Mitigating Future Risks
WORDS BY DAVID SWORDS
Hello , and welcome to 2022 , didn ’ t that come around quickly ! As in most years the supposed quiet period of January didn ’ t quite happen , the normal process of planning for the year ahead , mapping out a variety of tasks and issues to address , Fleet swap outs , technology reviews or refresh programs . Audits on Chain of Responsibility ( CoR ) or WH & S / Duty of Care , and all at the same time as managing your actual day to day duties can be quite the shock to the post festive return .
So , how can we prioritise and maximise our time and effectiveness , well like most things it will depend on where you are in terms of your actual business , the sector you ’ re in , the wider industry and market issues , where you currently sit on your IVMS and Safety journeys . Then there are still the impacts of COVID , not only of the direct impacts in your business and your fleet staff , but indirectly on supply chains and the ability to get the right vehicles , components , and fit outs etc .
Let ’ s have a look at some of these in a broader context .
The ‘ Market ’, Well for a start if you currently run a GPS system as part of your IVMS , then the sunset of 3G should be firmly on your ‘ To Do list ’ with the replacement programs in the industry in the lead up to the switch off in 2024 , more and more areas of our roads will become issues for fleet and the data we rely on ( Think ‘ blackspots ’ so more data stored on the device until it returns into cellular coverage ) and ultimately the void of devices that you may still have on your books to finish paying for that can no longer talk to you . Best to start now on looking at what your risk profile is for 3G and transition to 4 / 5G enablement with your existing vendor , or use as a reason to revisit the marketplace – we all know that 3-year-old tech is , well 3-year-old tech . And don ’ t buy any really good deals on tech that are 3G this year .
Technology , not only do we see the 3G issue to play out , the rise of advanced systems that are leapfrogging existing processes , think Artificial Intelligence , Internet of Things , Data .
Things to look for in this future landscape :
• ADAS connectivity
• Automated Driver Assignment
• Automatic firmware Uploads / Downloads
• Capability Roadmap & Future proof Technology platform
6 ISSUE 33 FEBRUARY 2022 / WWW . AFMA . ORG . AU