Fuel management sees dramatic improvements thanks to telematics

Fuel management is being dramatically improved by the latest telematics systems.

According to Quartix (quartix.com/en-gb/), one of the UK’s leading suppliers, savings of £2,000 per vehicle per year, plus annual productivity improvements of more than 20 per cent are routinely being achieved by its customers.

Through the Quartix system’s detail and summary sheets fleet operators receive regular updates outlining each vehicle’s mileage and fuel usage – these can then be verified against fuel bills and compared across the fleet, helping track and control running costs.

In addition, the maximum recorded speed for each trip, each day – as well as the entire week – is reported, making it possible to check that vehicles are being driven economically.

In December, Quartix Pay As You Go, the company’s popular rental option, was enhanced with innovative map icons that change colour according to a vehicle’s speed.

Andy Kirk, sales and marketing director, said: “An operator can see from their screen whether a driver is travelling in a fuel-efficient and safe manner.

“Every vehicle is shown in real-time, so what’s happening and where can be seen twenty-four hours a day. All data are captured for use at any time.”

It was last April that Quartix became the UK’s first telematics provider to introduce pay-as-you-go, adding it to its lease-finance and outright purchase options. Since then the company has become the UK’s first to provide PAYG with Google Maps and the first to offer a unique on-screen ‘dashboard’ providing at-a-glance, real-time information about a fleet’s performance. Today, Quartix Pay As You Go accounts for 67 per cent of the company’s overall sales. Mr Kirk added: “This rapid rise is being driven by strong demand.

“The reason is straightforward: no-one wants to be tied to a long-term vehicle-tracking contract during a downturn. Quartix Pay-As-You-Go has proved to be just the right product at just the right time.

“In 2010, thanks to innovative features such as our latest Speeding Reports, we anticipate PAYG will account for 80 per cent of sales, with lease-finance and outright purchase taking up the remaining 20 per cent.”