

Inthinc’s Tiwi in-cab system verbally alerts drivers when they exhibit dangerous driving behavior such as hard turns, accelerations and braking, speeding and safety belt violations.

What it Does: Inthinc's Tiwi technology offers fleets a system that audibly "mentors" drivers while driving to help them reduce dangerous driving behavior.

How it Works: Tiwi's in-cab system verbally alerts drivers when they exhibit dangerous driving behavior such as hard turns, accelerations and braking, speeding and safety belt violations. The system uses a GPS receiver and cellular network coverage to track vehicles and notify fleet managers in real time when an incident occurs. The "Speed-by-Street" technology compares actual vehicle speed to a database of speed limits, or limits set by the company. Also available are Smartzones, which allow managers to set arrival and departure alerts or speed limits in geofenced areas. 

An online fleet monitoring and reporting portal is available, as well as trend analyses on both driver and vehicle performance. An RFID reader allows for separate data for drivers sharing a vehicle.

During implementation and the early stages of using the Tiwi technology, the system collects data about the driver's behavior before turning on the mentoring system.

The Results: "In virtually every case, the minute we turn on the mentoring, driving behavior changes, and it changes dramatically," says Todd Follmer, CEO of the West Valley City, Utah-based company (www.inthinc.com).

Company records show a 73 percent improvement in safety belt usage, 86 percent reduction in speeding violations, and 89 percent reduction in aggressive driving after 90 days of use.

Better driving behavior leads to an increase in fuel economy, and some insurance companies will give a 10 percent discount for installation, Follmer adds.

The Cost: Installation is as simple as plugging the system into the diagnostic board on the vehicle. Inthinc maintains and updates the software automatically. Rates depend on the type of plan chosen. A three-year subscription, which comes with the hardware, costs $299.99.

http://www.businessfleet.com/Article/Story/2010/01/Using-Safety-Technology-to-Combat-Distracted-Driving/Page/2.aspx

Jeffrey Harvey is the executive vice president for Salt Lake City-based Inthinc. He is also normally a law-abiding citizen, but on Tuesday he broke the law by speeding for a second to show us how his company's new device will help teenagers become better drivers.

"Speeding violation," the device alerted.

The Tiwi is mounted to the windshield of a vehicle and is similar to a GPS.

It's called a Tiwi, and it is meant to be attached to a vehicle's windshield. Basically, it's a GPS device that monitors what the driver is doing. When the driver speeds, makes a sharp turn, or doesn't wear their seat belt, Tiwi tells them.

"Please buckle your seat belt," the device says.

If the driver doesn't listen, a text message or an e-mail is sent to the teenage driver's parents. Harvey says it's a way for new drivers to learn to be better drivers without having their parents next to them.

"That's what Tiwi really is. It's to bridge that gap and to continue the learning process," Harvey explained.

Tiwi can also help with peer pressure. A teen driving with friends might not be tempted to drive aggressively if they know their parents will find out.

"The ability to try and insulate your teenagers from some of that peer pressure by having a device is extremely powerful, and it gives them an out and a way to save face with their peers," explains Scott McClellan, founder and chief executive officer of Inthinc.

McClellan has devices on NASCAR race cars to record race information and has also developed devices for companies to track their fleets of vehicles. The Tiwi, however, was made specifically to help teens become better drivers, to reduce the number of teen accidents, and, ultimately, to save lives.

"It's nothing more than, like, having your parent right next to you saying, 'Hey, you're starting to go a little fast,'" McClellan said.

Teens may not like it at first, but parents will.

Inthinc is already working on the next generation of devices which would detect when drivers are on their phone or text messaging.

http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=8876787 

Valvoline, tiwi offer Fuel Proof Guarantee

There’s an old maxim that if fleets could add up all the fuel savings promised by fuel and oil additives, aerodynamic add-ons, components and other items, then they’d be selling diesel to the oil companies instead of the other way around. Valvoline understands the myriad of fuel-savings products on the market today has created some cynicism in the truck industry regarding fuel savings claims today. That’s why it’s backing its new partnership with telematics company tiwi up with a money-back guarantee:

http://www.etrucker.com/apps/news/article.asp?id=83142

Valvoline, tiwi offer Fuel Proof Guarantee

Valvoline announced Friday, Nov. 6, that it is teaming up with tiwi, a provider of telematics and driver-mentoring systems, to launch a program designed to improve fleet fuel mileage, backed with an exclusive limited Fuel Proof Guarantee.

http://www.etrucker.com/apps/news/article.asp?id=83063

Valvoline, Tiwi Team Up for Fuel Savings

To gain fuel economy of 4 percent or more under the guarantee, a fleet must run Valvoline's Premium Blue Extreme engine oil and Syn Gard transmission and axle lube, which together offer lower friction and potential extended oil drains. They must also use the innovative Tiwi driver performance device.

http://www.truckinginfo.com/news/news-detail.asp?news_id=68439&news_category_id=42

Midnight Trucking Radio

Tiwi tracks travels of trucks (and teens)

Concerned parents can rest easier. So can commercial-fleet operators.

A new tracking system called Tiwi can monitor a vehicle's speed, throttle position, G-forces, fuel consumption and whether the driver is wearing a seat belt.

Tiwi, created by Inthinc Technology Solutions, of Logan, Utah, initially was designed so that freight companies could better monitor their drivers' habits on the road. But the system also will be sold to concerned parents of lead-footed teenagers.

http://www.autonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20091109/ANA05/911099988/1182

Valvoline, Tiwi Launch Fuel Proof Guarantee Program

Valvoline and tiwi are launching a joint initiative to provide customers with a Fuel Proof Guarantee to test fuel economy improvements.

http://www.truckinginfo.com/news/news-detail.asp?news_id=68416&news_category_id=45

Valvoline and tiwi Unveil Program Guaranteed to Improve Fleet Fuel Mileage 

Valvoline and telematics provider, tiwi, a division of inthinc Technology Solutions, Inc., unveiled a program last week designed to guarantee fleets up to 4% better miles per gallon, or their money back. Called the “Fuel Proof Guarantee,”

http://www.imakenews.com/lubritec/e_article001589721.cfm?x=b11,0,w

Valvoline, Tech Firm tiwi Team to Boost Fleets’ Efficiency

Lubricant maker Valvoline and technology firm tiwi have unveiled a program for over-the-road fleets that they guarantee will boost fuel efficiency by at least 4%.

http://www.ttnews.com/articles/basetemplate.aspx?storyid=23154

tiwi And Valvoline Launch Fuel Proof Guarantee

tiwi and Valvoline®, in conjunction with the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series event at Texas Motor Speedway, today unveiled a collaborative limited Fuel Proof Guarantee

http://www.catchfence.com/2009/truckseries/11/05/tiwi-and-valvoline-launch-fuel-proof-guarantee/

inthinc Delivers tiwi Driving Safety and Fleet Management Solution

tiwi provides a unique combination of in-vehicle driver alerts, vehicle location and diagnostics, and fleet management features that detail fleet performance and trends.

http://www.fleetfinancials.com/News/Story/2009/11/inthinc-Delivers-tiwi-Driving-Safety-and-Fleet-Management-Solution.aspx?interstitial=1

inthinc Technology To Offer tiwi Driving Safety System, Fleet Management Solution

For light commercial fleets as well as heavy duty and special purpose applications

Link to article
 

Big Brother: Is Your Car A Tracking Device? Technology Makes Tracking Possible

Inthinc's Tiwi system is backed by the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety, which says the device results in safer teen driving habits. The company also offers two more advanced models for fleet or commercial use.
http://autos.aol.com/article/vehicle-tracking-device