Family-owned business Mick George started in 1980 with one tipper truck and is now one of the largest independent suppliers to the construction industry with a key focus on safety and technology.
The Challenge
Jonathan Willmore, Procurement Manager at Mick George embarked on the painful process of evaluating all telematics systems on the market. Usability, support, reports access and how the tracking worked were the key assessment criteria.
Starting their telematics journey with the Masternaut MWeb platform, their continued growth meant they wanted a system that could grow with them and was much easier to use. Driver safety, reducing risk and increasing efficiency are at the heart of all business decisions.
The Solution
Mick George implemented the Connect platform, as it came out on top with the most straightforward driver behaviour management and user-friendly tools being a big deciding factor.
Not only are the reports in the easy to see traffic-light format – green/amber/red – the in-cab feedback using the same formula allows drivers to positively change their driving behaviour on-job. It was also important to have everything on one platform, where everyone is scored with the same parameters.
The first stage of the migration involved 250 HGVs and was successfully implemented over five weeks. The fitting of the LGVs and cars was done in a second stage.
When introducing the new technology, drivers in the red were targeted first. The in-house driver trainers then spent time with them helping to improve their scores.
Four months in they use a two week rolling report to target those in the red, concentrating with internal one-to-one training and continuous communication providing feedback between the trainers and drivers.
Richard Thorpe, Enterprise Account Manager at Masternaut has been working closely with Jonathan Willmore, 
Procurement Manager at Mick George and the team, ensuring a smooth migration and the right modules to continue their success.
Richard said “It has been great working with Mick George and seeing how they are embracing the latest technology to drive efficiencies.
“They are already seeing significant savings, particularly in fuel. Continuing to work closely with them we are looking into how we can integrate our systems further, making the fleet more efficient, safe and increasing their ROI.”
Mick has also implemented PTOs in its skips and tippers to help reduce unnecessary idling and TachoFresh Live and Remote Download to make logistics more effective.
Live tacho information has removed the need to arrange meet ups to download data and the transport manager can instantly see hours driven, breaks taken and progress made. Both modules are already providing cost benefits and increasing productivity.
Mike Hemming, Head of Consultancy at Masternaut helped ensure the smooth installation process and is continuing to work closely with the company to ensure they get the best return on investment.
Mike said: “The strategy used was to target those drivers identified as the highest risk first, gradually encouraging behavioural improvement which is leading to a safer more efficient fleet. Going forward we are ensuring that the fleet continues to save money on fuel, and activating the light bars for the rest of the fleet.”
The Outcome
The results so far have been excellent, a significant improvement across the fleet, with one driver who’s points per hour have been reduced by 86.7 per cent. The drivers are seeing benefits in having telematics and understand how it is helping keep them safe.
Drivers Academy
Mick George introduced a ‘Drivers Academy’ which equips new drivers with all the skills they need to ensure safe driving practices. During training the light bar with in-cab feedback is making the drivers instantly aware of how they can improve their driving behaviour.
Those vehicles fitted and activated are already showing a cost saving of 5 per cent. Procurement Manager, Jonathan Willmore is estimating this will be around 9 per cent by the end of the first year, as more vehicles are fitted and training is carried out.
Once fully installed, the aim is to establish a leader board, encouraging a safer fleet through inter-depot competition and good old-fashioned banter.
The next steps are getting all drivers out of the red zone and rolling out the mobile app. Jonathan is currently trialling the driver app with his own vehicle and commented: “It’s fantastic, you don’t need a technical background to use it (or the system) and I can see my trends in real time and try to improve my driver behaviour.”
