In Vehicle Monitoring System’s (IVMS) is not simply a fancy term for tracking, it is far more. IVMS is a tool to aid in safety and compliance and it is designed to monitor staff and contractors, and to ensure they adhere to site safety regulations with regard to elements such as seatbelt utilisation, on-site speed limits and the reasonable treatment of vehicles.
IVMS achieves its results by monitoring seatbelt sensors, using geo fenced speed zones and monitoring harsh events such as acceleration, braking and cornering via an in-built G-force sensors, as well as collecting data from many other monitorable pickups. This data is then collated into IVMS reports that provide an insight into how vehicles are being treated, whether staff and contractors are adhering to site and road speed limits, fatigue management concerns and ensuring overall that the site remains a safe environment for all working there.
An IVMS system can also provide in-cab alerts for speed violations, seatbelt usage, and harsh events to help staff understand how they are expected to handle their vehicles.
IVMS has proved itself time and time again to actively change driver behaviour which help create better driving habits that not only benefit the safety aspect for the individual and overall site, but also provide meaningful cost benefits and real saving with regards to maintaining a fleet of vehicles.
The maintenance cost benefits of IVMS are realised in three key areas:
- Less wear to the brake pads and discs by monitoring harsh braking
- Better fuel efficiency by monitoring harsh acceleration
- Less strain on the drive train and suspension by monitoring harsh cornering
The driver behaviour benefits from these same three key IVMS areas result in:
- Better treatment of the vehicles
- Adoption of a more careful, measured and safer driving style
- Far greater adherence to public road speed limits and speed limits on sites
- A greatly reduced chance of an accident due to consistent in-cab alerts for poor driving styles that can increase the chance of loss of control of the vehicle
A few key benefits to a company using IVMS include:
- An overall safer environment on site, lessening the chance of potentially avoidable accidents involving vehicles
- A clear view of the movement of vehicles around site, allowing a business to make decisions regarding vehicle procurement, usage and movement based on collated facts and data specific to the location
- Lower maintenance costs
- Staff accountability
- Collection of vehicle data that increases efficiencies specific to particular departments
- Increased response time in the event of an accident, rollover or other emergency
In summary, whilst tracking your vehicles is also a feature of IVMS, the true benefits of IVMS are far more targeted and safety focused and provide a better overview of vehicle usage throughout a business.
