In less than two weeks — on December 16 — fleets relying on out-of-date AOBRDs need to implement a fully compliant solution to stave off driver citations, fines, and other violations. This rule aims to prevent what FMCSA estimates to be 1,844 accidents, 562 injuries, and 26 deaths per year. Are you ready? If are you one of the estimated 40% of respondents in the 2019 Freight Waves and Carrier Loads survey who expected to make a switch in 2019’s final quarter, the pressure is on to select an ELD vendor, put a solution in place, and get employees trained on a new system. The one advantage late a ..read more

The American Trucking Association (ATA)  has concluded that trucking companies are currently about 60,000 drivers  short. “This gap is only expected to grow and could reach 6 figures by 2024,”  said  ATA’s  Chief Economist, Bob Costello.     “The increase in the driver shortage should be a warning to carriers, shippers and policymakers,” Costello said,  “because if conditions don’t change substantively, our industry could be short just over 100,000 drivers in five years and 160,000 drivers in 2028.”     This shortage of drivers will lead to a combination of  higher  prices  for goods  and more ..read more

    Looking for a fleet management system to accommodate business growth?   Since 2008, Paraco Gas, one of the largest propane providers in the Northeast has experienced a planned period of significant growth. At the same time, the company noticed the need to integrate the power of technology with valued partners as critical in advancing the company’s position as an industry leader and trusted propane provider.   Each stage of sustained growth required maximization of productivity and delivery efficiencies for the business’ fleet. It also required a fleet management solution that would incorpo ..read more

      Before GPS technology, we used to travel relying on maps and our knowledge of our cardinal directions. Today, many of us depend on our GPS to take us from point A to point B, but how exactly does our GPS get us to our destination? This blog will discuss how GPS works, as it’s honestly amazing that it works at all!                 First, how do you find your current location without GPS? Using a map and something to tell distance (like a laser ranging device), you find three landmarks around you and measure distance to them. By drawing a circle equal to that distance around the landmarks ..read more

Fleet operators often state that they would prefer to avoid video data when possible, as it increases the chance they will be found at fault. While this may happen sometimes, camera data has increasing value for a number of reasons.   Proof of incidents Drivers involved in incidents often recall them differently, which makes determining fault a difficult prospect for most insurance providers. Having video data can prove fault, and even being found at-fault can still prevent hours of conversation with insurance carriers.   Dismissing erroneous claims The FBI estimates that insurance fraud exc ..read more

Any good telematics system has Geofencing and Landmark functionality built-in. While similar superficially, they are very different concepts. This post details Silent Passenger’s Landmarks. In each functionality example below, an example will be given to make the feature more applicable to your fleet experience.                               A Landmark allows you to specify an area on a map with either a set radius or polygon shape (a polygon being a customizable shape). Whenever a vehicle is within the polygon or another shape, we use the Landmark name for the location description. This is he ..read more

Diagnostic Trouble Codes (DTCs) are the diagnostic terminology created by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) to ensure there is a uniform mechanism to reporting faults on a vehicle. The SAE has provided a set of international guidelines for DTCs on light duty vehicles (pick-up trucks, sedans, vans etc.).   These codes are generated whenever the vehicle has diagnosed an issue over several start/stop cycles of the engine, or if the issue is of significant severity. The original purpose of these codes was to allow a mechanic or ..read more

With a smarter fuel management program, businesses can reduce overall fuel spend across your entire fleet by up to 20%.  Implement a data-driven telematics solution to see immediate improvements in efficiency, driver behaviors and safety, and increase profits. Data-Driven Fleet Management Solution  Manage more than fuel spend with an integrated, data-driven fuel management solution. By combining fuel management with a telematics solution, you will have data-driven insights delivered by an advanced fleet dashboard where you can see exactly how driver behaviors, routing decisions, and more affec ..read more

Fuel Consumption Knowledge is Power Gain insight into driving a more fuel-efficient fleet operation and maximize savings by over 20% per year. Did you know that fuel is the second highest expense for fleets? Without proper fuel management tools and strategies in place, your business could be wasting thousands of dollars each year. Luckily, if you take the right steps, you can uncover savings every day. Learn more with our Fuel Savings infographic, and register for our upcoming fuel management webinar to see how to access the data-driven insights needed to reduce unnecessary fuel spend and take ..read more

Sweeping Corp of America (SCA), the largest power sweeping company in the U.S., has been ramping up growth and streamlining operations over the last few years. SCA knew they needed a fleet management solution that could help them meet their key business goals that included streamlining driver communications and workflow management, increasing compliance with DOT requirements, and creating a customized maintenance program for its complex assets. They chose Silent Passenger’s data intelligence platform to meet their business operation’s needs. With 36 facilities strategically located throughout ..read more