Tennessee operator switches entire fleet

GREENEVILLE, Tenn. While federal safety regulators and politicians wrangle over the issue of whether to mandate electronic onboard recorders for over-the-road buses and trucks, Greene Coach Company here has adopted the devises and placed them on all of its buses.

Greene becomes the first coach operator in the U.S. to install the ISE Fleet Services eFleetSuite EOBR solution across its fleet, and maybe the only operator in the U.S. to have totally trashed conventional logbooks.

Drivers at Greene Coach are paperless for compliance with federal regulations governing hours of service, and will be using the system shortly for driver vehicle inspection reports (DVIR).

Says Russell Ooten, owner and CEO at Greene Coach: "I am very pleased with the results of our transition to electronic logs and inspection reports, using the eFleetSuite system. Drivers have found the system easy to use and we have already seen productivity increases from automated information capture and record retention.

"Furthermore, having available driver hours visible in both the coach and (via the) web enables us to better plan tour stops and events that are consistent with drivers duty limits and deter conflicting demands by tour directors," said Ooten.

eFleetSuite from ISE Fleet Services is designed as a safety and compliance application aimed at reducing risk, preventing accidents, boosting productivity and managing Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration compliance.

The system includes the mDash 4, a rugged in-cab EOBR that helps drivers stay within safety and compliance parameters.

Destination and roadside inspections are aided by providing information that can lead to a good driving record and an improved fleet-CSA score.

When approached by a vehicle inspection officer, Greene Coach drivers have been instructed to tell the inspector "were all electronic, please step in the bus." If the officer is not familiar with the ISE unit, the driver will walk the officer through the system that displays the complete driving record right up to the minute, and can review it for the previous seven days.

The touch-screen system shows exactly how many hours and minutes the driver has remaining before he or she must go off duty. This feature alone "takes the driver out of the argument" when groups want to extend the driving time beyond legal limits, says Ooten.

Safety directors, fleet managers, dispatchers, maintenance personnel and owners use eFleetSuite's web application for real-time and paperless compliance and resource management.

Adopting such a system requires everyone, especially dispatchers, to be more mindful of travel and wait times and ultimately driver hours.

As might be imagined, Greene met considerable driver resistance when he adopted the system, but he says even his veteran drivers have embraced the units.

"We continue to be impressed with the features of the eFleetSuite system. The seamless integration between the electronic driver logs and driver vehicle inspection reporting applications is unique and ensures that needed information for safety compliance and vehicle maintenance is consistently captured," says Ooten.

"The compliance mapping feature allows (dispatchers and others in the company) to check on our drivers locations and it shows us a color-coded view of their available hours, as well as current location. This is helping us make better planning decisions. We couldnt ask for a better partner," Ooten added.

Ooten and his staff worked closely with ISE to fine tune the system for motorcoach application. "We taught each other on this; what will work and what wont," said Ooten.

Greene Coach was founded by Ootens father 66 years ago. It provides charter services and specialty tours, operating a fleet of eight coaches, a midsize bus and a minibus.

Ooten believes EOBRs are inevitable and will level the playing field by helping get noncompliant operators that "stretch the day" off the road.

To learn more about the ISE system, go to www.isefleetservices.com.