Six Reasons Why Telematics is a Game Changer for the Waste & Recycling Industry

Telematics can now deliver benefits well beyond its original scope of basic of fleet location tracking.

Modern telematics solutions allow a waste hauler to gain rapid actionable insights from the growing datasets collected to drive smarter decisions and actions.

This is particularly the case when telematics data is integrated into the hauler’s ERP and Transport Management Solution.

These rich insights provide waste haulers with the ability to drive improved performance in key metrics such as increasing safety, improving service, reducing fuel costs, increasing driver productivity and maximising vehicle up time.

1. Maximize Driver Safety

The safety of drivers and the public is of paramount importance to haulers particularly in the waste industry where the fleet has to operate heavy vehicles in challenging high-density locations in all types of weather.

Telematics data allows fleet managers to track and identify unsafe driving habits such as harsh braking, harsh acceleration and speeding.

This data and the supporting insights allow managers to target drivers who need additional coaching thereby mitigating the risk of serious accidents.

Insurance companies are citing the effective use of telematics to reduce accidents, associated pay out costs and insurance premiums.

2. Reduce Fuel Expenditure by 10%+

Fuel expenditure represents one of the largest operating costs for waste haulers and telematics can significantly reduce this by providing data into individual driver fuel usage in areas such as idling trends, harsh acceleration and braking, off route driving etc.

It is estimated that these insights supported by follow up driver coaching can reduce fuel expenditure by 12%+.

3. Increase Driver Productivity by 12%+

Time is money in the waste industry and telematics provides actionable insights into driver and route productivity in terms of understanding driver compliance using a prescribed route, route duration comparisons by driver, service stop times, recurring delays and waiting times etc.  Analytics allows you to compare individual driver performance easily and rapidly by route and then to take the necessary follow up actions to increase driver and route productivity.

4. Reduce Vehicle Downtime costs through preventative maintenance

Telematics can provide rich and detailed insight into the performance and health of each vehicle through remote engine diagnostics. This reduces the likelihood of unplanned repairs and maintenance. It is estimated that a non-scheduled maintenance that takes a waste truck off the road can result in lost profits of $500 per day.

5. Improve Customer Service

Telematics provides a waste hauler with greater visibility and control across their fleet operation, and this is proven to deliver a more accurate service execution with improved customer communication on service issues, more accurate ETAs, improved agility to respond to call outs and missed collections as well as improved performance to service schedule. Better customer service drives better customer satisfaction and ultimately, more loyalty, to increase business performance.

6. Boost Sustainability  

Wherever you are on your migration journey to fleet electrification, telematics can provide you with insights to assist with their environmental sustainability objectives and with the adoption and use of new alternative fuels and fleet electrification. Telematics can help you get a baseline for your current fuel usage to allow you to identify the routes that could be serviced by electric vehicles. It also has specialist support for monitoring when an EV needs a charge, when it is parked on charge and the charge level.

View "Six Reasons Telematics is a Game Changer for the Waste and Recycling Industry" infographic here. 

About AMCS Telematics

AMCS Telematics is a new generation in intelligent telematics solutions and an integral part of the AMCS Transport Management Solution. It consists of both an on-board device fitted to your truck to gather data (e.g. GPS, diagnostic data) as well as web based portal that allows you to view key performance metrics for your fleet and to generate alerts based on events and geofences.

The new AMCS Telematics system delivers all of the business benefits outlined above and it sets a higher standard by integrating key telematics data into our AMCS Platform including the Enterprise Management and Transport Management System.

Thus, waste haulers who use the AMCS Platform user interface can now access and gain visibility across the consolidated key telematics and ERP data so as to visualize and control transport impacts across all areas of their business- transport, operations, customer service etc.  

This consolidated data can also be leveraged by the full range of AMCS Intelligent Optimization tools to drive efficiencies across both Front Loader commercial rounds and Roll Off schedules.

This leads to greater visibility, control and insights leading to better decisions and financial performance.