Advancements In Fleet Telematics Improve Safety Outcomes for Customers
WORDS BY ADAM DENNIS , SENIOR SALES REPRESENTATIVE , WEBFLEET
When we talk about safety , our focus is usually on workplace safety — driver , road , and vehicle safety . It ’ s easy to forget that many fleet operators are also responsible for ensuring the safety of customers and passengers .
For many fleet operators , the safe delivery of produce , medicines , or sensitive materials is paramount to their business . This can mean simply ensuring cargo is stored correctly , arrives unspoiled , and arrives ready for sale .
It ’ s one thing to have goods damaged in transit from harsh steering or braking ; such damage is readily visible and identifiable . But modern products and produce are temperature sensitive . Too long at the wrong temperature can have costly or disastrous effects , such as produce spoilage or , worse , a risk to consumer safety .
A 2018 Department of Agriculture , Fisheries , and Forestry study estimated that around $ 3.8bn AUD was lost to spoilage within the cold food chain that year , representing 9 % of all produce transported that year .
The reasons for losses were heavily related to process failures , such as a lack of traceability , incorrectly stored loads , failures to comply with processes , or inability to verify that processes had been maintained throughout the chain .
When temperature-sensitive goods experience a temperature excursion , the effects are often hard to spot or undetected until consequences occur . With such serious consequences , guidelines are very stringent - the entire load can be suspect if produce cannot be proven to have been maintained within the process throughout the cold chain .
8 ISSUE 48 AUGUST 2024 / WWW . AFMA . ORG . AU