Challenge:
The company faces a tricky balancing act: customers need fuel on time, but drivers need rest breaks, and the administrative team needs to keep pace with it all. This challenge is exacerbated by the breadth of land Evans Petroleum’s drivers travel; although they mainly operate across Gippsland, their services can encompass other regions of Victoria and parts of NSW. Given this remote workforce, managing driver fatigue was a key issue for Evans Petroleum — they needed fleet visibility to confirm driver fatigue compliance.
Before being introduced to Teletrac Navman’s solutions, Evans Petroleum had a tracking system installed in their trucks while also using paper-based logbooks to record driver breaks and maintain fatigue-related compliance. The tracking system was not comprehensive, and the administrative work from the logbook system was becoming an issue; drivers may not return to the main depot for days or longer, so chasing up the logbook required excessive administration time.
Warren Evans, the 3rd generation of the family-run business and General Manager of Evans Petroleum, explains that previously, the business had to do a lot of detective work to make sure drivers were taking their regulation breaks and that their paper logbooks matched with the data from the tracking systems.
On top of that, Evans Petroleum strives to give its customers the best possible service. Part of that means offering real-time delivery updates, something they were unable to do with their previous system. These challenges required a flexible, holistic solution to allow Evans Petroleum to manage driver fatigue, meet industry compliance, and improve customer service — while reducing administrative burden.
Teletrac Navman offers a great all-in-one system to meet industry compliance and standards. You can bundle all sorts of bits and pieces in to meet all your business needs.
- Warren Evans, General Manager
Solution:
Teletrac Navman fleet management technology and solutions, including GPS tracking, Electronic Work Diaries (EWDs), and FTC Manager, have addressed Evans Petroleum’s key issues and challenges.
Evans met with Teletrac Navman’s team to discuss the options available. “We were interested in the EWDs and more accurate tracking”, Evans explains. According to Evans, switching to Teletrac Navman fleet management solutions has made a big difference. He say previous tracking system] only offered four or five-second waypoint updates, whereas our Teletrac Navman solution offers second-by-second data. That means we can go back and track a vehicle’s movement more accurately when we need to”.
Accurate tracking and location information means Evans Petroleum knows where all vehicles and drivers are at all times, including when they’ve stopped and for how long. This helps with driver safety and improves the ability to provide real-time updates and delivery estimates for fuel shipments, ensuring exceptional customer service – something Evans Petroleum prides itself on.
The main improvement has been driver fatigue management. For the drivers, “the benefit is they can take a break anywhere on the clock, they don’t have to work within fifteen-minute windows… now with EWDs that count to the minute, they can stop at the best possible time for their fifteen minutes rest as defined within the fatigue rules.” The EWD solution has empowered Evans Petroleum’s drivers to self-manage fatigue.
At the same time, it has drastically reduced the administrative load by eliminating manual paperwork and increasing efficiency.
Administration staff no longer need to chase up logbooks or wait for them to be returned; it’s all stored electronically with the data to prove compliance at their fingertips.
Evans explains that although the EWDs have been effective, change management was important when implementing them, particularly with drivers who had been in the industry for a long time and were used to the traditional paper logbook.
Support and training from management have made a huge difference, along with encouragement from other drivers who had “heard good things from mates” about the system. As far as helping to avoid fines or breaches, the drivers who were reluctant embraced the technology.
Aside from EWDs for managing fatigue and adopting a high-definition GPS tracking system, Evans Petroleum has also adopted Teletrac Navman’s Fleet Maintenance Software. They can see the entire history of vehicle maintenance per vehicle from the same system. Any issues that arise from digital pre-trip checklists can be immediately rectified, or parts can be ordered immediately, rather than waiting for the next service.
The last piece of the puzzle was managing fuel tax credits and the rebates involved. FTC Manager uses the second-by-second GPS data from Evans Petroleum vehicles to accurately calculate on and off-road travel to maximise their Fuel Tax Credit claims.
It’s been invaluable because previously, we weren’t claiming FTC to the full extent. Now, we can supply the data straight up. There’s no guesswork, and we get the maximum refund we’re entitled to.
Results:
Since adopting Teletrac Navman’s GPS Tracking, Electronic Work Diaries, and FTC Manager, Evans Petroleum has achieved:
- Improved Vehicle Location Accuracy: Improved the ability to locate vehicles accurately, providing customers with real-time location updates.
- Better Driver Fatigue Management: Increased compliance and effectiveness in managing driver fatigue through the use of Electronic Work Diary (EWD) technologies.
- Streamlined Administrative Processes: Reduced administrative burdens, allowing staff to focus on strategic initiatives while maximising Fuel Tax Credit claims with precise position records.
About Evans Petroleum:
Established in 1970, Evans Petroleum is an authorised reseller of BP and Castrol fuel and lubricants, servicing fifteen BP service stations and selling and delivering to commercial businesses and farms across Gippsland, Victoria. They have approximately 30 trucks operating throughout the region. The company is dedicated to delivering the highest quality fuels and lubricants available, and the staff are committed to providing responsive and flexible service excellence to their customers.