Real-Time Driver Data Leads to Increased Safety, Reduced Maintenance Spending

Getting connected, and fast

“Safety first” is timelessly wise advice. For a national home remodeling company, financial trends presented the ideal opportunity to make improved safety a reality. To keep its drivers safer, it wanted its fleet vehicles connected in real time, all the time—and the opportunity of low interest rates gave it a window to afford a full turnover of its fleet vehicles on an accelerated schedule.

Instant data informs prompt correction

The company moved decisively to turn over its fleet, and the Wheels Acquisition Team aggressively brought those plans to fruition. All the new vehicles carried onboard telematics that provided real-time alerts when they detected problematic driving. As new, connected vehicles joined the fleet, all their data was brought into Wheels FleetView™. The data collected from the connected vehicles made it possible to inform corrective driver action before accidents happen.

Simultaneously, safety training was made universal for new drivers and an annual fixture for all.

 A safer fleet, smartly bought

In just seven months, 550 of the fleet’s 600 vehicles had been replaced. This sets the stage for enhanced reporting of driver incidents, visible through an online dashboard. And this heightened safety was obtained at a lower cost. Thanks to low interest rates and a hot fleet vehicle resale market, the old vehicles yielded 65% more in disposal adjustments vs. prior years. As a further bonus, the new connected vehicles also warn of any delays in scheduled upkeep, and the connected vehicles also warn of any delays in scheduled upkeep, yielding a tentative 22% reduction in maintenance spending to date.