Telematics supplier Kinesis has announced a customisable mobile app for vehicle safety checks that provides live electronic updates to fleet management systems.

The easy to use app runs on Apple and Android devices allowing staff to complete checks and record defects including photographs, on their smartphones. The app has been designed to be easily configurable with checklists and data fields that can be changed to meet differing needs.

Drivers of commercial vehicles are obligated to undertake daily vehicle checks to ensure roadworthiness and HGV drivers must complete their inspection before driving the vehicle.  The Kinesis app replaces traditional hand-completed cards, eliminating paperwork and manual transcription.   Crucially, the app allows instant updating of operational systems and provides data for maintenance management, alerting the workshop to defects that require attention.

Drivers of commercial vehicles are obligated to undertake daily vehicle checks to ensure roadworthiness and HGV drivers must complete their inspection before driving the vehicle.“It is vital that vehicles are roadworthy and there is a legal obligation that vehicles are inspected,” says Greville Coe, Group Managing Director - Telematics at Radius Payment Solutions, the company behind Kinesis.  “However providing evidence that inspections have been done, and done correctly, is increasingly important especially as the licencing authorities are moving toward electronic reporting such as the Earned Recognition scheme.

We’ve developed a very flexible solution as we realised fleet operators do not want to be burdened with a fixed format set of screens that might include irrelevant fields and be frustrating to complete.  So, the app is really easy to customise, making it easier and quicker for drivers and mobile workers to complete.”

For fleet managers, the fast, electronic reporting of defects is very important as it allows immediate action to be taken. Repairs can be scheduled straight away and prioritised depending on severity, minimising disruption to the operations through the effective forward planning of vehicle availability.

Data from the vehicle inspections is processed and presented in Velocity, the Kinesis fleet management portal.  This web-based resource - that includes fuel management data - provides useful analytics on the inspection records, for example, the time taken to complete checks and the frequency and pattern of defects.

“The vehicle check app is not just about compliance.  The real-time and paper free reporting saves a lot of time and money and it ensures vehicle utilisation and resources are optimised by more effective fleet maintenance management”, adds Coe. “And the analytics in Velocity provide a real insight into recurring defects, parts performance and driver behaviour.”