One of Europe's largest vehicle-recovery services has been so impressed by
vehicle tracking, it is rolling the technology out across its entire
250-strong fleet.
Egertons Recovery, operating out of 14 depots and offering a UK-wide
service, has been using Navman Wireless' technology for less than 12 months
but has already increased its order, and now the roll out to the entire
fleet is in its final phase.
According to John Marks, MD of the company's Birmingham Operation, the move
is a response to the firm being "bowled over" by the system.
"For us, it's the reporting information that offers the greatest value to
our business," said John. "It means we can very easily get a simple but
comprehensive overview of all our vehicle movements at a glance - from their
idling time to the amount of hours drivers have got left to work."
The latest order, which has seen Egertons add tracking throughout the whole
fleet based at its Birmingham depot, means the contract is now worth more
than £200,000.
This depot, served by its own control-centre, is a busy hub for Egertons and
the vehicle tracking system is having a direct and crucial role to play for
the West Midlands operation.
"Having drivers criss-crossing the region makes for a chaotic control-room,
but for us, the Navman Wireless system enables us to see clearly where
everybody is and make informed decisions about who should be going where,"
John explained.
The benefits offered by vehicle tracking are also helping Egertons
strengthen their customer response times - which is proving invaluable in
the company's new push to protect clients from unwanted hefty invoices
relating to unauthorised vehicle removals.
These costs mean that in the event of a loaded vehicle needing to be
urgently removed from the road-side, the invoice can be as high as £6,000,
plus extra costs for removing the casualty vehicle's load.
"For our blue chip clients with huge fleets, these fees can prove extremely
costly," said John.
"But they can now assure officers on the scene that Egertons are able to
recover quicker than their own removal service - all they have to do is call
our control room and, thanks to the Navman Wireless system, we can give them
precise arrival times at the touch of a button."