Dr Edward Clayson, managing director, AcquaScience

Why did you trial telematics? We specialise in the collection and processing of clinical waste from hospitals across the country. We wanted a system that ensured we could identify the nearest van to each job in real-time and then divert it as the need arose.

How did you get approval from senior managers? As the managing director, I took the decision myself.

How did you decide which supplier to trial? i’d already heard of Tracker. After researching the other companies that are available, I decided that Tracker best suited our requirements.

Which vehicles did you trial it in? Two Ford Transits.

What type of journeys are the vehicles used for? Plenty of motorway driving as our collection service covers from the south coast up to Manchester in the north, and we’re about to venture into Scotland.

How long was the trial? One month.

What results did you see? The ability to divert vans in real-time to new jobs improved our operational efficiency by 30%. Prior to trialling this system, and being able to see in real-time exactly where the vans were, we often found ourselves dispatching other vans. This wasted money in terms of diesel, as well as increased wear and tear on those vehicles.

What challenges did you face? The only issue my team and I experienced initially was a slight difficulty in
setting the geo-fencing on the online hospital maps. Tracker quickly sorted it for us and we haven’t had any problems since.

What are you doing as a result of the trial? The trial convinced me that there were operational efficiency benefits from installing telematics and we’ve now rolled it out across all five of our Ford Transits.

What telematics advice do you have for other fleet managers? In my experience, telematics can help you run your business more effectively. I really appreciate the convenience of being able to monitor the location of my vans online from work, home or even on holiday. I didn’t think that one of the larger telematics companies would be interested in a small, but rapidly growing, company like ours. Without doubt, telematics has enabled me to streamline the way our company runs.

Jay Lanchbury, transport manager, Amberon

Why did you trial telematics? We’re a nationwide traffic management company and had experienced a number of accidents. We wanted to use telematics to reduce accidents by monitoring driver behaviour and then taking action when appropriate.

How did you get approval from senior managers? The telematics trial was presented to our board of directors who immediately sanctioned it when they realised there were both duty of care benefits and the potential to ultimately reduce insurance premiums.  
How did you decide which supplier to trial? Amberon’s general manager met Quartix’s representatives at a trade fair and was impressed by what the company could offer.

Which vehicles did you trial it in? Two Ford Transit T350s.

What type of journeys are the vehicles used for? One van was in north Wales while the other was in south Wales and they covered every type of road from motorways to the remotest country lanes imaginable.

How long was the trial? Three months.

What results did you see? One of the reasons we chose to trial Quartix in the first place was its ‘driver style ID’ function which tracks driver behaviour and gives it a score. During the trial, the average score for the two drivers improved from 40 to 50 – or by 25%. We achieved this by looking at the data and talking through any issues surrounding their driving style.

What challenges did you face? We provide nationwide coverage and the necessity to have each van off the road for the equipment to be fitted was a slight inconvenience, but it was a price worth paying.

What are you doing as a result of the trial? Since the trial concluded last October, we’ve installed Quartix’s system in 179 vans and 19 cars; more than 90% of our entire fleet. The remaining vehicles will be fitted in the next few months.

What telematics advice do you have for other fleet managers? Talk to the telematics companies and ask how their product exactly matches your needs and then check to make sure that their customer service is equally good. In effect, treat it as a trial of the whole company and ensure that the provider’s ambition matches your own.

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