Showcase In-Vehicle Systems
Showcase
In-Vehicle Systems
Today's business environment is extremely competitive and it is critical to maintain a competitive edge. Companies in the transportation business or that have a fleet of vehicles on the road can benefit from IRD's In-Vehicle Systems. In-vehicle systems monitor vehicle and driver behavior, enabling a business to capture vehicle and driver data and utilize that data to continuously improve customer service, fleet efficiency and safety.
IRD is the sole North American distributor of Siemens VDO Automotive Fleet Manager (FM) on-board computers and accessories. This, in conjunction with vast systems integration experience, makes IRD a strong choice for off-the-shelf or customized vehicle monitoring solutions.
In-Vehicle Systems allow the measuring of basic vehicle performance, driver behavior, business productivity and safety. Additional features allow the tracking of vehicles and vehicle performance in real time. In-Vehicle Systems can reduce unnecessary expenses and let the fleet become an asset by monitoring fleet driver actions at all times.
Each system can be customized to meet the needs of each specific business. In-Vehicle System capabilities include:
- Tracking driving hours and correct equipment use
- Analyzing accidents/incidents
- Tracking and monitoring assets
- Rewarding safe driving through a driver scoring program
- Ensuring correct loading
- Analyzing fuel usage
- Playback routes used to improve planning
The following is a partial listing of IRD's experience with In-Vehicle Systems. IRD has provided a variety of systems that are customized to meet each client's specific requirements.
SASKATCHEWAN CENTRAL TIRE INFLATION MEASUREMENT PROJECT
The government recently implemented a regulation that heavy weight commercial vehicles deflate vehicle tires on designated stretches of highways in order to preserve secondary highways.
Custom Truck Sales, a Kenworth PacLease dealer, approached International Road Dynamics (IRD), in Feb 2003, to provide an In-Vehicle System that would document vehicle tire deflations. IRD customized the FM on-board computer and integrated it with the GPS (Global Positioning System) and Central Tire Inflation (CTI) devices. The In-Vehicle System uses GPS to send a signal to the on-board computer when the vehicle reaches stretches highway requiring an adjustment in tire pressure. This triggers a buzzer notifying the driver to deflate or re-inflate their tires. The system documents the driver's name, time, and location of each deflation/inflation action. The System's collected data is then used to produce reports to verify compliance with government standards and regulations.
DRYDEN SCHOOL BUS MONITORING
There is an increasing demand from school districts to monitor school buses and track bus routes, loading and unloading of children, driving behaviours and habits of operators, and vehicle costs.
In Jan 2002, New York State's Dryden School District requested a system that would record typical school bus events with automatic downloading capabilities.
IRD developed a radio frequency download module for the Fleet Manager (FM) on-board computer, which is used on the Dryden fleet of school buses. The FM computer tracks vehicle actions such as GPS location, red Lights, amber lights, door opening (pupil stop locations), harsh braking, acceleration, mileage, etc. Each school bus is equipped with an RF antenna, which communicates with the RF base station, located in the garage. Upon entering the yard, the data collected from the In-Vehicle System is automatically downloaded to the desk-top computer. The fleet supervisor has the capability to create reports from the data to determine the performance of his fleet and adherence to the established driving policy. The data can determine which buses are being abused and which drivers need retraining in department procedures and policies. Additionally, the odometer reading of the busses is available from the reporting software, eliminating uncertainty when scheduling mileage based maintenance.
