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CONSTRUCTION WORLD
MARCH
2017
40
TRUCKING
Scania’s Connected Services harness diagnostic and
communication technology to give contractors real-time feedback
on their truck performance, helping to raise the skill level and
efficiency of their drivers.
Intelligence on various indicators – ranging from fuel
consumption, location and speed, to frequency of hard braking,
coasting and idling – is transmitted from the trucks directly to
dedicated Scania servers, which make the data available on web-
based applications.
The customer – as well as relevant Scania experts and workshops
– can view and download the information they need, either on
computer, mobile phone or the Scania Black Griffin wrist-watch.
The Griffin looks like a standard watch and connects to Scania’s
Fleet Management System – providing the most useful vehicle
metrics such as fuel data, driving support score and trend analysis.
According to Connected Services Manager Faried Arnold, the FMS
device that gathers the data – similar to a ‘black box’ on an aircraft
– is fitted with every Scania vehicle and enhances the value of the
financial return earned from the asset.
He emphasises that an important part of that value emanates
from the quality of the driver. “The skill and professional behaviour
of the driver in any construction vehicle is vital to ensuring high
productivity, improved uptime and long asset life,” said Arnold.
“Through Scania’s Connected Services offering, contractors
can monitor how well their drivers are doing – on a daily, weekly
and monthly basis. This creates the foundation for more effective
driver training, and leads to better drivers who enjoy their work while
achieving higher output on site.”
Seamless
fleet
MANAGEMENT
for
CONTRACTORS
As part of its total solution for fleet owners, Scania’s
Connected Services offer systems and tools to
gather and transfer vital data from trucks to their
owners – presenting the information on a variety
of platforms for easy accessibility.
By Paul Crankshaw
“The construction environment is very demanding on the driver’s
expertise, so it is vital they get as much support as possible to hone
their skills and keep them sharp,” said Theuns Naude, Scania Key
Accounts Manager for Construction. “The data that we collect as
part of our Connected Services to customers, allows us to develop
an accurate picture of how the vehicle and the driver are performing
over time.”
According to Naude, the driver can select one of a few different
driving modes, which assist in adapting the vehicle’s performance
to the specific application. The off-road mode, for instance, provides
for changes like raised revolutions per minute for better traction, and
quicker shifting between gears.
“The driver’s ability, however, is still the most important factor
in getting optimal performance while being economical with fuel
and maintenance requirements,” he said. “This is why we tailor our
driver training to individual needs, and provide the tools to monitor
and score each driver’s behaviour according to indicators that will
improve overall business performance.”
To facilitate this focus on individual drivers, Scania has
developed a Tag Teader for driver identification and monitoring.
Each driver has their own ID Button which interacts with an
ID Button Reader in the cab of the vehicle.
This is very useful on construction sites, where trucks change
hands at the end of each shift – perhaps three or four times per
day. Individual driver behaviour can then be tracked and analysed
according to indicators such as gear-changing (on manual
configurations) and braking styles. Employers can then link driver
scores to company incentive schemes, an effective strategy for
promoting safe and responsible driving.
Scania is even going a step further than driver training, by
developing a driver coaching programme that will further improve the
contribution that a good driver makes to the success of a company.
“Another valuable benefit of the on-board system is its ability
to calculate the truck’s average load,” said Arnold. “Our Connected
Services make that data quickly available for contractors who want
to optimise their site performance by tracking tonnage.”
Remote diagnostics is also central to the value that Connected
Services brings to contractors’ operations, he said. By collecting
and transmitting detailed technical data from a vehicle to the
Scania workshop or support staff, it reduces downtime by ensuring
accurate diagnosis and parts selection. By the time the technician
arrives on site, he will have insight into the issue at hand, and will be
equipped with the appropriate tools and spares.
The service also transmits details of any faults identified, so
that issues can be reported on the Fleet Management Portal; this
allows early, proactive response before faults can escalate and
disrupt production.
Driving real-time data for better hauling productivity: Scania’s
Connected Services Manager, Faried Arnold (right), and Theuns Naude,
Key Accounts Manager for Construction.
The Scania G460 8x4 tipper fitted with the Scania Fleet
Management device.