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Interested in the history of traffic jams or want to read some facts about traffic in the EU or US? You have come to the right place!
We have compiled a list of interesting facts and statistics about traffic and traffic jams. Even though they’re something we encounter almost every day, there is a lot that you might not know. Read about them below or watch a video here!
Continue reading “20 interesting facts about traffic and traffic jams”
Nobody wants to be stuck in traffic, sit idly, and wait to get wherever they have to be. There are a multitude of causes for traffic jams – unfavourable weather conditions, road accidents, poor driving skills, or simply a large volume of vehicles. Though it is an everyday occurrence, one can learn to steer clear of traffic congestion. In this article, we will share 6 tips that will help you avoid traffic jams and make the most of your day.
Continue reading “How to avoid traffic jams?”
The larger a company’s fleet, the more solutions are needed for its management – especially if the fleet includes not only light vehicles or trucks, but also industry-specific machinery.
One such industry is forestry, which encompasses much more than just cutting trees. It also includes forest planting, care, maintenance, harvesting, and soil renewal – all these stages of forestry require different techniques and equipment.
The forestry company R GRUPA currently has more than 150 equipment units, most of which are connected to the Mapon platform. What made the company choose Mapon as its fleet management provider? What solutions are used for different purposes, and how can the information obtained from the Mapon platform be used for more efficient work?
We sat down with Krišjānis Caune, the Head of Marketing and Communications at R GRUPA, to find answers to all these questions.
R GRUPA’s fleet includes light vehicles used by administrative employees and forestry foremen, freight transport, logging machinery, as well as specific equipment, such as wood chippers. Each unit requires its own approach to data acquisition and analysis.
“We are a manufacturing company and productivity is very important to us. To be able to improve it, we analyse a huge amount of key information, including fleet data. When we realised that the company needed to improve in this area, we did market research to understand what solution would best suit our needs. Mapon won because it offers the most versatile solutions that work for all our vehicle and equipment categories,” – the R GRUPA representative explains the decision to choose Mapon.
R GRUPA uses the following Mapon solutions for fleet management:
Krišjānis Caune explains that having the tracking solutions is only part of the job. The most important thing is to understand what to do with the obtained data. For example, it is crucial to choose the most suitable route for cargo transport. Different data is used for light vehicles that drive over a wider area or for harvesting and logging machinery that works more locally, in specific regions.
The same applies to fuel monitoring data. Differences in consumption between newer and older machinery are used in productivity calculations and job planning.
Implementing fuel monitoring solutions can quickly and significantly reduce consumption by detecting theft or an inefficient vehicle. R GRUPA, however, is more focused on regular, long-term monitoring, which lets them keep track of accurate average indicators. The company has an innovative approach to fuel consumption management, as well as a positive employee culture, so fuel monitoring is mostly used to notice deviations from normal consumption and understand how to improve the situation.
When it comes to fleet management, R GRUPA takes note from aviation, where safety and flawless work with data is vital. Krišjānis Caune explains that the company backs up data records – both fuel management and remote tachograph download solutions serve this purpose. They help to ensure security and accuracy by minimising human error.
R GRUPA’s management is confident that thorough compliance with tachograph rules is a key productivity indicator for every driver. A rested person is much more productive while overworking reduces it drastically. A driver’s productivity on the road is closely related to safety – that’s why R GRUPA emphasises that it monitors tachograph data primarily to make sure that no driver has driven too much. The solution also helps to discover which drivers are currently under-worked and can be assigned extra trips.
As it’s essential to comply with the legal requirements, R GRUPA has also set tachograph alerts for calibration and data download deadlines.
Krišjānis Caune names the ability to analyse daily activities as one of the biggest advantages of using Mapon solutions.
“We analyse not only to control but to become more aware of what we’re capable of”.
Each fleet management solution contributes to a total result daily. Route planning is one obvious example – what once looked like a theoretical instruction to get from A to B is now a data-driven decision. The company carries out detailed route planning, communicates with drivers, and develops the optimal route. Route maps are also produced and can be used by anyone who drives the company’s vehicles.
R GRUPA is aware that a route that looks good on paper may not always be drivable, for example, due to weather conditions. To make the most of drivers’ time, colleagues in the logistics department and drivers need to maintain good communication to make adjustments. It also positively impacts drivers’ pay as no hours are wasted.
“Mapon saves the most precious thing we have – time. And if we can save time, then we can figure out what to do with it – the main thing is to actually free up that time”.
Fleet management starts in the vehicle and continues in the office – and both stages are closely related, so all employees must understand how and why the company uses specific telematics solutions.
R GRUPA points out that while drivers haven’t extensively commented on Mapon solutions, it does not necessarily mean they do not understand or need them. On the contrary, one gets used to good things very quickly. If you don’t think too much about using something, it means that you have gotten used to the solution and its positive impact on your daily life. In work and life, we are much more likely to discuss the things that get in the way rather than highlight the good aspects – the same applies to fleet management.
Krišjānis Caune compares the relationship between vehicle drivers and fleet managers to professional sports:
“We can compare drivers to professional athletes, and managers to coaches. We ask drivers to remember one thing – to insert the card in the tachograph when they get into the vehicle. Afterwards, we can work with the drivers to see what has been done during the day and how to do it better. We are like coaches talking to athletes about ways to improve their performance.”
R GRUPA also emphasises that drivers are not obliged to analyse the data of the Mapon platform – this is the administration’s task.
Fleet management solutions provide a wealth of information. That’s why the Mapon platform is used by different departments to analyse all the data and provide actionable insights.
At R GRUPA, the greatest demand for Mapon solutions is in the transport department. The next structure that also frequently uses these solutions is the logistics department. The harvesting and logging department also benefits from Mapon, as they too have to operate with movement or transport.
In general, all R GRUPA employees who use fleet units tend to look at the data provided by Mapon to get reliable reports on driving routes and timelines. This information is also important for accounting, which uses Mapon solutions to make sure that every litre of fuel is accounted for correctly.
The COVID-19 pandemic has prompted many companies to digitise processes and provide reliable, remote access to documents, meetings, and equipment monitoring. The latter is especially relevant for companies that use equipment in remote locations, including outside their base country.
To monitor their wood chipping equipment, which R GRUPA calls a real mobile factory, the company decided to run an experiment – they had several cameras installed on one machine. Thanks to those cameras, it’s now possible to connect to the vehicle at any time and check the safety and real-time productivity remotely.
Other sophisticated machinery is also connected to Mapon solutions – for example, fuel monitoring with CAN data is very useful for forest equipment, which R GRUPA uses extensively in its daily work. Krišjānis Caune even compares such technology to spaceships – while previously such complicated devices could only be seen on television, now almost equally advanced equipment is at work right here in our forests.
In the future, it is expected that such machines will be operated remotely, without a driver. Even if this scenario comes true, fleet management solutions will remain relevant because they let you make sure that work is going on as it should, from anywhere in the world.
We end our conversation with R GRUPA on a humorous note and ask what would happen if telematics solutions suddenly disappeared? Krišjānis Caune answers with confidence:
“I would compare it to the apocalypse. We are so used to different technological solutions that telematics is as valuable to us as the internet itself. What would happen if both suddenly disappeared? We would survive, sure – but it would be very difficult”.
If your company also needs a wide range of fleet management solutions, book a consultation with one of Mapon’s Client Project Managers or contact sales@mapon.com!
By implementing Mapon delivery fleet management solutions for their vehicles, Mailia Ltd. has been able to improve the safety of independent night workers, encourage their employees to drive more safely, and digitise their fleet tracking operations, among other benefits.
Continue reading “How Mailia Streamlines Delivery Fleet Operations with Mapon”
Modern technology offers immense potential for fleet management analytics and data-driven decision-making. The more you utilise data and set benchmarks for the future, the more confident you become about your decisions.
However, it can be difficult to navigate all the information and not drown in the numerous platforms used by the company. In fact, 46% of fleets use over 10 apps to manage operations, and 48% of fleet managers emphasise that the most helpful technology solution for them would be a single platform that provides all necessary information.
Advanced fleet management is not just about collecting fleet data – it’s about optimising your company’s resources and respecting the environment at the same time. Mapon provides plenty of data to help you make smart decisions, whether it’s about fleet utilisation, maintenance, or sustainable driving.
Our client Remeo, a waste management company and circular economy promoter, uses Mapon solutions for data-driven optimisation of operations and the development of eco-friendly driving practices. So let’s sit down with Remeo’s representatives to discuss how advanced fleet management supports their vision of reducing environmental impact and optimising operations.
The Mapon platform acts as the right hand of Remeo’s foremen. In their daily work, foremen Isto and Neea use Mapon to check where company vehicles are in real time and what drivers are doing behind the wheel. The driving behaviour analysis reports provide valuable information for driver training and development discussions with drivers helping Remeo achieve their economic driving goals.
Fleet management makes up half of Remeo’s resource planning, which is why up-to-date fleet data is crucial for making data-driven decisions.
Fact-based decision-making is a key element of doing business. In addition to vehicle location data, Mapon provides a wealth of other important information for the foremen. Mapon is a great tool for resolving feedback and damage reports. Mapon can be used to check vehicle locations, route history, dates, times, and driving speeds, facilitating the resolving process and enabling a rapid response to potential claims.
“For example, if someone has reported to us that a heavy vehicle has hit a parked car at a certain location at a certain time, we can use Mapon reports to disprove the claim, if our vehicles were not moving in that area at the reported time” explains Isto, Foreman at Remeo.
Efficient fleet utilisation is particularly important for companies whose business activities revolve around their vehicle fleet.
“In general, fleet management is 50% of our resource planning, and people are the other half. At Remeo, the driver and the vehicle always go hand in hand. That’s why it’s really important for us to have the right number of vehicles – so that we avoid underutilising vehicles or constantly being without vehicles”, explains Joonas Savolainen, Development Manager at Remeo.
The fleet efficiency and usage data from Mapon can be used to draw conclusions about the optimal number of vehicles and can be used for work shift planning to ensure that all units are used as efficiently as possible.
At Remeo, fleet maintenance is an easy process since drivers regularly perform vehicle checks using the Mapon GO application. Based on these inspections, the supervisors book the necessary maintenance for vehicles. Vehicle-specific information on maintenance and inspection dates is always available in the system. In addition to fleet efficiency and maintenance data, Mapon provides mileage data that can be used for carbon footprint calculations.
“Having all the data easily accessible on the same software helps a lot in everyday work.” – Isto, Foreman at Remeo
All in all, the fleet management system is an invaluable tool in the daily work of the waste management company Remeo, providing supervisors and foremen with a comprehensive view of all fleet data in one platform to support better decision-making.
The journey of Remeo and Mapon started in 2018 with the goal of optimising Remeo’s fleet management processes and focusing more on driver behaviour monitoring.
Driving behaviour monitoring provides accurate information on driver’s habits behind the wheel. The solution includes data on measures such as eco-speed, coasting, idling, harsh acceleration, and braking. In addition, Remeo monitors drivers’ speeding.
“Thanks to our economical driving habits, we have saved the equivalent of the carbon dioxide emissions from heating 200 private homes a year.” – Remeo
Driver behaviour analysis can be used to identify responsible driving and, on the other hand, to address wasteful habits. Then supervisors can educate the drivers on more economical, safe, and sustainable driving practices. Many Remeo drivers take this as a positive challenge! “By collecting data on fuel consumption, vehicle condition, and driving habits, we can look at our activities based on data and results, thus working to reduce carbon emissions,” Remeo writes in their article.
Remeo’s goal for 2023 was to focus on the development of the coasting parameter of driving style. Coasting happens when a vehicle moves with the gears in neutral. Their aim was to increase the coasting rate to 10%. In practice, this means a 10% reduction in fuel consumption, and a roughly equivalent reduction in emissions.
In addition to the emission reductions, coasting preserves the car by reducing the amount of hard braking and by not wearing out the tyres as quickly. “In the long run, the increase in coasting will result in less frequent fleet repairs, and this way, we will also save natural resources”, Remeo writes in their article.
One of the greatest and most tangible insights has come from a Remeo driver, who realised that driving more economically doesn’t take up any more of his working time, but makes a huge difference in fuel spending:
“By getting the data and focusing on coasting, the refuelling interval is now three days instead of two while the work still gets done as smoothly,” says the Remeo driver.
Since spring 2022, Remeo’s average coasting rate has increased and the trend is continuing in the right direction. By autumn 2023, the best drivers had achieved coasting rates of up to 30%. That’s an excellent percentage, but significant fuel savings can be achieved already with a coasting rate of 15%.
Mapon is constantly working to make the platform as intuitive, modern, and user-friendly as possible. It is rewarding to hear how Remeo foremen Neea and Isto, and Development Manager Joonas agree that the Mapon platform is logical and easy to adopt. Isto and Joonas say that one does not require lengthy training or instruction to start using Mapon: “With just a little familiarisation, you can learn to use the platform very quickly.”
“From the very beginning, the personal chemistry with the people at Mapon has been good and that was one of the reasons, apart from the easy-to-use interface, why we chose to work together with them in the first place. When thinking about new ideas regarding our fleet, I always feel like Mapon is just as excited to move forward with us. We are never told straight away that something is not possible, they always start exploring options and respond to our needs. It’s been really positive,” Joonas explains.
“If someone were to ask me, I would definitely be the first to recommend Mapon.” – Joonas, Development Manager at Remeo
Since the beginning of our cooperation, Remeo has been interested in new ways the Mapon platform can help meet its fleet management goals. They’ve actively tested our solutions, provided feedback, and we’ve always supported their vision to the best of our ability. “It is great to see how our mutual commitment to close cooperation and development has borne fruit,” sums up Antti Korhonen, the Chief Operating Officer of Mapon Finland.
If you are looking for an innovative fleet management partner for your company, turn to Mapon. We are one of the leading fleet management service providers in Europe with more than 18 years of experience. We have a variety of fleet management solutions such as real-time vehicle tracking, remote digital tachograph download, fleet fuel monitoring, fleet camera systems, and many others – all in one platform.
Feel free to contact us and join us on the journey towards more efficient fleet management, data-driven optimisation, and a more sustainable future!
We sat down with our client Ajomestarit Ltd. to discuss their experience with Mapon solutions. The Mapon platform is one of their most important tools for various daily work areas – management, task scheduling, maintenance, and invoicing operations. The company tracks more than 100 vehicles using Mapon solutions.
Ajomestarit is a Finnish company that offers transportation and warehousing services, including:
The business employs more than 70 service-minded transport professionals. Mapon supports Ajomestarit’s operations to deliver consistent and reliable transportation services for their clients every day.
“Along with our growth, the up-to-date information that we get from Mapon has been essential for our business. For me, the most important thing is that I can get a clear and simple overview of the fleet situation from one system at a glance. This is even more important when you have a large fleet and a lot of employees”, says Toni Murtoniemi, the CEO of Ajomestarit.
Ajomestarit uses the Mapon platform to monitor work times, employee driving habits, and more. Two essential features of Mapon are the geo-fence tool and alerts.
For example, Ajomestarit uses them to monitor driving speed near local school areas. The company has created geo-fences for those locations on the Mapon platform map. Both the manager and the driver receive immediate alerts on their phones if the 40 km/h speed limit is exceeded.
Another valuable improvement for the company concerns idling times. They have been reduced after implementing Mapon. At Ajomestarit, the Mapon platform functions as a solution for improving real-time road safety, as well as a tool for developing environmentally friendly and economical driving habits.
“For us, it’s not just about occasional monitoring. Mapon is an everyday tool for us, actively used by everyone from management to drivers. Data is collected and reported daily, which engages and motivates us all to do quality work,” says Toni Murtoniemi.
While considering which fleet management provider to choose, Ajomestarit discovered that Mapon’s broad range of features can support the company’s operations in many different areas. This versatility was a major selling point when choosing the tracking partner.
Scheduling and planning work tasks became easier thanks to real-time GPS tracking – all vehicle movements can now be seen on an interactive map. Ajomestarit can give clients precise time windows for their deliveries and, if necessary, the vehicle movements can even be shared with the customer via link.
Customers’ schedule requests are easy and quick to respond to and unnecessary phone calls are eliminated as managers can monitor fleet movements and situations in real-time. Additionally, the route history tool makes it easy to verify loading and unloading times.
“We want to respond to our customers’ needs on short notice, sometimes even within an hour. Mapon is a good tool for making it possible,” says Toni Murtoniemi.
Toni Murtoniemi says that tracking fleet costs with Mapon is really simple, which helps with planning and sticking to budgets. Apart from the initial implementation, there is no need to constantly enter data into the Mapon platform, as it is collected automatically. Once started, maintenance is effortless and all data is available in one place.
The CEO notes that he utilises Mapon reports a lot. They can be sent directly to a specific email, and with the help of various reports, the collected data is easy to analyse. This allows employees to focus on the essentials and decisions can be made based on accurate information.
“Overall, we are satisfied with Mapon services. It’s nice to see that the software is constantly developing and that clients’ wishes are listened to. In the future, we may consider utilising other Mapon features that we do not use yet,” says Toni Murtoniemi.
Mapon offers fleet management and asset tracking solutions for all companies in a variety of industries – we’ll help track small, large and mixed fleets, as well as all your valuable assets. If you are looking for an innovative fleet management partner, reach out to us!
If you’ve ever unloaded cargo only to find overripe fruits, sprouting vegetables, or discoloured shrimps, you know firsthand the consequences of temperature mishaps during transportation.
For those in cold chain management, maintaining the correct temperature is vital for business success. In this article, we’ll delve right into the details of temperature monitoring in logistics, including the most significant challenges and ways to overcome them using temperature graphs.
Continue reading “Ice Cold Efficiency: Temperature Monitoring in Logistics”
With the European Union’s plans to reach zero net emissions of greenhouse gases and climate neutrality by 2050, it is clear that every business has to contribute to the goal. The transport industry carries a large responsibility for this, as it currently accounts for ¼ of the global CO2 emissions.
Green fleet management solutions offer a promising path toward more sustainable operations and enhanced efficiency of your business. In this article, we’ll outline five ways to go green while boosting the overall effectiveness of your company.
Efficient fleet management is crucial in chemical transportation to ensure safe and cost-effective operations. Bulk Tainer Group has been in the field since 2009 and offers tailor-made product transportation services. It has 5 divisions: Bulk Tainer Logistics, Bulk Tainer Transport, Bulk Tainer Depot, Bulk Tainer Custom Brokers and Bulk Tainer Telematics.
Continue reading “Bulk Tainer Case Study: Easier Workflow for Fleet Managers with Mapon Solutions”
