Fleet Management News & Business Info | Commercial Carrier Journal
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COMMERCIAL CARRIER JOURNAL | JANUARY 2015 41 ty and Rair compliance information and now is working on integrating the coaching manage- ment tools of the two platforms. Many transportation companies may think they already have more data than they can handle, says Steve Mitgang, chief executive officer of SmartDrive. What they want is to know how to use it now to prevent the next acci- dent, he says. "We have cameras, but we want to be the video and ECU data company that wants to use data to transform the efficiency of fleets," Mitgang says. "If you think of it that way, you actually do things really different. You have to be good at understanding a huge volume, variety and velocity of data. We understand it in real time and give you recommen- dations and optimizations." In addition to safety, insights pro- vided by SmartDrive also include fuel, maintenance, workers compensation and worker compliance. Bendix's SafetyDirect wirelessly transmits real-time driver perfor- mance and event-based informa- tion – including video clips of severe occurrences – to the fleet's back office for analysis by safety personnel. "We review every event," Mercadante says. Pitt Ohio uses its own SafetyBox risk management system to track driver safety and performance in a number of categories. The system sends safety supervisors an alert if two minor events occur within a 12-month period. Supervisors then interview the driver about what is causing the distraction. "If we nip that and cut down the minors, we do not get a major event," Mercadante says. Turning data into action Using video to change behavior leaves little room for excuses from drivers. Cypress Truck Lines, which operates 500 power units in the Eastern United States, began outfitting its fleet with SmartDrive last September following a six-month testing and evaluation SmartDrive's base system comes with video and event data recorders and an integration hub to capture data from third-party safety systems and vehicle sensors. Steve Mitgang, SmartDrive CEO, says fleets want to know how to use data now to prevent the next accident.