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Telematics outfit win Innovative New Product category at Commercial Fleet Awards. Microlise has won the Commercial Fleet Award for Innovative New Product 2019 for its Driver Hazard Warning (DHW)
The Microlise R&D team created the DHW app by layering the space ahead of a vehicle into regions. The UK-wide, DHW hazard database was then created by collating local authority information, crowd-sourced map data and Microlise’s own Big Data. app. 



The app warns drivers about height, weight and width issues as they approach them, but stops when a driver diverts away from the hazard.

Speaking after the award event, Microlise Chief Executive Officer, Nadeem Raza said: “Innovation is in our DNA and underpins our credentials as a global leader in telematics and transport management solutions. We are delighted to receive recognition for our DHW application as it addresses a very current and real issue for the road transport industry and for the wider community.

“DHW is the result of a concerted body of work, from the Microlise product management and development teams and draws on insight from customers and other stakeholder groups. We have made a significant investment to bring the application to market, to support hauliers and fleet operators in minimising bridge strikes and more widely, in helping to maintain the highest safety standards. We are also working on additional features to future-proof the application, by adding in other alerts including poor driving hotspots, seasonal weather–related events and crime hotspots.”

David Midgley, former JCB Group Telematics Manager joins Microlise.

Telematics and transport technology solutions provider Microlise, has launched Focus, a telematics solution, specifically designed for smaller fleets.

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 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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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.”

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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The rise of the connected fleet has been discussed as an emerging technology with huge potential to change field service operations for some time now. However, we are now reaching the point where the discussion must move from theoretical to practical - so just what will the impact of the connected fleet be for field service organisations?

As more and more fleets become connected with on-board equipment straight from the OEM, is there still a need for companies operating a mobile workforce to work with traditional telematics providers?

Field Service News spoke to sector experts to understand how the fleet management industry is evolving and what the impact this rapid period of technological change will mean for field service organisations.

So just what exactly does the rise of connected vehicles mean for the fleet management sector?

“Ultimately, the rise of connected vehicles means both telematics suppliers and customers will benefit from a higher quality of vehicle information and reduced operational overheads,” explains Sergio Barata, General Manager, Telogis EMEA.

“It should be viewed as an opportunity for telematics providers to refocus their solutions so they leverage the new possibilities these technologies will bring. For different providers this may mean different things, but at Telogis our focus has been to develop a single connected platform that expands the value of our proposition beyond the vehicle and focuses on improving the operational processes within the enterprise, such as integrated route planning and mobility tools,” he adds.

However, John Gorbutt, Regional Sales Leader, Greenroad highlights that alongside the new opportunities that these latest technologies present, new challenges are also emerging.

“First, for all fleet operators, both dispatched and un-dispatched, the driver’s function will be drastically different sooner than anyone imagines.

The driver will be at the focus and responsible for their own productivity and safety while behind the wheel. Essentially, as new, non-telematics based solutions enter the market the driver is now more connected than ever.”

“They will not only use their mobile device as the centre of their work day, they will have access to their own driver behaviour data along with various contextual information to make them as productive and safe behind the wheel as possible. These new systems are now coming onto the market at a fraction of the cost of traditional telematics systems but still provide all the same and better functionality.”

Meanwhile Stephen Watson, Microlise Director of Product believes that there is now an onus on fleet management solution providers to harness the technologies and drive the solutions forward for the industry as a whole.

“Any significant change in an industry is always a threat to the existing suppliers in that market, however where there are threats there are of course opportunities!” He comments.

“Provided organisations acknowledge the changes that are starting to happen, the changing requirements of the operators and use the expertise gained within the industry to their advantage, there is no reason to fear the rise of connected vehicles.

More it is an opportunity to embrace the evolution and provide greater value in an exciting area that touches us all.”

So what enhancements can field service organisations expect to see in the not too distant future in terms of their fleet management tools?

Barata believes that fully connected fleets will bring “new levels of data quality and accuracy not seen today, as the connectivity revolution continues apace.”

“We’ve already seen with partnerships, such as ours with Ford, that increased connectivity helps drive new business outcomes, based on data delivered through a holistic, connected vehicle approach,” he asserts.

“Through the integration of more data points –  such as seat belt usage data for example – we can help improve the safety of fleets, and we’re already seeing an increase in the use of preventive maintenance on engines to reduce downtime, thanks to Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF) diagnostics data.”

However, when questioned on what fleet management will look like as fleets become fully connected across the next five years Watson thinks that we may be getting slightly ahead of ourselves “5 years seems ambitious!” He begins.

“I think we are still a way off fully connected fleet operations. There are a number of EU and UK government innovation schemes designed to support organisations in the enormous R&D costs that come with the technology, however there are still significant legal and regulatory hurdles to be overcome before fully connected vehicles becomes mainstream.”

Yet, Gorbutt insists that the telematics sector as a whole is well overdue when it comes to ultimately delivering the return on investment it has always promised.

“I don’t think it’s a surprise to anyone that the promise of track and trace telematics didn’t provide the long term value most fleet operators expected,” he asserts.

“When weighed against the cost of the system, the ROI is minimal at best. So over the year’s telematics providers have raced to provide more and more features to supplement the high cost of live tracking. This has resulted is millions of customers paying outrageous sums for a system grounded in technology from 2001 or earlier.

“With new systems coming on board every day that are based on cheaper, high quality networks and mobile devices, any fleet operator can get an entire fleet up and running on a mobile based system that includes everything from live tracking to driver behaviour at a fraction of the cost.”

However, whilst the promise of improved fleet management tools at a reduced cost is one that will appeal to all field service organisations, it is also worth considering how this will change the role of the fleet manager.

“Hence there will be an evolution in the role of the new fleet manager, who will become more of a chief mobile officer in charge of everything from mobile deployment of solutions or cyber/mobile security and will encompass the productivity and usage of everything included in the new smart mobility ecosystem.”

Indeed, as we begin to discuss fleet management solutions that are mobile centric the lines between field service systems and fleet management systems are becoming increasingly blurred. Is there still a need for field service organisations to invest in both sets of tools?

“I guess this depends on the definition of field service management software,” Watson comments.

“It’s fair to say that concepts of engineer location, performance, planning and resource management are all now widely available, however there are a number of functions of field service management that would not currently feature in a standard fleet management software solution.”

“From an investment perspective then maybe M&A activity will see customers able to purchase a suite of products from a single supplier and these products will be more broadly integrated. But with the high levels of API integration available from suppliers like ourselves, companies have the opportunity to get best of breed solutions and services from the organisations most able to support their current and ongoing needs.”

Gorbutt echoes this sentiment commenting that he doesn’t “think there will be a decisive divide between the two technologies.”

He is also in agreement with Watson’s thinking when it comes to the belief that continued integration will be a highly important part of the wider ecosystem of field service technologies as technologies continue to evolve.

“What will be most important is the ability for these different systems to “talk” to each other.” He comments.

“For instance, the fleet management system must be able to send live tracking data to the field service customer location and routing system and all must work seamlessly with the driver safety application that ensure the driver is arriving safely. Connectivity is the new world and any service provider that doesn’t have all their systems sending and receiving data from one another will be obsolete in a matter of 5 years.”

However, Barata holds a different view, believing that as these lines blur it is those organisations that utilise a platform-based approach that will see the greatest benefits.

“The need for enterprises to adopt these solutions will continue to increase rapidly in the coming years, and soon they will become ubiquitous, leaving those who choose not to adopt them behind,” he explains.

“The good news for them is there are already suppliers like ourselves out there who can provide a platform which meets the needs of both their fleet and service operations. The previous challenges they faced in integrating data produced by separate technical, operational and strategic systems – often provided by different suppliers - can be avoided by partnering with suppliers that can deliver a single solution.”

The exact role of fleet management for field service organisations in the near future maybe uncertain, but we can be certain that is set to change.

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Leading digital retailer Argos is implementing a new transport management solution from Microlise.

The tool gives their transport teams live visibility of vehicles and expected estimated times of arrival so they can take action to maximise their on-time performance, as well as proactively keeping customers informed of any delays to their deliveries.

In addition, contact centre representatives will gain access to precision live delivery information letting them accurately respond to queries from customers.

Argos, whose parent company Home Retail Group PLC was bought by Sainsbury’s in September 2017, is currently installing telematics hardware across the entire two-man UK home delivery fleet.

[quote float="left"] “We are constantly looking to new and innovative tools to help us improve our customer experience -Laurence Garnett, Head of Home Delivery at Argos

“We are constantly looking to new and innovative tools to help us improve our customer experience. Microlise will be a very powerful solution to help us further improve our high standards for on-time delivery as well as keep customers up to date with the very latest delivery information.”

Fleet Performance enables driving performance to be monitored through an A to G rating system. Via an app on their smartphone drivers can monitor their performance against benchmarks on a whole range of criteria including idling, acceleration, braking, cornering, cruise control usage and speed.

This information enables driver trainers to target training where it will be most effective and will help Argos to be more fuel efficient.

“Argos is a brand that has thrived on the high street since 1973, not least by always staying ahead of competitors and delivering excellent service. It’s great to be working with the company as it implements incremental improvements to continue to perform at the vanguard of retailers in terms of cost control and customer experience,” added Nadeem Raza, Chief Executive Officer, Microlise.

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More than a quarter (27%) of transport professionals who attended the FTA Transport Manager events said they do not have the systems and technology in place to benefit from the DVSA’s Earned Recognition scheme; and a further 15% do not know if they have.

The survey findings are based on responses from more than 900 delegates who have been attending the conferences taking place up and down the country since September, finishing in Coventry this month.

The DVSA’s new Chief Executive Gareth Llewellyn confirmed in September that transport service providers will need technology in place to enable the sharing of information to take full advantage of the scheme, due for launch in 2017.

Hinging on next generation enforcement, operators will be able to achieve Earned Recognition status by sharing tachograph and maintenance data with the DVSA. Exemplar transport service providers would then not be engaged at the roadside, reducing delays and associated costs.

The majority (32%) felt that digital walk-around checks make the biggest difference for compliance, with driver hours visibility and alerting (24%) and remote digital tachograph download (15%) the second and third most influential technologies.

Meanwhile 66% said they use video, telematics or integrated telematics and video to gauge liability following an incident. Just over a quarter (26%) take their drivers’ word as the main source of evidence; and just 7% use an external accident investigation service.

“It’s great that almost half of those who responded at the FTA Transport Manager conferences have got the technologies and systems in place to take advantage of Earned recognition next year. But it still leaves a large proportion who aren’t sure, or know they aren’t ready,” said Matthew Hague, Executive Director – Product Strategy, Microlise. “I believe Earned Recognition will be a game changer for compliant operators – delivering a real competitive advantage for those that are ready.”

Existing Microlise fleet management solutions which can benefit operators with compliance include Remote Digital Tachograph Download, digital vehicle walk-around checks and tools to ensure optimum vehicle health and record keeping.

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International retailer Tesco, which has more than 6,900 stores globally and employs nearly half a million people, is deploying Journey Management and Trailer Tracking from transport management solutions provider Microlise on 940 trailers in Hungary, Slovakia, Poland and the Czech Republic.

Journey Management is a telematics product that provides the insight and visibility to debrief drivers by exception against route and schedule adherence to reduce mileage run.

It will also help the Tesco team to monitor the status of trips against schedule in real-time, as they unfold, and enable improvements through "planned vs actual" route comparison. Ultimately it will help Tesco to minimise mileage, increase efficiency and reduce environmental impact and costs.

The Microlise Trailer Tracking module allows trailers to be monitored without the need for them to be connected to a tractor unit and ensures that the location and identity of each trailer unit is accounted for at all times.

With location and activity reports, as well as unauthorised movement notification, Microlise Trailer Tracking will help the team with their proactive management of the trailer fleet. Round the clock visibility will enable the transport team to take action to keep assets safe and utilisation high.

“Being able to track journeys and identify how the routes we have scheduled are unfolding, compared with how we planned them, is fundamental to our adoption of Microlise in central Europe,” said John Steventon, Primary Operations Manager Europe, Tesco. “The technology will enable us to understand how to improve our logistics efficiency and ultimately provide the best service for our customers, whilst keeping our assets safe.”

The new project in Central Europe is part of a reorganisation programme within Tesco to centralise the way journeys are planned. Microlise Journey Management and Trailer Tracking fully integrates with the Ortec planning optimisation software in place.

“Working with a true industry-leader on this project reaffirms that we have a world-beating product. It’s great to see our transport and logistics solution being used effectively and providing value on a large-scale to optimise the Tesco fleet operation,” said Nadeem Raza, Chief Executive Officer, Microlise.

Alongside the Journey Management and Trailer Tracking deployment, Tesco’s sub-contractors in Central Europe will also be using the pay-as-you-go Microlise SmartPOD Proof of Delivery solution, downloadable free from the Google Play Store.

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