Capital Equipment News August 2019

TRANSPORT NEWS

Ctrack launches Driver Mobi service

Leading vehicle tracking and telematics provider, Ctrack, has launched Ctrack Driver Mobi in South Africa, following a successful rollout of the service in the United Kingdom. With Driver Mobi, drivers are able to view their driving behaviour scores from the convenience of their internet-enabled smart phones. The scores are derived from the jour- neys they have made over the last 30 days. The scores can then be compared against other drivers in the company or against specific driver groups within a company. This creates a competitive environment that encourages drivers to take greater personal responsibility for their driving, while simul- taneously incentivising drivers to better the driving performance of their colleagues. Using a smart mobile URL, the Ctrack Driv- er Mobi service records acceleration, braking, cornering, speeding and idling events every 100km and provides a score from these out of 100. Drivers are not able to manually edit their scores; they have to drive better in order to achieve better results. Drivers can view their past trips on maps and can also separate and submit business and private trip information. Business-only trips can also be exported in PDF format for tax purposes. Furthermore, drivers can complete comprehensive vehicle safety checks and can isolate vehicles by severity of issues. Driver comments can be added if vehicle components reach a critical stage of disrepair or damage. This information can then be submitted to an appropriate manager immediately via email, all from the convenience of the driver’s mobile phone. Ctrack’s Driver Mobi is ideal for small and

medium-sized businesses and works best in situations where multiple drivers drive the same vehicle. It greatly assists fleet man- agers with odometer corrections and can be used to monitor the effectiveness of driver training initiatives. Ctrack Driver Mobi can be accessed from any cell phone with an internet connection. It is suitable for use in fleets of any size and works with all makes and models of vehicles. “Ctrack continues to enhance and expand its range of services for small and medium-sized businesses. The introduction of Ctrack Driver Mobi is further evidence of our ongoing drive to simplify the administrative burdens faced by these enterprises, while enhancing driver safety in South Africa for the benefit of all road users,” comments Hein Jordt, MD of Ctrack South Africa. b Ctrack’s Driver Mobi is ideal for small and medium-sized businesses and works best in situations where multiple drivers drive the same vehicle.

Converting heavy duty vehicles to natural gas

Natural gas is reported to be cost effectively powering more than 24-million vehicles worldwide. NGV Gas, a division of CNG Holdings, has launched a local ground level promotional campaign in South Africa aimed at converting more local fleets to natural gas. Converting to natural gas can help any size fleet driven company save on their fuel bill. The kit can be purchased or financed and is easy to install. NGV Gas is currently converting petrol and diesel vehicles up to 350 KW starting from as little as R20 000. Diesel fuel has been deemed the fuel of choice for trucks for decades, but its high costs, need for regular servicing and high maintenance costs have intensified the need for alternative fuel for heavy-duty vehicles. Recent technological advances, the vast availability of natural gas and the recent Carbon Tax Bill have increasingly placed natural gas as an ideal and viable alternative fuel. Natural gas runs much cleaner than petrol and diesel, with up to 35% less CO 2 , NOX, HC and PM emitted compared to other fossil fuels. This has a direct impact on main- tenance costs. Because natural gas is a cleaner fuel, it elongates the periods between maintenance procedures while significantly lowering running costs. With less contami- nation and residue build-up across engine components, the truck’s engine is able to run smoother for longer. Natural gas has the most reliable, accessible and resilient supply network, around the clock and across the globe. A division of CNG Holdings, NGV Gas sets up Compressed Nat- ural Gas (CNG) filling stations for private and public transport, as well as in-house fillings stations for large companies. b

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