Utility to introduce satellite tracking

Severn Trent Water is to install satellite tracking technology in its 1,000-strong fleet of vehicles to tighten security and improve monitoring.

The utility, which supplies water to eight million people in the Midlands, has been piloting tracking technology in 20 vehicles, and now wants to extend it to the whole fleet.

Severn Trent transport manager Gerald Pollard says the pilot project was only meant to cover issues such as the protection of lone workers and locating stolen vehicles, but generated other benefits including traffic monitoring and the ability to pinpoint employee locations.

‘The pilot proved the initial elements, but it has also shown that a tracking system can have many other benefits for the use of Severn Trent’s fleet, especially how it is deployed on a day-to-day basis,’ said Pollard.

‘This did not start out as a money-driven initiative, but we realised we could do route-monitoring and a lot more besides to help realise efficiencies and improve services.’

Butler Group analyst Teresa Jones says companies with large vehicle fleets increasingly understand the role satellite tracking can play in how they organise field service management.

‘With fuel costs rising, businesses want to use their vehicles more efficiently, stop them from getting lost or going the wrong way to jobs and wasting time and money,’ she said.

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