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Eliminating unreported damage in fleets
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By Venkat Sreeram, Founder, ClearQuote Technologies Limited
With the upcoming “peak” season for the logistics industry, unreported damage may become a silent killer with respect to fleet maintenance costs. Firms spend an estimated £ 2500-3000 per light commercial van (and more for larger trucks and trailers) just on unreported damage each year.
This is a hard problem to solve – it requires significant manual and administrative effort to track and manage effectively. That is until now. With AI, there are ways to eliminate unreported damage and improve driving behaviour, without a tonne of manual effort.
Why is unreported damage a problem worth solving for commercial fleets? For starters, it adds additional cost to maintaining the fleet. There is a negative perception of having your brand- liveried vehicles running around town carrying visible damage. What is not measured and tracked cannot be controlled – it leaves drivers with no accountability for their vehicles and encourages bad driving habits. In the end, when vehicles go off-lease, operators can face a huge repair bills.
It is often difficult to track unreported damage because multiple drivers handle the same vehicle. Manual pre- and post-trip checks to document vehicle condition are largely manual and take up administrative effort. Traditional vehicle inspection apps end up reporting the same damage or defect multiple times and it is not easy to track which damage is new. There is an added risk of drivers not reporting damage at all.
With AI (specifically computer vision), it is possible to automatically document the condition of a vehicle at different points in time effortlessly – either by capturing images using an app or via fixed cameras (perhaps by something like your ANPR cameras at the gatehouse).
These images are processed to identify damages on the vehicle uniquely, and also classify them as new or pre-existing. Fleet managers can get alerts when a vehicle shows up with “new” damage.
Improved tracking ends up being a deterrent for drivers, encouraging them to take more accountability, thereby reducing damage as well. The added benefit of effortless tracking and transparent recharges contribute to significant ROI (proven 3-8x) for the logistics or fleet operator.
Published On: 17/10/2024 15:00:00
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