Improving performance

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Improve Fuel Efficiency

With the price of diesel having climbed to historically high levels in recent months the financial pressure on many transport companies is a serious concern. Forecasts that the price of crude oil will continue to rise in the foreseeable future, means the outlook for the road transport sector and the economy overall is challenging, to say the least.

The importance of fuel economy to the successful operation of a transport company cannot be under-estimated. It is now the highest variable running cost for most fleets and while it is not possible to control the cost of diesel, every company can at least have some control over its rate of consumption.

TOMR is the leader in heavy vehicle telematics and our flagship product called TopGear™ has been designed to help fleets cut fuel costs and reduce carbon emissions. Based on the experience of TOMR's customers, plus numerous testimonials emerging from fleets in North America and Europe using similar advanced telematics systems, reductions of 10% to 15% in fuel usage are readily achievable.

For the typical transport company a 10% reduction in fuel cost represents a significant amount of money. For example, a truck travelling 150,000 kilometres per annum the saving would be in the vicinity of $10,000 to $15,000 each year. The greenhouse bonus is 225 less tonnes of CO 2 emitted into the atmosphere.

So how does TopGear™ help fleets improve fuel efficiency?

There are a range of well known factors that influence a truck's fuel consumption. One with considerable impact is good vehicle operating techniques. Unfortunately, once the truck is on the road it is virtually impossible for fleet managers to gather operational data and then use it in a timely manner to improve driving practices.

This is where TopGear™ provides the breakthrough. The system interfaces with the truck's Engine Control Module (ECM) and continuously monitors vital information about engine performance and fuel usage. Activities or driving behaviour that cause unnecessary levels of fuel consumption are flagged to drivers in real-time, and this prompts them to self-correct actions such as speeding, aggressive driving or extended idling. Alerts and exception reports are also transmitted wirelessly to inform fleet management about these actions, which impact adversely on the truck's fuel consumption. This information is used to counsel persistent offenders and initiate remedial driver training, where required. Importantly, it can also be used to acknowledge and reward the efforts of good drivers.

TopGear™ provides the most comprehensive and effective way to optimise the fuel efficiency of every vehicle in a fleet. The principal areas where TopGear™ helps cut fuel costs are:

•  Efficient Driving Behaviour: It is well known that driver behaviour has a significant impact on a truck's fuel consumption rate. The most efficient drivers get up to 35% better fuel consumption than the least efficient drivers. With its in-cab driver 'coaching' concept and timely exception reports delivered to the fleet manager, TopGearT delivers more efficient driving behaviour.

•  Minimise Engine Idling: Idle time is costly. It has been estimated by truck engine manufacturers that every hour of idle in line-haul applications can decrease fuel efficiency by 1%. Obviously some idle is unavoidable, however TopGear™ provides a comprehensive way to reduce idling to the minimum.

•  Vehicle Speed Management: Above 90 km/hr aerodynamic drag is the most significant contributor to a vehicle's power requirements. Putting this in the simplest of terms, you use horsepower to overcome aerodynamic drag and you burn fuel to make this horsepower. Excessive speed has a significant impact on fuel consumption. Above 90 km/hr, each 1 km/hr increase in vehicle speed decreases fuel economy by 1.25 %, or more.

Cutting fuel costs is just one area where fleets can benefit from using TopGear™. Other valuable business improvement opportunities exist in the areas of Driver Fatigue Management, Safety and Compliance; Driver Productivity; Vehicle Utilisation; Route Productivity and Fleet Maintenance.

For more information about Cutting Fuel Costs and the other benefits of TopGear™ please contact Greg Turner at gturner@tomr.com.au