A Q&A with Santa, and Fleet Manager Mrs Claus, of North Pole Inc
Builders FirstSource (BFS) is a multi-billion dollar diversified manufacturer and supplier of structural building materials and services to the construction industry. With a national fleet size close to 2,000 vehicles- location, delivery management and fuel cost posed many challenges for the company. BFS realized the need for a comprehensive fleet tracking solution. They began an extensive review of GPS fleet tracking systems based on field trials in several regions.
Their selection criteria included:
- Offer a broad set of fleet management and driver measurement tools.
- An integrated system that can monitor engine idle times, provide maintenance alerts, and automate DOT reports.
- Ability to record driver activities for start, stop and onbreak times as well as vehicle speed.
- Ease of use.
- The quality of manufacturer training and support.
According to BFS, "Fleet Director won the competition hands down. Our fleet logs an average of over 4,000,000 miles per month, therefore fuel consumption is watched very closely and after installing Fleet Director, engine idling times have dropped significantly. By knowing each truck’s location and status in real time, we are making more deliveries per day with the same or fewer numbers of trucks. We no longer criss-cross routes. Out of route miles have been virtually eliminated.”
"Out of route miles have been virtually eliminated."— Builders FirstSource
BFS credits the 2-way communications with helping cut fuel consumption as well. Many deliveries are made to new developments
where street signs and house numbers are not yet available. Fleet Director allows dispatchers to give drivers turn-by-turn
directions to the proper location. This has saved countless wasted miles. Fleet Director Alerts has also improved security. BFS' alert parameters include geo-fences, engine hours of operation and speeds. Any exception will notify the appropriate personnel at their workstation, via mobile device. According to BFS, “If a loaded truck is sitting in our yard and someone starts the engine past curfew, we need to know about it immediately. Otherwise, it could mean a loss of several thousand dollars. With Fleet Director, we're on top of our assets 24 hours a day."
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