Operating a fleet of over 1,000 vehicles the length and breadth of the UK, Autoglass is the UK’s favourite vehicle glass repair, replacement and recalibration company. As part of a drive to enhance driver safety and efficiency fleet-wide, Autoglass partnered with Trakm8, the UK’s foremost vehicle technology solutions specialist, to implement cohesive telematics solutions across its estate of technician vans.
Serving over one million motorists every year, the fleet at Autoglass transverses the country 24/7, providing an essential, world-class service. With a reputation for excellence, Autoglass decided to partner with Trakm8 in 2018 in a drive to further pursue high quality in its fleet of vehicles.
Trakm8 provides market-leading telematics products that address common problems faced by fleet managers. Products such as the Trakm8 Connect 330 help prevent expensive downtime by alerting managers to minor faults before they develop into major ones, encourages safer driving practices and can save dozens of work hours lost to byzantine route management systems and spreadsheets. Trakm8’s discreet Roadhawk dashcam can help protect businesses from reputational and financial damages caused by accidents.
For Autoglass, whose skilled technicians are the heartbeat of the company, driver behaviour and performance is directly linked to reputation. Telematics provides a simple and cost-effective way to help drivers drive more safely, thereby protecting the reputation held by Autoglass for excellence in every aspect of its business.
The Results
Trakm8 telematics products were the perfect solution for Autoglass, offering the data needed to drive improvements in driver behaviour in a cost-effective package.
Andrew Ertl, Fleet Manager at Autoglass, said: “It’s no exaggeration to say our collaboration with Trakm8 has been transformative for our fleet. Our technicians travel the country every day and as the customer-facing part of our business, it’s paramount that they maintain their great reputation for customer service while on the road, too.”
Enabled by Trakm8’s comprehensive data, Autoglass designed a scheme to recognise and reward drivers that consistently achieve perfect scores in driving behaviour, speed limit compliance and idling time, contributing to an even greater improvement in driver behaviour. Since 2018, Autoglass has:
- Reduced speeding events fleet-wide
- Reduced average idle time per vehicle by over 50%
- Markedly improved driver behaviour from an already excellent starting point
- Improved insurance claim handling with the use of dash camera evidence
Autoglass achieved these impressive results through the use of two Trakm8 products – the Connect 330 and the RoadHawk Dash Cam.
The Connect 330 is a device you can fit in the palm of your hand, but one that packs a powerful technological punch. Designed and manufactured in the UK by Trakm8, the plug-in device is easily fitted into a vehicle’s OBD (on board diagnostics) port, and streams tracking, CANbus and driver behaviour data to enable fleet managers to act even sooner.
The Trakm8 devices provide drivers with a number of indicators that will help them drive safely and more efficiently. In just two years since the partnership began, Autoglass has consistently improved and has now achieved a speed limit compliance score of 98%. Overspeeding, however, is far from the only indicator for the need to improve fleet performance. Vehicle idle time is another important metric to consider when a fleet is aiming to cut costs and decrease carbon emissions.
Using the data provided by the Trakm8 telematics system, Autoglass have cut their average vehicle idling time by 50%.
The Trakm8 Connect 330 also makes it easy for Autoglass to ensure that only those drivers authorised to use their vehicles personally do so. The Connect 330 has given Autoglass the ability to enforce their policy.
Dashcam benefits
The other side of the collaboration with Autoglass and Trakm8 is the RoadHawk Dashcam. The Roadhawk range of dashcams are proven to cut fleet at fault accident rates by up to 20% and reduce insurance premiums by up to 10%, providing positive ROI in a matter of months.
They are also a flexible range of products able to provide only the data needed by fleet managers. Autoglass did not require the Dash Cam’s audio capabilities, so this was disabled, providing reassurance to drivers while still providing crucial video footage in the event of accidents and insurance claims.
Andrew continued: “The Trakm8 Connect 330 has helped our fleet make gains in many areas. We’ve improved our fleets’ overall driving score to an industry-leading level, while reducing costs accrued from accidents, insurance claims and vehicle idle time. We’ve been highly impressed with how these products have worked and with their high ROI and we’re looking intensely at how we can further integrate Trakm8 telematics into our wider fleet management systems.”
Peter Mansfield, Group Sales and Marketing Director at Trakm8, said: “We’re really proud that Trakm8 products have had such a transformative impact on an established and well-regarded fleet operator, proving that telematics can have a significant positive impact on fleets of every size and shape.
“Our teams worked with Autoglass every step of the way on their recent drive to improve fleet standards and were in constant contact during the initial stages of installation to provide advice and guidance. We look forward to working with them in future as they bring the latest technology to bear in their drive to increase standards.”
