Although one cannot cut corners on safety, it turns out that transport companies can kill two birds with one stone, saving money while simultaneously ensuring the safety of transported goods and, above all, the drivers.
In times of crisis and economic slowdown, companies are trying to find savings in all possible sectors of their operations. This also applies to the transport industry, where, according to recent studies, growth in the second half of 2012 is slowing down.
One of the proven ways to achieve savings in the short term is to install a GPS locator in a transport vehicle. Thanks to it, the fleet manager can check at any time whether the driver has arrived at a specific place on time and how many times they have taken breaks. The manager also has access to a preview of the routes taken, with speed indicators and, importantly, average fuel consumption. Real-time vehicle monitoring results in a reduction of their mileage by about five percent per year. So, when a fleet consisting of ten vehicles is involved, and each of them travels 250 kilometers a day, we save an average of 50,000 PLN per year. This means that we achieve a full return on investment after the first 12 months of using the system. But that is not all. We can also gain by applying for additional discounts from insurance companies. There has been a fierce and ruthless fight for customers in the insurance market for a long time, and insurance companies are trying to attract customers with their offers, competing with various proposals. These include, among others, discounts on comprehensive insurance (AC) and third-party liability insurance (OC), or additional promotional bonuses for marketing purposes.
How does it work?
A GPS locator that has a CE certificate and is approved for sale in the European Union will be considered as additional protection for the car (and cargo) against theft, which means it is honored with discounts by insurers. In the case of comprehensive insurance (AC), the discount is 10%. The situation with third-party liability insurance (OC) is different.
– Once we install a GPS locator, the road carrier transporting the goods will receive a discount. Interestingly, its amount can be as high as 20% – explains Piotr Majewski from Rikaline, the creator of the GpsGuardian platform.
So what does its amount depend on? Primarily on the goods that a given company transports. Furthermore, it is worth emphasizing that the carrier can gain twice. The AC and OC discount, with a large number of vehicles in the fleet, brings huge savings. Additionally, having a solution in the form of GPS monitoring also increases the chances of signing a contract with a freight forwarder. For large freight forwarders on the market, the fact that a given company additionally secures goods and invests in new technologies plays a major role. Thanks to this, situations are avoided where a truck, for example, transporting goods from the alcohol industry, leaves the plant and suddenly disappears.
– The additional functions that the GPS location platform has mean that we can simultaneously avoid unauthorized opening of the cargo space or fuel theft by configuring a series of sensors. If someone opens the doors or the fuel cap in a delivery vehicle, an alarm will go off and we will be informed about this fact via SMS or e-mail – says Piotr Majewski. – A plus of advanced locators is also their compatibility with other security systems, for example, an immobilizer. Therefore, you can not only monitor the car but also immobilize it remotely. To do this, you just need to send an SMS with the appropriate command to the device.
Alarming statistics also call for placing greater importance on the proper security of logistical processes. The report of the National Police Headquarters regarding the state of road safety on Polish roads in 2011 shows that the number of collisions is increasing. Police officers recorded 1,233 more of them then than in 2010. This also applies to accidents involving professional drivers.