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DEEP IN DATA
THE WIDESPREAD LOCKDOWN and travel restrictions imposed around the world in response to the Covid-19 pandemic have caused severe problems for many, but have also offered some relief in terms of cleaner air and quieter roads. As thoughts turn towards how the crisis will affect businesses and individuals in the long run, after the crisis has passed, it is worth looking at ways in which those benefits might be kept secure for the future. One company that has been looking at this question is Abbey Logistics, a UK-based haulier specialising in the movement of foodgrade
as CEO Steve Granite explains: “We have all been trading in incredibly challenging circumstances, but as a result of quieter roads, we have seen an improvement to customer service and savings in repair and maintenance and an increase in MPG as well as nearly 6 per cent increase in the average speed of our fleet. This means the fleet is doing more with less and our assets are much more productive and require less repair and maintenance thanks to more consistent driving.” In order to investigate further, Abbey began a project with Microlise, a provider of telematics and real-time journey management solutions.
lockdown and examine how they could be sustained when traffic and congestion increases once again. The project involved an analysis of Abbey’s journey metrics for its fleet of 400 trucks and 550 bulk liquid and powder trailers, covering the 30 days prior to and the 30 days immediately following the imposition of lockdown in the UK. The key results showed that: -A verage speed increased group-wide by 5.7 per cent to 38.8 mph -M iles per gallon of fuel (MPG) increased by 2.6 per cent -C arbon dioxide emissions reduced by almost 4 per cent - Driving behaviour and performance also improved, with a reduction in high revving and engine idling, and an improvement in ‘greenband driving’ and the use of cruise control. Microlise went further, analysing other recent data it had access to on heavy goods and light commercial vehicles. It found two
liquids in bulk by road tanker. It has noticed an improvement in efficiency during the lockdown,
Its Data Science and Research team, a highly skilled multi-disciplinary group that harnesses the latest tools, methodologies and advanced analytics techniques to extract and interpret data, was put on the case. Granite says the idea of the project was to get a better understanding of the productivity improvements during the
stand-out metrics across this group: MPG increased by between 6 and 7 per cent, and there was a 37 per cent reduction in unsafe driving behaviours. “For a fleet owner of any size, the capital cost savings to be realised across these two areas alone would be significant,” it notes.
COVID-19 • ABBEY LOGISTICS AND MICROLISE HAVE TAKEN A DEEP DIVE INTO VEHICLE METRICS TO SEE HOW THE GAINS ACHIEVED DURING THE LOCKDOWN MIGHT BE MAINTAINED
ABBEY CEO STEVE GRANITE (OPPOSITE) SAYS THE FLEET IS DOING MORE WITH LESS
HCB MONTHLY | JULY 2020
