Category: Vehicle Tracking

Telematics are now a key part of any firm’s vehicle fleet. If you want to decrease fuel spend, improve driver behaviour or boost efficiency, this technology is vital.

But to achieve this, you need the right solution. You need an all-in-one tool that can run every aspect of your fleet management easily and from a single location. You need Tele-Gence telematics.

Tele-Gence is our intelligent, all-in-one fleet management solution. It lets you take complete control of every part of your business, delivering great benefits such as:

• Decreased fuel spend
• Better insight into routing
• Improved driver behaviour
• Advanced safety and security features
• Increased visibility into your operations
• Automated reporting

Let’s look at how some of these features work in a little more detail.

Cut your fuel costs

One of the main benefits of Tele-Gence is cutting your fuel bills. It does this in a number of ways, including highlighting any inefficiencies and offering recommendations for more potential savings.

Tele-Gence’s range of reporting tools let you keep an eye on MPG rates and CO2 emissions to see how your fleet is performing. It can also show you when and where drivers are spending time idling in traffic, allowing you to reduce wasted fuel by routing vehicles to avoid these locations.

What’s more, it also helps you cut down on fraud. Thanks to direct integration with fuel card data, you can get instant fuel fraud alerts if any unauthorised transactions have taken place.

Improve driver behaviour

Tele-Gence’s real-time tracking tools also enable you to monitor your employees’ behaviour and encourage safer driving. For example, its sensors can monitor excessive speeding and create driver behaviour league tables on your dashboard.

This quickly gives you an insight into who is driving safely and who is taking risks that put themselves and other road users in danger. You can then step in to provide education or even take drivers off the road if necessary.

Increase vehicle efficiency

By cutting down on issues like excessive speeding, you can also minimise vehicle wear and tear. Encouraging smoother, safer driving means less stress on the engine and other key parts, which means less vehicle maintenance and lower repair bills.

You can also reduce the risk of breakdowns by detecting issues earlier. Proactively scheduling maintenance with the info gained from this data reduces the amount of time your vehicles are off the road. This improves vehicle productivity and keeps your business moving.

Boost security

Tele-Gence also offers a range of options to help keep your vehicles and drivers safe and secure. Real-time tracking updates every ten seconds to ensure you always know where your fleet is, while device tampering alerts quickly flag up issues like theft.

This can also help you crack down on any unauthorised usage. For example, you can get instant alerts if a vehicle is being used outside normal working hours, costing you fuel and increasing wear and tear.

Integration with dashcams can also help prevent accident liability by offering proof of what has happened in any incident. Meanwhile, crash detection alerts can immediately inform a chosen contact if an accident does occur.

Reduce your admin

Finally, Tele-Gence offers a wide range of reports, dashboards and automation tools to help you take control of the paperwork. Scheduled reports such as timesheets, mileage calculations and expenses can be created and sent directly to your inbox.

This saves you huge amounts of time that would otherwise be spent on tedious, repetitive admin tasks. You can also be instantly alerted to any anomalies in your fleet that need further investigation.

All this is available in a single, highly customisable location. This allows you to run a much more efficient fleet while also making better business decisions. The end result is lower costs, fewer miles driven and a safer workforce.

To find out more about how Tele-Gence can transform your fleet management, get in touch with one of our experts today.

Plant and asset robbery surges as construction sites shut down amid the current circumstances. The Construction Equipment Association (CEA) has reported a sharp spike in thefts up to 50% in the last few weeks.

Combined Industries Theft Solutions (CITS) stated, “As a result of the (pandemic), some construction sites have been forced to close, and personnel, including on-site security, have left. Under these circumstances, organised criminal gangs may try to exploit the situation.”

Nick Mayell of the CESAR remarked, “The abrupt abandonment of work-sites has left machinery unsecured and vulnerable.  Whereas a company would normally ‘wind-down’ for seasonal closures by ‘off-hiring’ kit and moving their own machines – sites have closed overnight – in the blink of an eye – and the thieves are having a field day.”

As a result of increased theft, it is advised to remove all major plant and valuable assets from sites. Many contractors have also highlighted the importance of installing tracking devices: “For owners of construction plant, it may be useful, for example, to ensure that tracking companies are alerted to the plants’ location”, CITS commented.

Jenny Smith, Product Manager for Tele-Gence, states: “It is vital for your valuables to be tracked for heightened security and visibility now more than ever. At Tele-Gence, safety and protection for your vehicles and assets is our priority.”

Tele-Gence is an intelligent fleet management platform that offers vehicle tracking and asset monitoring. Find out how you can improve security with Tele-Gence.

Fleet drivers have been urged to put safety first after a poll showed a worryingly high number are still using mobile phones behind the wheel.

The survey, carried out by Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles (VCV), found the average worker makes seven calls a day while driving and typically spends 37 minutes on the phone.

Less than half use hands-free

However, just 41 per cent reported using hands-free or Bluetooth technology on a frequent basis to make the calls safely.

Furthermore, 17 per cent of those polled admitted they also send texts, check their emails or post on social media while driving, providing additional and perhaps even more dangerous distractions.

Van drivers in London and Yorkshire and the Humber were most likely to use hands-free technology to make and receive calls. Those in Scotland were twice as likely as any other region to pick up their phone during a journey.

“Mobile phone use behind the wheel is a topic that we’ve been monitoring for the past couple of years… it is still a huge safety problem on UK roads. Despite carrying a hefty punishment, it lacks the taboo of other offences such as drink-driving and this needs to change,” said VCV’s Claire English.

Since March 2017, any motorist caught using their phone while driving faces an on-the-spot fine of £200 and six points on their driving licence.

However, with a poll by Driving for Better Business recently finding 49 per cent of business leaders expect their employees to answer their phones at all times, the message may not be getting through to fleet owners sufficiently.

Ellie Baker, Brand Manager at Fuel Card Services, comments: “With so much technology available for those who must be available to contact at all times, there really is no excuse for these shocking new figures. No conversation is worth risking someone’s life over, so put that phone out of reach if you haven’t got hands-free.”

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Today’s fleets are under tremendous pressure to deliver reliable, efficient and legal operations. The reality of being able to see drivers and the performance of each vehicle in real-time – all on one screen – is here.

At Fuel Card Services, we take the responsibility of fleet management seriously, which is why we offer our affordable telematics system called Tele-Gence. Our solution delivers intelligent fuel management by integrating fuel card and live tracking data, resulting in MPG improvement by 20%. It is intuitive and alert-driven, it offers in-depth reporting on pump pricing, driver behaviour, fuel fraud, vehicle tracking and more – with no long-term commitment and no start-up fee.

Tom Cosway, Head of Commercial Business at Fuel Card Services, adds, “Tele-Gence’s visibility enables organisations to provide better service for their customers – it’s no longer a ‘nice to have’ but a ‘have to have’ solution.”

Tele-Gence is all about smart, affordable telematics made simple. Our range of user-friendly services is fully customisable with bespoke options scalable to your specific needs, with frictionless access from anywhere in the Cloud, and support from a UK-based customer service team.

Tele-Gence gives you full access to fuel data, with accurate MPG reporting to eliminate fraud. Our device is tamper-secure and small and easy to hide. The software is industry agnostic allowing us to select the right solutions based on the exact requirements for your business. This bespoke service allows you the choice of an intelligent fuel management tracking solution by integrating your fuel card data. It works by giving you greater visibility of your fleet, using the creation of multi-shaped geo-fences or zones around fuel stations or work sites, for example, to pinpoint, alert, report and manage your fleet efficiently.

Tele-Gence offers dash cams and live camera feed, which is an incredibly useful tool for fleet managers, providing insight into driver behaviour, fuel consumption, and many other valuable areas. Use it to monitor, evaluate, advise and improve driver behaviour, route planning, and sustainability.

Tele-Gence is part of our integrated services for Fuel Card Service cardholders which you can register for support for free at My Fleet Hub a one-stop solution for all your drivers and vehicles.

Book a free demo today – you’ve nothing to lose except the cost and hassle of not using it!

New cars are packed full of the latest technology and gadgets, with everything from in-car entertainment to satellite navigation, connected telematics and much more.

That said, the plethora of tech within the latest models can be confusing for some of us, so it’s perhaps unsurprising to learn that more than a third of UK drivers do not know how to use all the features of their own vehicles.

Lack of training leaving many in the dark

Research carried out ahead of this year’s British Motor Show has revealed that 35 per cent of UK car owners admit to being unable to effectively use a host of systems that come built-in to their vehicle.

Indeed, 20 per cent of respondents stated they understand how to use less than half of the technology at their disposal, while ten per cent said they use only a fifth of the technological capabilities of their car and instead “just drive it”.

Andy Entwistle, CEO of the British Motor Show, commented: “Our industry should be extremely proud of the technology it has and the show is the perfect opportunity to show it off, but it’s clear that consumers need greater understanding about just how technologically advanced cars are.”

The study revealed that one of the biggest hindrances to usability of many of the latest in-car systems is not enough information being shared by dealers when the vehicle is being purchased. This was a complaint by 71 per cent of drivers.

Overall, 25 per cent of respondents claimed they were given no information whatsoever on how to use the features of their car when they bought it, or even which features it had to offer.

That said, motorists wishing to learn more can always do so by simply reviewing their vehicle’s user manual.

Cutting edge technology for a new decade

All in all, many of the newest cars are a dream come true for your typical technophile, and this year’s Motor Show aims to put the very latest gadgets, gizmos and automotive aids at the centre of its offering.

“Pioneering tech will play a huge part at the British Motor Show 2020,” Mr Entwistle argued.

“We’ll have the innovators of the past, present and future all together in one location and provide show visitors with the opportunity to immerse themselves in all of the latest and greatest tech that the car industry has to offer.

“The show will also give those who feel less confident with the technology or who simply don’t understand it the chance to find out more without the pressure of a hard sales environment.”

Running from August 20th to 23rd at Farnborough International in north-east Hampshire, this year’s Motor Show is expected to attract crowds of more than 50,000 visitors and tickets are now on sale.

Jenny Smith, general manager for Tele-Gence, commented: “Getting to grips with the huge increase in built-in technologies can be a challenge for today’s drivers, but with so many hidden features not being utilised to the full, it might pay for many people to do a bit of research – you never know what essential driver aids you could be missing out on.”

Your business can benefit from affordable telematics with no hidden start-up fees or long-term commitments. Find out how at www.tele-gence.com