Daimler FleetBoard flies high at Cranleigh Freight Services
One of Britain’s leading airfreight road-feeder specialists is benefiting from fuel cost savings and greatly improved management controls after stepping up its use of Daimler FleetBoard telematics systems.
Significantly, most of the Cranleigh Freight Services (CFS) vehicles equipped with this state-of-the-art technology are DAFs – as a sister company of Mercedes-Benz, Daimler FleetBoard is more commonly associated with the three-pointed star but its systems also deliver impressive results when retrofitted to other makes of truck.
Underlining this point, the Surrey-based operator is preparing to remove some of its first pieces of FleetBoard hardware from seven DAF tractor units and reinstall them in seven new replacement units being supplied by the same manufacturer.
CFS gained its first experience of FleetBoard’s capabilities three years ago, when it took delivery of five Mercedes-Benz Actros tractor units with factory-fitted telematics systems.
“Our main interest initially was in vehicle tracking,” recalls Tim Munro, Transport Manager, CFS. “But we were ecstatic when we realised how much more Daimler FleetBoard offered in terms of valuable extra functionality, and quickly set about fitting its systems to more of our trucks.”
Today, all but four of family-owned CFS’s 52 tractor units are equipped with Daimler FleetBoard telematics and the number continues to grow.
Key to the success of this technology has been its ability to measure driver performance against a range of criteria such as over revving, harsh braking, idling, speeding and ‘green band’ driving, highlighting areas in which improvements can be made.
“It’s difficult to make precise comparisons because loads and routes are changing all the time,” says Mr Munro. “But we have drivers who were previously averaging 7mpg and are now consistently returning 8-10mpg.
“FleetBoard has played a crucial part in helping us to achieve these improvements. It revealed, for example, that some ‘old school’ drivers were not turning on their cruise controls, or using their engine brakes properly – we’ve now been able to address these shortcomings in style and attitudes, and our fuel efficiency has increased as a result.”
CFS specialises in time-sensitive deliveries, its trucks spending much of their time on the Continent working for customers from the motorsport, events and exhibitions sectors, as well as international airlines.
Daimler FleetBoard vehicle management allows the operator to track the precise locations of its vehicles in real time, and monitor drivers’ working hours using the digital tachograph driver card download function – because the data is transferred over the air, the trucks do not have to return to base.
“Being late isn’t an option when you’re on just-in-time work so it’s vital that we have constant visibility of our fleet,” confirms Becky Young, Sales & Marketing Manager, CFS. “Daimler FleetBoard allows us to plan journeys and re-route vehicles at short notice in the event of an accident on the road ahead or a ferry cancellation, for example. And if, for any reason, a driver’s not where he should be, the system will highlight this too, so we can get him back on course immediately.”
Daimler FleetBoard has also become a key sales tool for CFS. “The companies for which we work appreciate the security and peace of mind it offers,” she explains. “Indeed, a couple of our biggest customers have direct access to the system, so they can see precisely where their loads are at any given time.”
With environmental issues now to the fore, CFS also employs Daimler FleetBoard to help its customers reduce the carbon footprints of their transport operations. “Using telematics data to make the case, we might suggest a change of departure time so the truck doesn’t get snarled in stop-start traffic and sit idling for ages,” says Becky Young.
“Or we may point out – as I did to a customer the other day – that while a high mountain pass is quicker than the alternative route, it’s also less environmentally-friendly because the truck uses more fuel to get up and over.
“Ultimately,” she adds, “customers can choose whether or not to accept our advice. What’s important from our perspective, though, is that thanks to Daimler FleetBoard we can provide the high-quality management information they need to make informed decisions.”
