Fleet Management News & Business Info | Commercial Carrier Journal
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/252139
COMMERCIAL CARRIER JOURNAL | FEBRUARY 2014 33 Nussbaum's fuel program accounts for all of these factors and more. The company designed a software program in .Net called Driver Excelerator to collect, analyze and score fuel-related data from a variety of sources. The mpg numbers are captured by its PeopleNet mobile computing system from the engine's electronic control modules. This mpg is compared to actual mpg based on fuel purchases and miles to ensure accuracy. Drivers earn fuel points for being above the fl eet's target mpg. They earn one point for every .01 mpg they exceed the target; if the goal is 6.5 mpg, a driver that averages 8.5 mpg for the quarterly measurement period gets 200 points. The Driver Excelerator has built-in formulas that give drivers handicap points for mpg based on a truck's year and model, the absence of an auxiliary power unit and the type of trailers they pull. The software also adjusts mpg for load weights; heavier loads get a handicap, while light loads take the points back. It also handicaps mpg for weather through a database of truck locations reported in 15-minute increments and cross-referenced to temperature records from a national weather database. "A guy in Minnesota is at a much bigger disadvantage for mpg than someone in Texas," Stickling says. However, on any given day, this could change if a winter storm moves through Dallas. "The colder temperatures are taken into account," he says. The software also matches truck loca- tions to wind speeds and directions. If drivers claim they were fi ghting head- winds, Nussbaum instantly can tell them how many points they received in compensation and then move quickly to discussing more pertinent information such as the driver's speed and rpms. Driver Excelerator also accounts for topography and trip length; shorter trips are likely to lower mpg because of more stop-and-go activity. "The reason we do all of this analysis is to measure what the driver's real situation was," Stickling says. "That has to be resolved in their mind for them to be properly motivated." Every month, drivers receive a four-page scorecard in the mail; meanwhile, driver managers have live access to driver performance statistics. By using the custom software, man- agers can see driver history and compare a driver's perfor- mance to other drivers hauling on similar routes. GETTING PAID Nussbaum has a three-tier bonus structure. Drivers whose point totals fall within the fi rst tier, Bronze, receive 50 cents a point; Silver pays $5 a point, and Gold $8. Some Gold- level drivers are making more than $1,600 in bonus money Nussbaum Transportation uses an advanced software system to automate incentives for drivers, giving them and managers the information they need to maximize earnings.