Fleet Management News & Business Info | Commercial Carrier Journal
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BIG DATA II: BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE FLEETS ANALYZE INFORMATION FROM SEVERAL SOURCES TO IMPROVE OVERALL PERFORMANCE BY AARON HUFF I mproving productivity and ef���ciency always has been necessary for a ���eet to survive. Fleets seldom lack data, but waiting days or weeks to analyze performance and make corrections is not an option. Today, more than ever, ���eet executives and managers need to make decisions at the moment ��� and perhaps even before ��� events happen. In the second installment of CCJ���s ���Big Data��� three-part series, we look at how business intelligence can help ���eets navigate increasingly complex and large data sets, and drill down quickly to get fast, reliable insights into all facets of business performance. With BI, companies can extract data from multiple sources into a single database for analysis, creating easier ways to portray and translate it into information people can use. In most cases, this takes place automatically behind the scenes, and results are distributed quickly to users at all levels via ���dashboards��� and familiar of���ce tools. Here are ���ve ways for using these latest advancements for continuous improvement. SIZING UP DRIVERS Onboard computers and mobile communications systems capture a wide range of data from vehicles, such as mpg, idle time, speeds and safety events. By using scorecards and other BI tools, managers quickly can prioritize this information and take action. Saia LTL Freight���s ���eet managers receive a report of key metrics presented in Excel with options to drill down into each metric by area, region, terminal, driver and other categories to ���nd speci���c areas to focus on improving. The Johns Creek, Ga.-based less-than-truckload carrier operates 3,400 tractors and 147 terminals. With its BI platform, fuel ef���ciency performance can be viewed from a variety of different angles, such as mpg by equipment model or driver, along with patterns for idling and shifting. Saia LTL Freight used one data element ��� the percentage of shifts within the optimal rpm range ��� to increase training and awareness of progressive shifting techniques. ���The higher the batting average in the sweet spot, the greater the results,��� says Brian Balius, vice president of linehaul and industrial engineering. Besides improving fuel economy, Saia LTL Freight has been able to use its BI platform to make measureable improvements in on-time service, shortage and damage frequency, load average and accident frequency measures, among other metrics, Balius says. About eight years ago, Cadec developed a scorecard-style report for its mobile ���eet management system called ���GYR��� for green, yellow and red. The report showed a snapshot of driver performance trends for a speci���ed time period. GYR used weighting You have to be able to analyze and display (data) in a manner so that people can do something with it. ��� Braxton Vick, senior VP of corporate planning and development, Southeastern Freight Lines COMMERCIAL CARRIER JOURNAL 0413_TECHFeature.indd 53 | APRIL 2013 53 3/19/13 3:43 PM