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Verizon Communications Inc. has announced the acquisition of Movildata Internacional, a Murcia, Spain-based provider of commercial fleet management solutions. Terms of the transaction, which closed on Jan. 19, 2018, have not been disclosed.

Verizon Telematics is an established leader across Europe with a strong presence in the United Kingdom, Ireland, the Netherlands, Germany, France and Poland. Movildata, an established industry leader in Spain, complements Verizon Telematics’ expanding operations in southern Europe, specifically Portugal and Italy. “We see Movildata as a natural fit and highly synergistic with our European business,” said Andrés Irlando, CEO of Verizon Telematics. “This strategic acquisition strengthens Verizon Telematics’ market position, accelerates growth and allows us to expand the footprint of our market-leading solutions and services.”

With more than five million commercial vehicles, Spain represents the second largest market for commercial vehicles in Western EuropeWith more than five million commercial vehicles, Spain represents the second largest market for commercial vehicles in Western Europe according to leading industry analyst firm Berg Insight.¹ Furthermore, the market for fleet management solutions is significantly underpenetrated compared to other major markets in Europe, creating opportunities for growth.

Movildata employees have joined the Verizon Telematics team and will continue to drive sales and support for its current fleet management products. In addition, Verizon Telematics plans to add Fleetmatics’ REVEAL™ to the portfolio of software solutions available to Spanish fleet operators. Verizon Telematics provides world-class vehicle tracking and business intelligence solutions designed to help generate cost savings, improve productivity and help monitor driver safety for virtually any mobile workforce.

“We are proud of what the company has accomplished in this market, and we know that with this transaction our success will continue,” said Luis Enrique Rodrigo, CEO of Movildata. “Verizon Telematics’ expansive global reach and robust portfolio of technologies and solutions will allow us to grow the business in Spain and expand our customer service to the next level.”

1Source: Berg Insight “Fleet Management in Europe, M2M Research Series” (2017)

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The most successful logistics managers (and sleigh based delivery drivers) were likely those who could turn to technology to cope with the busiest (and most wonderful) time of the year writes Sergio Barata, General Manager EMEA, Telogis

During the recent holiday season whilst people up and down the country were purchasing piles of food, beverages and presents for their friends and families, spare a thought for those who were able to help make this period as the song goes the most wonderful time of the year.

For fleet managers, this represents one of the most challenging periods on the calendar.

Each year, we hear horror stories of traffic jams and huge queues of HGVs and LCVs snaking for miles outside of distribution centres. We hear about angry customers waiting for their parcels and how it has ruined the holiday. With so many elements to juggle, how can fleet operators keep on top of everything?

Most importantly, how can they ensure their customers get all their present in time?

With research showing that more than half of fleet executives still use manual systems for everyday fleet management tasks, it’s no surprise that many fleets are struggling to cope with the increased holiday workload.

Technology is like Santa’s little helper for fleet and logistics managers, as it plays a vital role in helping to balance distribution centre schedules, driver timings and route traffic and ultimately keep everyone happy. For fleet operators who want to stay ahead of the competition, there’s no time to lose to adopt the latest tech.

Avoiding queues at customers or distribution centres

Long lines of vans and lorries parked outside depots and distribution centres can lead to angry locals – or even a visit from the police – and cause delays for anxious customers waiting for their packages. For fleet managers, it is vital to first look at their Service Level Agreements (SLAs) to establish what is expected of them, and then plan accordingly with the distribution centres in advance to map out the best timings for goods collection.

With this information, fleets can use a tech platform such as Mobile Resource Management (MRM) to plot out the details to spend less time idling in an endless queue. This allows for smoother and less stressful journeys, as well as happier customers.

 

Avoiding traffic jams with smarter route planning Even without the additional holiday traffic clogging up the roads, a study
earlier this year found that congestion in the UK’s major cities has created a 20 per cent decline in average vehicle speeds, resulting in a whopping 324.3 billion miles of delays altogether – and this is costing our economy around £9bn.

As a result, optimising routes to avoid traffic and achieve marginal gains is more important than ever. MRM provides managers with live analytics that allows them to plan out the best routes beforehand and establish which
driver is best placed to arrive at the desired destination the soonest, as well as being able to manage time slot deliveries. The technology can then track the vehicle’s location once it’s out on the road, and even re-route the driver at a moment’s notice if road conditions suddenly change.

With in the moment visibility over the status and location of each customer’s delivery, this not only means that drivers can take the most efficient routes, potentially reducing idling and fuel consumption, but also that managers are able to respond quickly and knowledgeably to customer questions if unexpected eventualities arise. This can ensure that customer satisfaction will
remain high even if unavoidable delays do occur.

Assisting in planning more effective schedules

Driver schedules can also be a real headache during the holiday season. Fleet and logistics managers constantly battle to make sure hours are allocated as efficiently as possible, and at the same time send the best-placed drivers to various different locations.

If not done properly, managers risk over-burdening some drivers, resulting in them clocking up hour after hour of overtime, while other drivers may remain under-utilised. Not only does unplanned overtime eat into margins, but drivers will become tired and overworked on top of all the stress of the busy holiday period.

With the DVSA suggesting it will clamp down on driver fatigue by issuing fines or infringement notices retrospectively, it has never been more important to get scheduling right. Tech platforms can monitor and analyse driver performance, analysing when drivers start their shifts, how many stops they have made, and what time they have completed their deliveries, helping to know drivers are where they should be at all times.

With this information at their fingertips, companies can easily make sure both their customers and their employees are kept happy. This saves a lot of stress for fleet managers who can be assured that everything is all under control.

 

As everyone was enjoying the holidays, the last thing anyone wanted was to be spending the next couple of weeks anxiously wondering where their deliveries are, and certainly no company wants to be responsible for dampening the festive cheer.

Fleet managers therefore must ensure that they are on top of their logistics as simply relying on outdated technology will no longer suffice.

They need something that is mobile and is able to scale as the business requires. Those with the right technology supporting them can not only increase their chances of getting meeting customers’ heightened expectations, they can manage costs, increase revenue and have a happy and prosperous holiday period.

 

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When compared to traditional combustion engine vehicles, Electric Vehicles (EVs) can go a long way to reducing the overall costs for any fleet. Mark McKenna, National Sales Manager at Bluedrop Services Motor Fleet Insurance Brokers, suggests that once considering the whole life costs of an EV, investing in such a fleet makes sense.

However, there is always the initial hurdle of the upfront cost to a business. If you have the capital to hand you can make the numbers work, but for most companies it is hard to justify the initial outlay.

Perceptions of EVs running out of charge

One of the other issues around the adoption of EVs is the perceived idea that the vehicles won’t have enough stored power to last for a full day of business driving requirements. Many businesses also perceive that they require more mileage out of the vehicle than they would use in a day.

With the range of use on Electric Vehicles constantly increasing, unfortunately the anxiety around not having enough charge is not seeming to shift. The fact is that mileage range of an EV often fits nicely into the journeys actually being travelled by a fleet, but the mentality surrounding this issue is not changing.

Over time charging time will decrease

Soon however, charging will be so quick that this perception will no longer be a problem. It is all about changing mindsets and educating as well as allowing businesses to test the use of EVs so they can offset their fears. Those medium sized fleets that on the majority conduct shorter journeys would find EVs hugely beneficial, experiencing significant savings.

Additional savings surrounding EVs

Taxes, grants and congestion charges also offer a good sound argument for investing in EVs. The Government have introduced several incentives, making both electric and plug-in vehicles more attractive to both consumers and fleets.

These include low or zero road tax and the exemption from the London Congestion Charge, as well as the suggestion of a national scrappage scheme. Other countries, such as Norway are also offering strong subsidies for EVs, no VAT, free parking and allowing drivers to utilise bus lanes.

London has also recently introduced the Air Quality Business Fund to help companies adopt EVs. This is where businesses can apply for a share of £1 million to help deploy electric cars and charging points to reduce pollution in the capital. The fund itself aims to create five business low emission neighbourhoods. The winners of the fund will be able to use £200,000 to encourage inhabitant to walk, cycle or use public transport, as well as installing EV charging points.

Forward thinking firms as a result are giving careful consideration to the opportunities offered by EVs and are starting to weigh up the pros and cons of their investment. The savings in terms of tax breaks and grants, in addition to fuel cost savings are making a compelling business case.

Electrical charging infrastructure set to grow

The electrical charging infrastructure has long been something of concern in consideration to adopting EVs, however the Queen’s speech which followed the State Opening of Parliament set out the priorities of Government to include improving the national charging and hydrogen refuelling infrastructure.

The legislation will allow the government to require the installation of charge points for electric vehicles at motorway services and petrol stations. Such legislation is essential for making charging faster, cheaper and easier for businesses, helping to accelerate the adoption of EVs and discourage negative concerns.

But will electricity supply cause future issues?

It has also been considered that the rising uptake of Electric Vehicles itself may even start to form one of the challenges against them.

When you consider the fact that more and more requirements on the grid for electricity may cause significant shortages of supply, one solution could be the installation of off-grid power solutions such as PV or wind turbines to deal with the increasing demand on the energy infrastructure.

As the demand for Electric Vehicles continues to grow the impact on energy supplies and the transport infrastructure to meet future needs will be tested.

Whilst there are many challenges surrounding the uptake of EVs the opportunities continue to outweigh them with significant savings to business as well as going a long way towards meeting air quality requirements.

 

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Abbey Logistics Group, one of the UK’s largest bulk liquid and powder transport providers, is deploying a Microlise fleet management telematics solution to 350 tractors and 300 trailers in its fleet.

Microlise Fleet Performance will provide Abbey Logistics with real-time visibility of its fleet and help it to improve driver performance and safety; while reducing fuel costs and environmental impact.  It will replace three different tracking systems currently being used in the business as a result of contract wins and an acquisition.

Driver performance metrics, including A-G grades on a range of criteria, will be available via the Microlise Driver Performance Management (DPM) app. DPM is designed to empower drivers to improve with easy access to insights about their own performance.

The DPM app also gives drivers a view of their performance compared to others in their team, providing the option to motivate drivers through league tables and incentives. Abbey Logistics’ management will also be able to identify poor performance and manage by exception, delivering targeted driver debriefs and training.

 

The full suite of Fleet Performance reports will also be available via the Microlise web portal, giving detailed information about the fleet operation to enable the Abbey Logistics team to understand where improvements can be made.

In addition, Abbey Logistics will also be implementing Microlise Remote Digital Tachograph Download, which automates the collection of drivers’ hours on a regular basis, no matter where the vehicle is.

“The deployment of Microlise Fleet Performance will give us the visibility we need to make effective improvements quickly,” said Steve Granite, Abbey Logistics Group CEO. “We are also hoping to free up management time by removing many manual processes and focusing our resources where they are needed. All of this is aimed at delivering the best service for our customers.”

Abbey Logistics Group was bought in August 2016 by management with funding from a Manchester-based private equity firm. It has announced a string of award wins and nominations in 2017, as well as several large contract wins.

“There is great energy and enthusiasm at Abbey Logistics, along with an excellent company culture. The success it is seeing as a business is no accident. We’re pleased to be supporting the operations team with a telematics product to help identify and enact efficiency improvements,” said Nadeem Raza, Microlise Chief Executive Officer.

DPM runs on both Android and iOS devices, delivering increased driver engagement with telematics, whilst at the same time reducing management resource requirements.

For further information about Microlise Fleet Performance and DPM, visit www.microlise.com/products.

 

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Since 1995, all heavy goods vehicles (HGV) and Public Service Vehicles (PSV) require a daily walk around check prior to service in the UK. Fleetmatics, a Verizon Company, has partnered with Lancashire based company CheckedSafe, to offer its digital fleet compliance app to current and future customers.

CheckedSafe’s Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) Vehicle compliance app digitises the vehicle defect card by allowing commercial vehicle drivers to complete a driver daily walk around check from their smart phone. The data is recorded into a central database immediately, enabling the compliance manager to verify that the walkaround check has been done. Historically, all previous checks were paper-based, which is time consuming, costly and unreliable.

 

“With pressures mounting on fleet managers, it’s vital to create ways that make it easier for drivers to play their role in the safety and compliance process. By partnering with CheckedSafe, our customers will now be able to monitor all daily checks at the click of a button, and will have added insights into where the checks were carried out, how long they took, and what if any defects were identified,” said Guy Fletcher, product manager of Fleetmatics.

 

Fleetmatics’ partnership with CheckedSafe offers its current and future customers an efficient, practical and virtually foolproof solution that helps customer be fully compliant to all current regulations. The solution works on smartphones or tablets and can be integrated into other Internet-enabled devices.

"With complementary technology solutions and customers, partnering with Fleetmatics is a natural fit for us. We are pleased to have the opportunity to offer Fleetmatics customers our simple and effective solution to help eradicate the issue of either non-compliance or partial compliance with the legislation,” said Darran Harris, director at CheckedSafe.

 

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Speaking at the IRTE Conference, telematics and technology company Microlise has said fleets will harness the power of Big Data in 2018 thanks to advanced data analysis techniques and growing demand for the capabilities they enable.

This is according to Matthew Hague, Microlise Executive Director – Product Strategy, who recently addressed an audience at one of the UK’s premier conferences for fleet managers and operators.

“We have spent a phenomenal amount time and resource over the last two years, running a number of successful projects involving government funding,” said Hague. “Big Data is a bit of a buzz word, but it is one of those things that will really drive our product offering forward in the coming months and years.”

Hague said that Microlise captures well over seven billion miles worth of road data each year, but working with such large data sets and harnessing its power presents a challenge. “How to glean useful information from an ocean of data is a challenge, but new technologies and techniques are enabling us to scale up and process large data sets in a quick and agile way.”

 

In 2014, with partner the University of Nottingham, Microlise was awarded funding of £359,000 from the UK’s innovation agency, the Technology Strategy Board (now Innovate UK). The objective of the “Value Enhancement for Data from Assets & Transactions” (VEDAT) project was to achieve customer and market value from the high volumes of complex data generated in real-time through telematics technology.

“We completed our work with the University of Nottingham last year and will soon be in a position to productise new and innovative tools and solutions that will create new value propositions within the transport and logistics sector,” added Hague.

According to Microlise, the first uses of this new big data resource will be predictive analytics for vehicle health, improving hazard awareness and briefing drivers. Though Hague said there are many use cases which will be developed in due course including the ability to benchmark performance against the industry or sector a fleet operates in.

“By using the anonymous data we capture every day then overlaying the government’s annualised accident black spot data, and crime data, we can very accurately predict risk while taking time of day and weather conditions into account,” said Hague.

According to Hague, it will soon be possible to rank routes according to risk, and even to alert drivers to specific risks along their route as they approach them ensuring they are prepared.

 

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Almost a third of businesses (31 per cent) admit being slow to adopt technological innovations, according to a new study¹ by TomTom Telematics.

The finding has been compounded by the revelation that a third (32 per cent) still use paper to store business-sensitive information and that more than half (53 per cent) use spreadsheets.

“Slow or late tech adopters risk falling behind the curve and, as a consequence, potentially damaging their competitiveness,” said Beverley Wise, Director UK & Ireland at TomTom Telematics.

“Effective long term digital strategies and the integration of technologies into core business activities can hold the key to simplified processes, helping improve operational efficiency, productivity and sustained levels of growth.”

The research among senior managers at 400 UK businesses¹ found that despite the admissions, 82 per cent still believe it’s important to use the most up-to-date technology.

Cost was cited as the biggest barrier to tech adoption by 36 per cent of those businesses surveyed. Sixteen per cent said they faced difficulties introducing new systems while 15 per cent said there was a lack of time to invest in research and implementation. A further 11 per cent said they faced resistance among workers.

“Companies should look beyond the short-term pain of any initial outlay – an investment in business technology that is implemented and used effectively can result in a significant and swift return on investment,” added Wise.

“Clients that have adopted advanced telematics systems, for example, have demonstrated returns after just three months. Moreover, the right technology partner should be able to offer the requisite support to help minimise any business disruption and help ensure easy and timely implementation.”

 

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¹The study was conducted among senior managers in 400 companies with five employees or more.

 

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With many major automotive manufacturers promising autonomous vehicles to hit the roads within the next couple of years the reality of the autonomous fleet for field service organisations is no longer a futuristic fantasy but a genuine reality - so what exactly could the autonomous vehicle mean for field service?

The hype around autonomous vehicles is getting ever stronger, but what role if any could they play in changing how field service delivery is managed?

“Autonomous vehicles undoubtedly represent an exciting development for fleets, particularly from a productivity perspective,” comments Paul Miller, Product Manager, Fleetmatics.

“They have the potential to disrupt the traditional fleet model of assigning one vehicle to one driver, as in future they will be able to support the workload of multiple field service agents at the same time. Imagine a future, for example, where an autonomous vehicle knows the average job time of each agent, and is therefore able to schedule drop offs and pick-ups to complement their work.”

“By performing the same role for several field agents in a specific area, this could create significant productivity savings across a fleet, particularly in relation to fuel efficiency and workload management, through a reduction in unnecessary time spent on the road or idling.”

David Rodriguez, Chief Marketing Officer for GreenRoad also agree that productivity could be significantly increased if we were to see autonomous fleets emerge.

“Autonomous vehicles should positively affect productivity, safety and costs for field service organisations,” he explains.

“First, they’ll enable field service technicians to recapture productive hours during the day. Rather than focusing on driving, workers will be able to concentrate on customer service, reporting, and other elements of their job while on the road.”

“Autonomous vehicles will also enable companies whose field tasks don’t require specialised equipment to move to a model in which the company owns fewer vehicles (or simply contracts with a car-sharing provider), and employees are picked up and dropped off at their worksite, freeing up the vehicle for the next employee. Most importantly, autonomous vehicles will improve safety.”

“Today, according to the NHTSA 1 in 5 fleet vehicles are involved in accidents each year. Eliminating human error from the driving experience will lead to lower accident rates, repair costs and absenteeism, and overall cost reductions ranging from $16,000 - $500,000.”

It all sounds to good to be true doesn’t it? But exactly how much of the talk around autonomous vehicles is hyperbole and how much is reality – realistically how far away are we from a fleet of autonomous vehicles being put in place by a field service organisation?

 

“We are still some time away from autonomous vehicles becoming commonplace in field service delivery,” says Miller

“The means testing programmes being carried out by their developers still have many years to run – and even then, these programmes haven’t focused on the vehicles’ suitability for field service delivery models. As a result, they are still relatively unproven in the professional space, so until they become the norm, telematics provides the best technology solution for safer, more responsible driving. Many of the benefits ascribed to driverless vehicles – such as increased fuel efficiency, improved safety and greater productivity - are actually already possible by leveraging telematics software against a fleet, so in many ways, the benefits of driverless vehicles are already available.”

Rodriguez however, thinks the future may not be quite so far away.

“The Society of Automotive Engineers is classifying self-driving technology in 6 categories, ranging from no automation (Level 0) to full automation (Level 5). Some manufacturers hope to achieve Level 4 autonomy in the coming years, with Tesla promising “full self-driving capabilities” (presumably Level 3 or 4) this year and Ford setting a date of 2021 to achieve Level 4 autonomy.”

“Level 5 vehicles that require no human intervention under any circumstances (extreme weather conditions, uncharted roads, etc.) may still be decades away. But even with level 4 technology, we can expect to see a shift in the preferences of field service companies, as fleets stand to gain a great deal of benefit from the safety, efficiency and operational improvements autonomous vehicles offer.”

“Amazon, Fed Ex and others are already testing out automated deliveries. It’s not unreasonable to think we could see fully autonomous fleets (with human workers on board when extreme conditions are expected) within the next 4-5 years.

Of course the biggest area of concern is the safety aspect. There are always going to be concerns around the safety of autonomous vehicles until they become the norm. But are such fears founded? Is there a danger that the technology could be held back by red tape and regulation or is it necessary to ensure any such transformative technology is highly regulated from day one?

 

“Autonomous vehicle fears are mostly unfounded for a simple reason – multiple studies have shown that human error is the cause of 90 percent of vehicle accidents", explains Rodriguez.

“While technology is certainly prone to human error in the development stage (bugs and programming gaps), automakers are taking the responsibility for releasing well-vetted autonomous technology very seriously, understanding that early mistakes could set autonomous adoption back by years."

"When they’re ready, autonomous vehicles will be like professional drivers with extra-sensory perception and zero risk of developing highway hypnosis or road rage. Not only will they consistently execute proper technique when climbing a hill, taking a blind corner, driving on wet roads, etc., they will also have advanced sensors and access to moment-by-moment road condition data. So many of the fears you hear discussed, such as the fear that the vehicle will sacrifice its passenger if it means avoiding a collision with a school bus, rely on scenarios that will become virtually non-existent once self-driving cars are widely adopted.”

 

“Just as automakers are highly motivated to ensure their vehicles are safe, they’re motivated to work with lawmakers to ensure the needed regulation is in place before their technology is ready for mass adoption. They may not be organised in their efforts yet but a more cohesive approach will no doubt come soon, considering the opportunities ahead. It’s important that reasonable regulation be developed as well as incorporating the extensive amounts of existing professional driver behaviour data that supports comprehensive testing if autonomous vehicles are going to be safe and successful.”

 

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Opel / Vauxhall and Masternaut have announced an exclusive partnership to provide fleet telematics services to commercial vans.

As of May 2017, businesses can purchase Opel and Vauxhall vans with Masternaut’s telematics devices pre-installed, eliminating deployment time, hassle, and cost. These vehicles are then managed via the industry-leading platform Masternaut Connect, which helps customers realise substantial gains in safety, savings, service excellence, and sustainability. This offer will be available in the UK, France, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg.

The benefits identified by Masternaut in short are as follows:

• Management of commercial fleet data via a powerful B2B software platform
• Customers avoid the cost, hassle and time of installing telematics
• One partner to talk to - get everything from the Opel or Vauxhall dealership

An industry game-changer?

This partnership doesn’t only help Vauxhall respond to business customers’ needs, it is a significant milestone for the rapidly growing commercial fleet telematics industry. Industry analysts estimate that over 10 million commercial vehicles in Europe will be managed with telematics by 2020, representing growth of 20% per year. Part of this growth will come from reducing hurdles to deployment, which include taking productive vehicles off the road and incurring separate installation charges.

The CEO of Masternaut, Dhruv Parekh, believes that pre-installed telematics is a game changer: “The telematics industry has witnessed impressive growth in recent years, but many companies still want easier installation. Despite its proven benefits, telematics is still only installed in a tenth of European commercial vehicles. We are proud to partner exclusively with Opel and Vauxhall to bring Masternaut’s leading technology to market in a simple and efficient way.”

 

With connected car and autonomous vehicle trends accelerating quickly, vehicle manufacturers are investing heavily in technology development and strategic partnerships. Opel and Vauxhall are part of GM, the second OEM to partner with market leader Masternaut, following PSA Group’s Peugeot, Citroën and DS. While Vauxhall use their own technology for cars, they sought an experienced partner to serve their business customers’ light commercial vehicles.

Technology that saves time, money and lives

Vauxhall chose Masternaut as their exclusive partner due to their industry-leading technology which, unlike other devices, reads data directly from the vehicle in a fully secure way, without risk of interference with vehicle systems. Steffen Raschig, Director Commercial Vehicles Opel & Vauxhall, said, “We were already interested in working with Masternaut, as they are one of the largest telematics providers globally. We decided to build a deeper partnership as we learned more about Masternaut’s patented hardware. The device provides read-only access to all vehicle data, providing our customers much richer insights than other telematics devices offer. We were also impressed with Masternaut’s new enterprise-grade Connect platform, which is intuitive and easy-to-use.”

With Masternaut Connect, customers have real-time visibility into vehicle locations and journeys, and they also receive smart reports on driver behaviour, timesheets, vehicle utilisation, and routes. Customers can add an in-cab driving coach that provides immediate feedback and has been shown to reduce speeding by up to 70%.

 

Masternaut recently conducted research across 10,000 vehicles in its customer base, finding that its technology lowered fuel consumption by 220 litres per vehicle and total fleet running costs by £660 per vehicle annually, resulting in a 3-5x ROI. In addition, smart reports and in-cab coaching help drivers to significantly reduce harsh driving events and speeding, keeping them safe on the roads. Every year, Masternaut’s 10,000+ customers avoid 300 accidents and reduce the release of CO2 by 230 million kg.

 

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