References
Knap Transport
CarCube ensures continuity and a pleasant working environment at Knap Transport
‘Expect a significant fuel saving thanks to the driving style assistant’
After a cautious flirt with on-board computers several years ago, in 2011 Knap Transport committed itself fully to the benefits of good telematics. CarCubes from Trimble Transport & Logistics have been fitted in all one hundred of the North Holland company’s tractive units. Financial Director Jack van Duijvenbode is expecting a lot from the CarCube Driving Style Assistant in particular. He believes fuel consumption will fall by a significant percentage.
For Knap Transport, investing in a modern transport communication system is more than merely a way of improving efficiency. “What we really want to achieve is the overall picture; maintain the continuity of the business and a pleasant working environment.” The CarCube offers a whole host of possibilities, but above all the on-board computers make the work of drivers and administration easier, says Van Duijvenbode.
Savings thanks to CarCube
Thanks to Trimble’s CarCube, the transport company now has access to much more data. Whereas previously the company only really had an idea of where their potential savings might lie, it now has the means to actually make these savings. For Van Duijvenbode, this mainly involves two savings: using less fuel and also improving the efficiency of the company. According to him, there are also plenty of soft benefits, such as creating a better working environment for drivers.
“The new driving style is clearly nothing new, but thanks to the CarCube on-board computers in our vehicles we now know how our drivers are coping with it. This experience has become a science, and based on the analyses we can indicate how something can be improved.” The driving style analyses which staff in the office can perform thanks to the driving style assistant and the detailed FMS reports in FleetWorks are also passed on to the drivers while at the wheel, allowing them to put the tips straight into practice.
Linking with TMS
The Trimble solution will shortly also be linked to Knap’s transport management system. The financial director expects this linking of both solutions to be ready some time in 2012. From then on, the transporter will be able to show its customers the status of a shipment via www.knap.nl. “We can then also link the arrival times of cargos to a shipment. This makes track and trace info immediately available to the customer. If the driver has indicated on the CarCube that a cargo has been unloaded, that is processes directly at the site.”
Positive cost-benefit analysis wins Knap over
What won Knap Transport over as a user of the Trimble solution was the combination of the driving style assistant, the simple transfer of data, the monitoring of driving times, track and trace and last but not least the truck navigation. “We’d certainly thought about investing in ob-board computers previously, but never managed to produce a positive cost-benefit analysis.” Knap purchased several on-board computers ten years ago, but it proved too difficult to link these to other systems, so no benefits were achieved. Van Duijvenbode: “The CarCube has an open architecture and easily integrates everything we require. That’s what won us over.”
Faster reading of data means quick ROI
All one hundred vehicles are fitted with Trimble on-board computers with card readers for reading the driver’ recognition tag from the cabin. The company’s very latest vehicles are also fitted with the latest version of the digital tachograph, allowing vehicle data to be read out via the CarCube much faster and simpler. “This combination saves us at least several hours per vehicle per year. Hours-processing is also much faster thanks to the automatic data reading. All in all I think the CarCubes will quickly pay for themselves.”
Website: www.knap.nl
Number of employees: 185
Vehicle fleet: approx. 100 tractive units and 85 trailers
Activities: fine-mesh distribution within Benelux, international transport, warehousing, crossdocking
Operating area: Benelux, northern and southern Europe
Application: CarCube on-board computer
Integration with the TMS Parsis / GMT is almost ready. Also integration with FleetWatch payroll and journey reporting software from LogicWay.