Fleets are increasingly feeling pressure to reduce emissions from their shipper customers to investors to regulators. Many trucking companies had to decide between being environmentally friendly or profitable in the past, but with the rise of new technologies, sustainability and profitability go hand-in-hand. From advanced telematics that increase efficiency to zero-emission trucks, fleets have a lot of options when it comes to becoming more sustainable.

Let’s take a look at a few different ways to make your fleet more sustainable and how to develop a strategy to actually implement the enabling technologies.

New technologies can help your fleet become more sustainable and profitable—here are some approaches to improve your sustainability. Click To Tweet

#1. Increase Existing Fuel Efficiency

Improving fuel efficiency is the best way to reduce carbon emissions and improve sustainability without investing in new vehicles. By adding telematics to existing assets, you can start measuring fuel economy, idle time and other factors that influence fuel efficiency. Real-time locations and status can also help minimize idle time by sharing that information with the receivers and ensuring loading docks are ready.

 

In addition to cab fuel economy, telematics can provide real-time insights into the location and status of containers and other assets. You can avoid hauling empty trailers, minimize idle time and use intermodal transportation where it makes sense. These capabilities cut down on unnecessary emissions, improve asset utilization and keep customers happy.

Smart routing technologies can also help cut down on unnecessary miles by taking the most efficient routes. In addition to simply minimizing miles, cutting-edge solutions can factor in real-time traffic conditions, potential weather hazards and historical data to predict the best routes in real-time, dramatically cutting down on unnecessary miles and drive time.

Telematic solutions like ELDs and trailer tracking also enable fleets to get better utilization out of their existing assets. By knowing the status (available or in use/empty or loaded) and location of their trucks and trailers, fleets can quickly turn their trucks and trailers thereby avoiding adding more trucks on the road. Saving drivers’ time driving around searching for trailers also helps cut down fuel consumption.

#2. Avoid Damaging or Spoiling Cargo

Damaged or spoiled cargo can be extremely costly for fleets since it’s effectively a wasted trip. In addition to potentially costly claims, these wasted trips can significantly increase a fleet’s carbon footprint. These problems are particularly acute in the reefer market where refrigerated trailers transport highly sensitive goods, such as produce or pharmaceuticals.

Telematics solutions can help prevent damaged or spoiled cargo. For reefers, Powerfleet’s LV-400 enables users to remotely monitor and make changes to the reefer trailer from their computer, which reduces the need for driver interaction. The system checks the temperature every five minutes and sends out alerts when there are potentially damaging changes.

Powerfleet’s LV-600, 710 and 740 can also provide visibility into the security, location and condition of cargo. For example, the LV-710 combines a high-definition camera, image recognition processor, door sensor and environmental sensors for true freight visibility, which can help reduce damage and fight fraudulent damage claims with visual evidence.

#3. Use Carbon Offsets to Differentiate

Carbon offsets provide a near-term way to reach sustainability goals while next-generation technologies develop and become more cost-effective. In essence, carbon offset strategies involve computing a fleet’s carbon emissions each quarter or year and funding projects that offset an equivalent amount of carbon emission to effectively be carbon neutral.

When using these strategies, you should work with reputable suppliers that track and verify registered carbon offset projects. You may also want to offset carbon emissions in certain areas where you operate, such as a certain state or even within the United States. New services, like Cloverly, can help streamline the process of calculating and purchasing offsets.

Carbon offsets may also be a valuable addition to marketing materials. Customers that are on the fence between two different logistics providers may choose the provider that offers zero emissions as a selling point to their own customers or stakeholders—even if the reductions are driven by carbon offsets rather than electric vehicles.

#4. Consider the Role of EVs & Alt Fuels

Electric heavy-duty trucks have been slow to reach mainstream adoption, whereas electric medium- and light-duty trucks have taken off more significantly. Heavy-duty trucks (such as Class 8 vehicles) have more rigorous testing requirements and real-world demands compared to medium- and light-duty trucks that impact battery life, range and other factors.

Rendering of the all-electric Tesla Semi – Source: Tesla

While electric heavy-duty trucks aren’t widely available, there are indications that significant growth will occur through 2023. The Zero-Emission Technology Inventory (ZETI) has the number of zero-emissions choices up 400% in 2023.  Companies like Anheuser Busch have pre-ordered long haul electric trucks from Tesla along with Nikola’s hydrogen-electric trucks. Meanwhile, the City of Long Beach has a mix of trucks with 45% of them using alternative fuels and a 2021 replacement plan with 87% alternative fuels—beyond just electric.

Fleets may want to start thinking about electric vehicles and alternative fuel vehicles when planning for vehicle replacements over the coming years. For instance, you may want to allocate a higher budget to replacements to account for the greater upfront cost of these vehicles while keeping in mind they could pay off long-term through lower fuel costs.

How to Develop a Sustainability Strategy

Improving fleet sustainability can be a gargantuan task. In addition to the normal logistical challenges of fleet updates, new technologies and processes can complicate everything from driver training to integrations with existing systems. The best way to improve the odds of success is to develop a sound strategy and continuously monitor progress implementing it.

There are a few steps to the process:

1. Initial Assessment: Start by taking an inventory of your existing fleet (especially aging vehicles) and determine an appropriate budget over the coming years that could be allocated to sustainability initiatives.
2. Determine Specifications: Determine the right equipment and sustainability approach based on operational demands, duty cycles, maintenance practices and other considerations—ranging from new telematics to new EVs.
3. Develop a Plan: Create a plan to guide the implementation of these sustainability goals. These plans should specify the budget allocation, desired equipment and personnel responsible for implementing the plan over the coming years.
4. Monitor the Strategy: Periodically review the sustainability plan and determine where the company fell short and what could be improved. If something goes awry, make the changes necessary to get the plan back on track.

Fleets looking for the simplest way to start improving sustainability should consider telematics solutions before more significant investments. With a relatively low upfront investment and no disruption to your existing business, telematics provide tangible sustainability benefits through better fuel economy and efficiency, as well as a host of other ancillary benefits.

The Bottom Line

Sustainability is growing in importance to investors and customers, but it has also become a compelling way to improve profitability. From telematics integrations to electric vehicle replacement cycles, there are many different ways that fleets can become more sustainable while simultaneously improving their bottom line.

If you want to learn more about Powerfleet’s line of telematics solutions, contact us to schedule a free consultation or contact a local dealer to learn more.

The trucking industry can be a minefield of liabilities. Nuclear verdicts are enough to put an entire carrier out of business with a single at-fault accident, whereas cargo damage claims can quickly add up over time. Even if a carrier doesn’t experience either of these problems, rising insurance costs to protect against them cut deeply into the bottom line.

The good news is that telematics solutions can help reduce these risks by keeping drivers safer on the road and providing greater visibility into assets throughout the business. In particular, dashcams, freightcams and other video technology provide invaluable visual evidence of driver safety issues and cargo status at every step of a journey.

Let’s take a look at two ways that cameras are reshaping the trucking industry and how to effectively add them to your fleet.

The trucking industry can be a minefield of liabilities, but telematics and cameras can effectively reduce these liabilities. Click To Tweet

Improving Safety on the Road

More than 800,000 accidents occur every year due to blind spots, according to the National Highway Transportation & Safety Administration (NHTSA), and more than half of those accidents involve truck blind spots. In many cases, truckers and carriers are considered at-fault for these accidents and may incur significant liability.

Trucks have a number of blind spots, or “no-zones”:

• Front No-Zone: The front no-zone extends about ten car lengths and occurs because truckers sit higher up and the cab obstructs part of the road in front of the truck. If a vehicle cuts in front of a truck too quickly, the driver may not see the vehicle.
• Rear No-Zone: The rear no-zone is a large blind spot directly behind the trailer. If a vehicle is following too closely, a driver may not think anyone is behind them and if they suddenly brake, it could result in them being rear-ended.
• Right No-Zone: The right no-zone is another large blind spot on the right side of the truck. If a vehicle is on the right side of the truck, the driver may not be able to see them when switching lanes and sideswipe them.
• Left No-Zone: The left no-zone is a smaller blind spot that extends roughly one-third the length of the trailer. If a vehicle happens to be in that zone, the driver may not be able to see them and sideswipe them.
• Turning No-Zone: The turning no-zone is a blind spot that occurs when a truck is turning. Vehicles in the angle made by the trailer when it’s swinging to the left or right are in the blind spot and may be hit by the trailer.

Truck Blind Spots – Source: U.S. DoT

Truck drivers are required to adequately monitor their blind spots and carriers must take reasonable precautions to avoid an accident, such as mounting two mirrors on the left and right side of the hood or using back-up sensors to warn drivers when vehicles are in the no-zones. Drivers and carriers may be at-fault if they cannot prove otherwise.

Exterior cameras can help minimize blind spots for drivers by showing drivers the no-zone when they are passing, turning or conducting other maneuvers. In fact, the IIHS found that side-view assist cameras alone could prevent or mitigate up to 39,000 crashes each year, including 2,000 injury crashes and 79 fatal crashes—more than lane departure warnings, electronic stability control, forward collision warning systems.

In-cab cameras can also help exonerate drivers that were being reasonably cautious in monitoring blind spots while exterior cameras can show the behavior of other vehicles around the truck. With the average nuclear verdict rising from $2.3 million in 2010 to more than $22.3 million in 2018, exonerating even one fatal crash could mean saving an entire business. The same cameras and telematics can help detect unsafe driving and help companies retrain drivers where necessary and improve safety on the road.

Powerfleet’s solutions support in-cabin and in-vehicle video solutions that operate on a standalone basis or as part of an FMS platform. With the ability to support 360-degree views with side and rear cameras, the products leverage the latest processors and require minimal configuration. They notify drivers of safety events in real-time while a SD card makes it easy to access footage either on the camera or remotely at any time.

Ensuring Cargo is Safe in Transit

Drivers are usually responsible for ensuring that cargo is properly loaded. If they don’t, the carrier could be in for a surprise claim when the truck arrives at the destination. Monitoring cargo is essential to avoid disagreements with customers, or worse, being taken advantage of by unscrupulous shippers and brokers looking for a free ride.

Freight claims typically fall into a few categories:

• Damage: Damage claims occur when the freight is visibly damaged upon arrival.
• Loss: Loss claims occur when the freight was picked up but never delivered.
• Shortage: Shortage claims occur when only part of the expected freight was received, which means pieces could have fallen out or gone missing.
• Concealed: Concealed claims occur when damage is discovered after delivery and reported after the driver leaves.

Under the Carmack Amendment, carriers have strict liability for cargo damage, but claimants must establish that the cargo was picked up in good condition, delivered in damaged condition and resulted in a specific amount of damage. Every freight shipment must also be covered by limited liability but excessive claims can increase insurance cost.

Freight cameras provide visual proof for claims and true freight visibility in transit. For instance, Powerfleet’s LV-710 combines a high-definition camera, image recognition processor, door sensor and cargo area environmental sensor to provide in-depth visibility into trailers. In addition, the LV-740 pallet sensors can detect if pallets are loaded for complete cargo visibility outside of the trailer.

Unlike many competitors, Powerfleet’s central system leverages machine learning to categorize photos and identify trends that would otherwise go unnoticed to the sheer volume of data. The software also prevents users from being bombarded by routine notices that don’t require human intervention, making the system a lot more useful and efficient.

The Bottom Line

Dashcams, freightcams and other video technology have become more widely adopted in the trucking industry. They can help avoid costly liabilities by providing visual evidence of people, vehicles and cargo. In addition to reducing liability from individual events, these technologies could also help reduce insurance costs over time by reducing the number of paid claims.

Powerfleet provides a range of telematics solutions designed to solve logistics problems—including cameras. In addition to its freightcams, the company provides in-cab cameras and ELD-compliant solutions, dry van and reefer tracking solutions, cargo-level visibility tools and chassis and container tracking tools to have full visibility into your fleet.

Contact us today to discuss your requirements and find the right solutions for your fleet!

The trucking industry is governed by a number of state and federal regulations designed to reduce accidents and keep everyone safe on the road. Hours-of-Service (HOS) regulations are among the most important rules for both drivers and carriers since they are a major factor in maintaining a good CSA score and a frequent source of violations.

From official road checks at weigh stations to unplanned stops by law enforcement to check for violations, there are many ways that these regulations are enforced. The recent International Roadcheck on May 4th through the 6th focused on lighting and HOS violations while the upcoming Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance’s (CVSA) annual Operation Safe Driver Week will focus on speeding and unsafe driving between July 11th and 17th.

Let’s take a closer look at HOS regulations, who is subject to these rules, how they’re enforced and how new technologies can reduce violations.

HOS rules are among the most important regulations for both drivers and carriers, but who is subject to them and what are the exceptions? Click To Tweet

What Are Hours-of-Service Regulations?

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) created HOS regulations to specify the maximum amount of time drivers are permitted to be on duty, including drive time, along with the number and length of rest periods. The goal is to help ensure that drivers are awake and alert and minimize the risk of distracted driving.

The four most important rules include:

• The 14-Hour Rule: Drivers may not drive beyond the 14th consecutive hour after coming on duty, following 10 consecutive hours off duty. Off-duty time does not extend the 14-hour period. The limit is 15 cumulative hours for passenger vehicles.
• The 11-Hour Rule: Drivers may drive a maximum of 11 hours after 10 consecutive hours off duty. The limit is 10 hours after 8 consecutive hours off-duty for passenger vehicles.
• 30-Minute Break Rule: Drivers must take a 30-minute break when they have driven for a period of 8 cumulative hours without at least a 30-minute interruption. The break may be satisfied by any non-driving period of 30 consecutive minutes (e.g., on-duty not driving, off-duty, sleeper berth, etc.).
• 60/70-Hour Limit: Drivers may not drive after 60/70 hours on duty in 7/8 consecutive days. A driver may restart a 7/8 consecutive day period after taking 34 or more consecutive hours off duty.

There are also a few important exceptions:

• Sleeper Berth Provision: Drivers may split their required 10-hour off-duty period, as long as one off-duty period (whether in or out of the sleeper berth) is at least 2 hours long and the other involves at least 7 consecutive hours spent in the sleeper berth. All sleeper berth pairings MUST add up to at least 10 hours. When used together, neither time period counts against the maximum 14-hour driving window.
• Adverse Driving Conditions: Drivers are allowed to extend the 11-hour maximum driving limit and 14-hour driving window by up to 2 hours when adverse driving conditions are encountered.
• Short-Haul Exemption: A driver is exempt from the requirements if the driver operates within a 150 air-mile radius of the normal work reporting location and the driver does not exceed a maximum duty period of 14 hours. Drivers using the short-haul exemption must report and return to the normal work reporting location within 14 consecutive hours and stay within a 150 air-mile radius of the work reporting location.
• Emergency Conditions: Hours-of-Service rules may be temporarily lifted in emergency situations. In order to be valid, a federal or state institution must declare and acknowledge a state of emergency. For example, there was an HOS exemption issued on May 9, 2021 in response to the shutdown of the Colonial Pipeline, which applies to fleets transporting fuel in affected areas.

Note: This list reflects new additions to HOS regulations made in 2020.

Who Must Follow Hours-of-Service Regulations?

HOS regulations apply to most commercial motor vehicle (CMV) drivers in the United States, including vehicles that transport products and people. That said, some CMVs that fall under HOS regulations may be able to side-step some rules if they fall under one of the exceptions listed above, such as the Short-Haul Exemption.

CMVs generally include vehicles that meet any of the following criteria:

• Weighs 10,001 pounds or more including any load.
• Has a gross vehicle weight rating or gross combination weight rating of 10,001 pounds or more.
• Is transporting hazardous waste materials in a quantity requiring placards.
• Is designed or used to transport 16 or more passengers (including the driver) and not for compensation.
• Is designed or used to transport 9 or more passengers (including the driver) for compensation.

How Are Hours-of-Service Regulations Enforced?

HOS regulations are enforced through a combination of traffic stops, weigh stations and other checkpoints along trucking routes. Following a federal mandate, Electronic Logging Devices (ELDs) have become the primary way to track violations. The devices also make it much easier to keep accurate records and set alarms to avoid HOS violations.

Powerfleet’s LV-9000 In-Cab Device – Source: Powerfleet

For example, Powerfleet’s LV-9000 is an ELD-compliant in-cab solution that handles complex driver workflows, provides minute-by-minute updates, and records GPS positions, fuel consumption and other trip data in real-time. These capabilities can help avoid HOS violations while helping drivers reduce errors, increase drive time, and ultimately, earn more.

Violations of HOS regulations can lead to penalties for both drivers and carriers. If a driver is caught over their HOS, they may be put out of service until they have spent enough time off-duty to come into compliance. The driver could also face fines by both state and local law enforcement officials and CSA score reductions depending on the severity of the infraction.

While most violations occur at traffic stops or weigh stations, the costliest infractions occur in an accident. If a driver operates over their HOS limits, they could be held civilly and criminally liable if an accident were to occur—even if it’s not their fault. The rise of nuclear verdicts has made these violations incredibly costly to carriers as well.

The Bottom Line

HOS regulations apply to most CMV drivers carrying products or people, although there are exceptions for short-haul vehicles and other cases. While the most common HOS violations used to be for poor or missing documentation, ELDs have become commonplace and eliminated many of these issues through automated electronic logging.

If you’re looking for a 4G/LTE ELD-compliant solution that goes beyond the basics, Powerfleet’s LV-9000 provides Electronic Drivers Vehicle Inspection Reports to improve safety and compliance, as well as records driver behaviors, such as speeding or harsh braking, in order to encourage safe driving on the road.

Contact us for a demo or to learn more today!

The COVID-19 pandemic may seem like it’s coming under control in the United States, but challenges reaching herd immunity and a growing number of variants around the world suggest that businesses should prepare for the long haul by adopting best practices for health and hygiene at every level—including warehouses and materials handling.

“Covid-19 will certainly have latent effects on organizational resilience throughout 2021, directly and indirectly shifting the way organizations do business,” Jim Yarbrough, global intelligence program manager at BSI said in a statement about a new report from the London-based standards and supply chain intelligence firm.

Let’s take a look at COVID-19 risks in materials handling, CDC recommendations for warehouses, and how telematics can help eliminate guesswork, provide accountability and create a new system of checks and balances for measurable results.

The COVID-19 pandemic could last longer than many appreciate, which means businesses should prepare for the long haul with health and hygiene best practices at every level. Click To Tweet

CDC Recommendations for Warehouses

The CDC has issued extensive guidance for workplaces and businesses to help limit COVID-19 risks—including guidance for warehouses. According to the health agency, warehouse workers may be exposed due to close contact with other people, including customers, coworkers, contractors and truck drivers, as well as when touching or handling surfaces.

The organization’s core recommendations include:

• Follow any existing state or local regulations for warehouses.
• Appoint an on-site coordinator responsible for COVID-19 assessment and control.
• Implement flexible sick leave and other supportive policies and practices.
• Consider daily in-person or virtual health checks of employees on workdays.

If an employee is suspected or confirmed to have COVID-19, immediately isolate the employee and arrange for private transportation home. Affected employees should self-isolate and immediately contact their healthcare provider. The area where the employee operated should also be closed off and disinfected and other employees should be notified.

The CDC also recommends several other steps:

• Modify workstations to be six feet apart and not facing each other when possible.
• Establish physical barriers between workers and/or customers.
• Close or limit access to areas where employees are likely to congregate.
• Consider foot traffic in a single direction in narrow or confined areas.
• Use visual cues to remind workers to maintain a 6-foot distance from each other.
• Place handwashing stations or hand sanitizers in multiple locations.
• Make sure the workspace is well-ventilated or use HEPA filtration units.

Many cities and states also continue to recommend the use of face coverings indoors as an effective way to prevent the spread of infection. These masks should allow for breathing without restriction while fitting snugly against the side of the face. Many workplaces provide disposable masks on-site while permitting employees to bring their own if desired.

Social Distancing with Telematics

Telematics have opened the door to a wide range of improvements in warehouses and manufacturing facilities. For example, modern solutions can measure worker productivity, detect dangerous driving behavior, and ensure that everyone is where they need to be at any given time. These same technologies can help reduce risk during the COVID-19 pandemic.

There are several ways that telematics can play a role:

• Direct Messaging: Telematics enable management to set up regular (e.g., timed) or specific (e.g., ad hoc) messages to operators and avoid bringing large groups into a room to implement or roll out new processes or policies. In addition to avoiding large groups, it’s easy to message operators when there are COVID-19 safety issues.
• Access & Location: Telematics enable companies to limit access to material handling equipment by utilizing keyless access technology which ensures that vehicles will not start without authorized operator credentials. Telematics solutions can also monitor login access with an HID card, keypad or fob, as well as track where employees move within the facility. These capabilities make it much easier to contact trace any potential infections within the facility with 100% accurate chain of custody records.
• Automated Safety Checklists: Telematics can help facilitate compliance with electronic OSHA safety checklists. These checklists can be customized with health protocols, such as sanitizing equipment after use or before each shift, washing hands on a regular basis, which can be a helpful reminder for employees to adopt healthy habits. If a critical safety issue is checked off the system can lock the vehicle out. Maintenance is automatically notified. This replaces the manual process used in many organizations. It also identifies mechanical issues before they become critical and cause downtime.

When integrated with corporate COVID-19 safety protocols, these technologies can help improve compliance and enforce health and hygiene standards. They can also help with contact tracing and other efforts designed to contain any outbreaks and minimize the number of employees that become sick and the effect on operations.

These same technologies can also help improve safety and productivity:

• Safety Sensors: Telematics are used on material handling equipment, such as forklifts, within warehouses and manufacturing facilities, to improve safety through the use of impact sensors, speed sensors, weight sensors and other sensors designed to alert management when there are unsafe behaviors. These alerts are also helpful to identify unreported safety incidents.
• Predictive Maintenance: Telematics can measure vehicle usage for predictive maintenance purposes. Rather than maintaining a vehicle on a calendared basis, the system reports actual usage (motion time), which enables companies to proactively maintain equipment during downtime to ensure that they are performing nominally during high usage times. Safety checklists report maintenance issues before they become major and cause an unexpected vehicle shut down. These capabilities enable companies to proactively maintain their fleet in a cost effective manner while remaining OEM compliant.
• Productivity Measures: Telematics can provide key insights into actual utilization from a site level, or for multiple sites with the ability to drill down to a specific operator. These measurements can help managers quickly identify problems and address them – keeping within the corporate KPI’s.

Powerfleet provides a wide range of materials handling telematics designed to deliver these benefits and more. In addition to the hardware technologies, the company provides cloud software with a simple dashboard that shows fleet and system status at a glance while enabling managers to automatically receive important alerts and generate detailed reports as needed.

Powerfleet’s forklift fleet management and analytics provide real-time data. This protects workers by remote vehicle monitoring, maintenance alerts and reduction of costs associated with lift truck accidents. Additionally, telematics contribute to proper material handling, creating a more cost-effective and risk-free environment for large-scale production.

The Bottom Line

The COVID-19 pandemic could last for several years amid ongoing herd immunity challenges and a growing number of variants popping up around the world. Businesses should prepare for the long haul by adopting health and hygiene best practices across the organization—including warehouse and materials handling equipment.

In addition to following CDC guidelines, telematics can help improve health and hygiene through access control, safety checklists and direct messaging. These same technologies can help unlock a number of other safety and productivity benefits, which makes them a high return on investment for the long-term as well as a great solution to address the COVID-19 crisis.

For more information, contact us to learn about our telematics solutions and how they can help your business or call our team at  201-678-7725.

Materials handling is the most frequent cause of workplace injuries according to Travelers Injury Impact Report, accounting for nearly one-third of all claims. When analyzing 1.5 million claims over a four-year period, the report found that materials handling injuries were especially common in the manufacturing and retail industries, accounting for about 40% of injuries.

In addition to injuries, forklifts are the most common cause of damaged products since operators are under pressure to move quickly, according to Terry Morgan, owner of Terry Morgan Inc., a registered transportation practitioner and expert witness. Even if they have received training on how to operate forklifts safely, they may work too quickly to follow the rules.

Let’s take a look at the role that technology plays in identifying accidents, preventing bad behaviors and reinforcing positive behaviors.

Materials handling is one of the most frequent causes of workplace injuries—how do you track and manage impacts? Click To Tweet

Detecting Problems in Real-time

Many organizations rely on training programs to ensure workplace safety, but often these programs conflict with reality for many forklift operators. For example, forklift operators may be incentivized to load a set number of trucks per shift, which may not be a feasible goal while adhering to every safety standard.

Technology provides the critical ability to measure both performance and safety risks. Through the use of warehouse telematics, businesses can measure the productivity of individual forklifts along with any safety incidents in real-time. These capabilities make it easy for management to measure productivity and safety while making improvements where necessary.

Common challenges with impact sensing technologies include false alarms, excessive vehicle shutdowns and needless disruption of productivity. Ineffective safety systems often become deactivated safety systems, which defeats the entire purpose. Fortunately, there are effective systems out there that can help avoid these issues and unlock the benefits.

How Powerfleet Innovates

Powerfleet’s impact management system uses an on-vehicle computer that automatically detects, analyzes and normalizes G-forces exerted and how long they resonate in varying conditions over time. The patented technology learns each vehicle’s behaviors and establishes a “normal” range that eliminates false alarms and ensures a high level of accuracy.

The “fit and forget” capabilities eliminate the problems associated with setting, validation testing and fine-tuning an absolute, fixed impact threshold. In addition, the strategy sidesteps concerns over changing conditions, vehicle types and sensor mounting locations. Accurate settings are generated in hours, without calibration or user training required.

The technology even adjusts to different operator behaviors over time. For example, a “rough” operator at the end of the day won’t be impacted by the settings of a “careful” operator at the beginning of the day. The system can even differentiate between load statuses to avoid false alarms and capture speed, load and other data 5 seconds before and after an incident.

 

Powerfleet’s Impact Management System – Source: Powerfleet

The software behind the sensors provides managers with a wealth of information and capabilities. Depending on impact severity, managers can enable creeper mode, capture a video clip of the incident, receive text/email alerts or even see the locations on a map of the facility, which dramatically simplifies incident response and mitigation.

Building a Culture of Safety

Technology is critical for building a culture of safety. While training is essential, the right technologies can ensure that operators are adhering to the safety training that they received. If any safety issues are found, they can be addressed with further training or disciplinary action, while a lack of safety incidents can be rewarded in some way.

There’s also the natural human tendency to behave differently when tracked with technology. For example, operators may think twice about unsafe behaviors if they know that these behaviors will be automatically tracked and reported. The simple fact that the technology exists could help reduce safety incidents and encourage better behavior.

Tracking safety incidents can also be invaluable for defending the business against fraudulent claims. A rogue operator that’s involved in a safety incident of their own making is completely different than a careful operator caught in an unsafe work environment. Telematics and cameras can help provide critical evidence when elevating the response to claims.

Reducing Product Damage

Product damage is another common concern at warehouses. While these issues aren’t as severe, they can quickly add up in cost over time and lead to poor relationships with customers on the receiving end. There is also additional paperwork and friction that arises from damage claims from receivers and carriers.

At the same time, it’s paramount for organizations to both collect evidence that products were shipped in good condition and track any damage claims over time. These data points can help identify problem areas and find ways to reduce product damage.

The Bottom Line

Materials handling is one of the most common problem areas for workplace safety. While a good training program is essential, technology plays a key role in improving behavior and reducing workplace safety risks. These technologies include both productivity measurement tools and impact management solutions to identify safety concerns.

Powerfleet’s Industrial Vehicle Impact Management Solutions make it easy to track forklift impacts without worrying about user training, calibration and false alarms. Using its patented technology, the platform automatically adjusts to different driver behaviors and vehicles to differentiate between “rough drivers” and unsafe behaviors.

Download our free whitepaper, Industrial Vehicle Impact Management, to learn more details and the inner workings of the Powerfleet Enterprise impact management system and how you can generate value or contact us today for a free consultation.