Abstract
The main risk associated with our operations is the large number of journeys that we must make. The combination of geography, weather, size of equipment, road conditions, driving hours, and lack of public safe driving education factors increase the probability of a vehicular incident with serious consequences.
In Latin America, we have implemented a real-time tracking system for our vehicles linked to the journey management system for all journeys. This global positioning system works in conjunction with local cellular networks, enabling the transmission and visualization through a Web-based computer interface in real time for all units. Company managers and supervisors can monitor these vehicles on their own computers in real time, including information about the movement, position, speed, status of the backup battery, and the journey schedule, including the names of the vehicle driver and passengers, as well as information about the hazardous materials that the vehicle may be carrying. Consequently, an outstanding supervision plan is in place with the information necessary to take appropriate action in the event of unexpected occurrences.
The short term benefits that we are already observing are the corrections of the deviations of the driving policy related to speeding and proper journey management. As a result of the supervision enabled by this system, corrective actions have been implemented.
The long-term benefits include behavioral changes related to driving habits, better use of the vehicle (avoiding personal use of official vehicles), possible location information in case of a theft, and reduced time required to activate the emergency plan in the event of an accident.
