The case study
The Bradfords Group, one of the largest independent supplier of building materials in the U.K., needed a more comprehensive telematics solution for its commercial delivery fleet. To support its goal of delivering first-class, responsive customer service, the company was seeking a way to better monitor vehicle location, and improve driver behaviour and overall safety. Geotab provided the tools — including customised reporting — for the company to meet its safety and monitoring goals.
Who are The Bradfords Group?
Based in Yeovil, Somerset, U.K., The Bradfords Group are one of the largest independent builders merchants in the UK and has been supplying materials to the trade for over 200 years.
What challenge did The Bradfords Group have?
A need for comprehensive tracking. As fleets become ever-more reliant on fleet tracking, they are finding that not every solution can deliver the detail and insights they need for management.
This was the position that The Bradfords Group found itself in about a year ago, when Martin Caddick joined the company as Head of Transport. The company already had a telematics system in place, but Martin found that it wasn’t comprehensive enough.
“The previous system did not provide the key metrics we required, and was difficult to use. The lack of user friendliness made the system virtually unworkable.”
— Martin Caddick, Head of Transport, The Bradfords Group
How did The Barcode Warehouse and The Bradfords Group decide on the best solution?
The transition from the previous telematics solution to Geotab was also informed by Martin’s experience implementing a telematics solution for a previous employer — so he knew what to look for when choosing the right fit for Bradfords.
Ultimately, it was the combination of Geotab’s capabilities and the superior customer service that convinced Martin and his colleagues that it was the right choice.
What solution was implemented for The Bradfords Group and how does it work?
The company implemented Geotab about 12 months ago, and Theresa Heal, Transport Manager for The Bradfords Group, said it was a painless process.
She also notes that there was little driver pushback — reflecting both the way fleet and company leadership implemented the solution and the realities of the U.K. fleet market in regard to telematics.
The Geotab solution has been installed on all of the fleet’s commercial vehicles — vans, pickups, and LGVs.
How has the solution positively impacted The Bradfords Group?
With the Geotab Solution in place, Martin and his team have developed a customised reporting tool that they’ve named “The Magnificent Seven,” which is a scorecard that monitors seven key driver behaviours — among them speeding, harsh cornering, harsh braking, idling, and over-revving. The custom scorecard promotes safe and conscientious driving and also identifies drivers who may need additional coaching.
The weekly report identifies the top 10 best drivers and the 10 worst drivers in the business.
The Bradfords Group Boosts Safety and Efficiency with Custom Driver Scorecard.
The Magnificent Seven scorecard has led to improvements in driver behaviour and safety — with speeding a particular area of focus and success. As a result of drivers obeying the posted speed limits, The Bradfords Group was also able to cut fuel costs.
Successful Results:
Cut fuel costs by 2-4%, which they will continue to improve upon
Data used to dispute false incident claim against driver
“I would expect that we would see some reduction in brake wear because of the reduction in harsh braking. This is because people are driving the vehicles differently and they know they’re being monitored.”
— Martin Caddick, Head of Transport, The Bradfords Group
With the reduction of speeding events, Martin says that his next goal is to cut the amount of idling the fleet is experiencing, particularly in the winter months. For example, by reducing drivers’ vehicle warm up time routine from 15 minutes to five minutes, across 180 or 250 vehicles, the fleet could save literally thousands of pounds a month in diesel.
