How EROAD helped Challenge Logistics run a safer, more efficient business

Business Need

Challenge Logistics transports gas cylinders carrying acetylene, liquid nitrogen and oxygen throughout the country to manufacturers, hospitals and anyone else who needs gas.

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From a risk point of view, not only are the cylinders heavy — they can weigh anything from 13 to 300kg each, but as Director Andrew Forbes explained, if the top of a 106kg cylinder was to be knocked off, “It’s going to be like a rocket going through your restaurant.”

Challenge approached EROAD with the business need to ensure that all measures possible are taken to reduce the risks of its cylinders causing harm to staff and the public during transportation from one place to another.

Solution

Challenge incorporated EROAD’s state of the art technology into its rigorous regime for its drivers, to ensure they are continually monitored and upskilled, and to support safety and risk policies and procedures for when they are on site.

Challenge uses a range of EROAD features to promote safer driving in its 34 trucks and seven vans:

EROAD Drive Buddy provides drivers with real-time in-cab feedback, to help them adjust any risky behaviour while they are on the road. For example, gas becomes a liquid when in a cylinder, so when driving a load of cylinders, this creates a “slosh” factor. Drive Buddy’s cornering alerts remind drivers to keep an eye on their speed around bends. “If we’ve got guys going around corners too quickly, we’re really pushing the thresholds of the stability of the vehicle,” explains Andrew.
Challenge uses EROAD Leaderboard as a foundation for its extensive driver education programme. The Leaderboard ranks drivers based on speeding, harsh braking and acceleration, and provides a good indication of which drivers need more support and additional training. The five lowest ranked drivers on its Leaderboard receive a refresher course with the driver trainer. “It enables us to put someone with them for a week and see what’s going on,” says Andrew.
Challenge has also incorporated EROAD’s Stop Watch Geofence into its lone worker policy, which requires staff entering a site on their own to carry oxygen monitors and other safety equipment. Using geofence technology and in-cab monitoring, Challenge can draw an electronic border around a defined area such as a depot and set a timer on it. If a vehicle enters but doesn’t leave within the specified period, an email is sent to notify the right person back in the office. “We haven’t had an incident, touch wood, but we have tested it, that’s for sure. And the system does work.”

“We use EROAD as a safety tool but data’s power. The more data you have, the better you can run, the more efficient you can become, and the more efficient we become, the more we can give to the staff.”

Andrew Forbes
Director, Challenge Logistics

Benefits

By using Drive Buddy and Leaderboard together with Driver Insights reporting, Challenge can build a picture of driving behaviour. It not only helps drivers be safer on the road, but time with the driver trainer offers opportunities for Challenge to introduce additional efficiencies into the business.

“Not everyone is taught how to drive correctly, how to manage their day and so on. It might just be a simple gear change in the wrong rev range and the driver is getting into the red zone instead of sitting in the economical zone.”

Andrew says he’s noticed a difference in fuel bills with improvements in driving. He also notes the transparency afforded by an automated system is a big help.

“We use EROAD as a safety tool but data’s power. The more data you have, the better you can run, the more efficient you can become, and the more efficient we can become, the more we can give to the staff.”