N.Y. operator adopts sophisticated system

RENSSELAER, N.Y. During the past eight years, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has doled out $95 million in grants to scores of motorcoach companies to help pay for security improvements.

Operators, large and small, have used these Bus Security Grants, as the government largess is called, to install security cameras and fencing, equip buses with driver shields, install passenger or explosive screening equipment, and add global positioning satellite tracking and vehicle communication systems to their coaches.

Today, thousands of coaches across the U.S. have GPS and wireless communications systems as a result of the grant program, aiding operators in ways that go beyond the added security.

One of those companies is Yankee Trails World Travel of Rensselaer in upstate New York, near Albany.

In applying for one of the grants two years ago, the owners of Yankee Trails saw the program as an opportunity to not only improve security but also to improve company operations, save money, and upgrade driver performance.

"The federal grant represented an exciting opportunity for growth," said Stephen Tobin, president of Yankee Trails. "A year after completing the rigorous and competitive application process, we were awarded a portion of the grant. The infusion of those funds gave us the means to open the next chapter of our business."

At the time it submitted its grant application, Yankee Trails was tracking its fleet mileage using a manual process that required drivers to fill out sheets at the end of each run. It was a system better suited to the time when Yankee Trails was founded 53 years ago than the current high-tech era.

With the grant, Yankee Trails began looking for a supplier that would not only address security issues but also help it eliminate the mileage sheets, provide real-time driver behavior status, and track its vehicles. Five companies, which offered GPS tracking technology, responded to Yankee Trails RFP.

"Every company we spoke with had similar GPS tracking applications," said Tobin. "Some had more bells and whistles (than others), but overall, the front-end technology and web applications gave us the same kind of data.

"After going through all of their presentations, we felt comfortable with the technology and had narrowed down our selection to one company. That's when we got a call from . . . MiX Telematics, which impressed us enough to consider its solution as well."

MiX Telematics North America, which is based outside of Dallas, specializes in fleet management and real-time vehicle tracking products. It also offers proprietary "driver behavior modification solutions."

"Within just a couple of days we were sitting down with MiX Telematics, who shared their driver solutions with us and explained how they could give us immediate notification of driver behavior in addition to the vehicle tracking. Those real-time reports sold us on the (driver behavior modification) solution," said Tobin.

The basic MiX Telematics system costs just over $2,000 per coach, which includes hardware and three years worth of service.

When the Department of Homeland Security announced its grants in 2008, the amount awarded to Yankee Trails was $157,000. (See June 15, 2008 Bus & Motorcoach News.)

However, companies awarded DHS grants are prohibited from revealing exactly how much they spend for security enhancements, and the exact scope and nature of all upgrades.

Changing behavior

Following installation MiXs In-Vehicle Monitoring System in each of the companys 50+ motorcoaches, MiX and the company began monitoring the driving behavior of Yankee Trails drivers.

Not only are Tobin and his managers able to access driver reports, which show important data ranging from engine idle time to speeding, but they also have the assurance that MiXs fleet analysts are looking for the same red flags.

"Once our MiX system was up and running, we could observe the driving habits of each operator and provide real-time, actionable reports to Yankee Trails management," said Brian McCoy, vice president of sales and marketing at MiX Telematics North America.

"For example, we set up specific reports that display all of the red flags for excessive fuel burning behavior, which are automatically emailed to the Yankee Trails team."

The front-end portion of MiX's system includes the technology a company needs to visually observe each route. With the system, Yankee Trails can pinpoint the location of any coach in real-time, as well as observe the operators driving habits, such as speeding, harsh acceleration, hard braking and excessive idling.

The back-end portion of the system includes a team of analysts who monitor the information being recorded by intelligent video management systems technology and create real-time actionable reports that Yankee Trails can use to consult and train its operators to improve driving behavior.

Unexpected rewards

While the majority of Yankee Trails drivers understood the intent behind the initiative with MiX, Yankee Trails met some resistance. A few saw the program as a type of "Big Brother," constantly looking over their shoulder.

In an effort to allay concerns and reinforce the fuel savings opportunities the tracking and monitoring system offered, the company placed a large TV in the drivers lounge, which displays everything from the location of each motorcoach on a Google satellite map, to instances of harsh braking and excessive idling.

The TV allows drivers to see how the data is helping the company manage overall driving habits.

"Cutting down on speeding not only reduces the odds of a crash, but MPG is lowered by up to 2.2 percent for every one mile per hour over 55 MPH," notes McCoy of MiX. "Add those potential savings to the roughly two gallons of fuel saved per hour by eliminating excessive idling, and the reduction of maintenance costs by eliminating hard braking and acceleration and the (return on investment) starts to add up."

Yankee Trails also saw the real-time data MiX was providing as an opportunity to create a driver incentive program. This program scores every driver based on the information provided by MiX and rewards the top drivers based on fuel savings.

The company outlined the parameters of the program to MiX, which began creating monthly driver reports using a company-wide scoring system.

"Every time one of our drivers gets behind the wheel, they earn points for driving within the guidelines of our new driving program," explained Tobin. "We provide a certain number of points every time they meet the guidelines, but also penalize for speeding, harsh braking, idling and the other elements of driver behavior we consider unsafe or which unnecessarily burn fuel.

"Not only can we pull this report ourselves, but every month MiX sends us a report that details each operators driving behavior and ranks them by score."

The companys cash rewards program is paid out quarterly, with the first awards taking place this past December. Drivers can earn from $100 to $500 over a three-month period.

Now, everyone wins when drivers save fuel.

Unexpected rewards II

In addition to creating the cash-based incentive program, Yankee Trails also is using the MiX technology to help solve a thorny payroll issue.

Prior to implementing the MiX solution, drivers were paid by the hour or mile, whichever was greater. All of the mileage and time data was recorded on mileage sheets completed by the drivers. However, managing and interpreting the mileage sheets was a constant challenge for Yankee Trails human resources department.

Now, using the MiX system, mileage is tracked electronically. The reports are being automatically delivered with no driver input required.

"The real-time reporting services provided by MiX werent available from companies we talked to at the beginning of our search," said Tobin. "But weve since found that tracking a bus is only (one) piece of the puzzle. Having MiX feed us real-time data about our drivers behavior has created a whole new way of doing business for our company.

"Not only can we now reward good driving habits and pinpoint bad ones, but weve developed a more reliable payroll system. We've come to live by MiXs driver solutions and vehicle tracking. In fact, I would say these solutions are revolutionizing our business."