Synovia Solutions Blog

It’s nearly wintertime in the United States, and across much of the country that means a seasonal shift in approach for construction companies. Cold weather sets in as the seasons change, and plummeting temperatures change the game for everyone who works outdoors. As you might expect – and U.S. Census Bureau data backs up this statement – business tends to drop for construction companies. However, with changes in the economy and construction technology in the past couple decades, there is no off-season.

Your business is expected to remain active even after the first snow. Here’s how you can accomplish that, maintain quality standards – and keep your crews safe. 

EVERY DETAIL IS CRITICAL 

You’re always careful about making sure every part of every job is done right, but in cold winter weather the margins are slimmer. Any minor mistake can snowball into a major problem, and the normal ways of doing things may not cut it when the temperature dips below freezing. Because of that, it’s critical to get all the details right when you’re building in winter.

Cold weather causes many typical construction materials to act differently than they do when it’s warm out. Water in concrete will freeze, resulting in crystals forming in the mix and the dried concrete failing to reach its full strength. Masonry has the same issues, as water expands while freezing which can cause strength issues in a finished masonry project. Digging foundations is made more difficult by frost in the ground – once the frost level goes below 8-12 inches, special machinery may be needed to penetrate it. When snow or freezing rain covers building frames, it becomes impossible to apply sealants. These are just a few of the problems that winter construction can bring, and any one of them can deal a heavy blow to your efforts. 

Winter is especially taxing for vehicles and equipment, making maintenance more an issue than ever. First of all, you must prepare your own equipment for cold weather. Preventative maintenance and checks of heat and defrosting systems are a good start. It’s also important to continually monitor your equipment all season long – don’t just give each vehicle a once-over and assume it’s good to go. This is one place where Synovia can help. Our Silverlining™ suite includes real-time engine diagnostics that give fleet managers the ability to know when repairs are needed before a breakdown. Unexpected repairs are a thing of the past, and the maintenance that’s done is far cheaper.

Fuel economy also becomes a bigger issue than normal during winter. Cold weather affects efficiency in a number of ways – cold engine oil increases friction, icy roads decrease grip and waste energy, even heaters waste energy. Synovia engine diagnostics allow fleet managers to monitor efficiency and take necessary steps to save fuel. Location tracking also helps, by giving insight into whether drivers are operating vehicles efficiently and whether they’re driving optimal routes.

Additional equipment is required past your usual arsenal as well. Heavy-duty equipment may be needed to properly dig through the frost layer to lay a foundation. If inclement weather strikes at the wrong time, the frame needs to be covered for sealant application. Masonry and concrete must be kept warm throughout the whole process, and anything from heating the components to simply heating the whole work site could be called for. If wind chill is a factor, wind breaks may need to be built as well. 

PROTECTING YOUR TEAM 

Job site safety is top of mind for every project, but again, the unique conditions of winter mean extra effort must be exerted to make your team safe. Ice, snow, and cold all make the job site a bit more dangerous than it would be in the pleasant weather of spring or fall, or even the heat of summer.

Driving in winter is an issue, whether it’s a truck going from site to site or a piece of equipment moving around on an individual site. Ensuring drivers are properly trained and licensed to operate the vehicles they drive in winter weather is critical. Simply reminding workers of the dangers of icy roads and frozen job sites is important as well. 

Workers being struck by vehicles on site is a major concern, since it’s far easier to skid or lose control of a vehicle in the ice or snow. Because of this, traffic controls are just as important on a work site as they are on the road. Signs, cones, barrels, and barriers can all be used to protect drivers and pedestrian workers alike. It’s also advisable to have workers wear reflective vests when on a site with active vehicles and other equipment. Every little bit you can do to keep workers visible and protected from the equipment they work around will help. 

Getting stranded in a vehicle is not only more likely in icy and snowy conditions, but the cold makes it more dangerous than it would be in more pleasant weather. It’s important to train your drivers to know what to do in such situations. It’s instinct to want to seek out help, but that’s one of the worst things you can do. Drivers need to know how to stay warm, signal for help, and prevent maladies like frostbite and carbon monoxide poisoning. This way a stranded vehicle will be a temporary inconvenience, rather than something much more frightening. 

It’s also a good idea to track vehicles as closely as possible, so you know where vehicles are and can direct help to the right location without delay. A Synovia GPS tracking system gives fleet managers constant visibility into vehicle locations in real time, 24/7. Not only does this allow a manager to locate vehicles, but alerts and reports monitoring driver behavior can also help crack down on unsafe driving. This data is useful for route-building and other reporting year-round, but in winter when safety is at a premium it’s absolutely critical. 

Slick surfaces are dangerous for workers on foot as well as ones operating vehicles. Whether on the ground or on the framework of a building or on a scaffold, slips and falls are an issue in the cold. Again, training for your workers is important. Walking more carefully and wearing the proper footwear will protect against a lot of issues. Make it clear to your team that rushing will do more harm than good, and that safety is a priority over speed. It’s also important to clear snow and ice from walkways as much as possible.

PREPARATION WILL MAKE WINTER WONDERFUL

No matter what, careful planning is important before any winter construction job starts. You can’t get caught off-guard by a blizzard, with no contingencies in place. Your needs will differ based on the unique project you’re working on, but the principle – preparation – is universal.

Your business can’t afford to take the winter off. You also can’t afford to sacrifice safety or quality. With this advice and a telematics partner like Synovia, your construction company will thrive in the cold.

 

 

As a fleet manager, keeping your vehicles and drivers safe is a primary concern, especially with accident management costs rising 5% from 2013 to ’14.

The fact is, companies are now paying more to get their vehicles back on the road. There are a variety of reasons for this, such as technology installed in vehicles and the use of alternative manufacturing materials like aluminum, carbon fibers and plastics. Because of this, more parts need to be replaced rather than repaired and those repairs require more sophisticated equipment. Even safety features have caused a spike in repair costs in recent years; air bags, sensors, and seat belt retractors can add thousands of dollars to an accident repair job.

How GPS tracking can help

As the price of repairs continues to rise, fleet managers are taking notice and looking for ways to avoid costly accidents. GPS Tracking technology from Synovia Solutions can help you protect your fleet and minimize repair costs.

With our GPS, fleet managers can track vehicles, map routes, and create more meaningful traffic reports. By using this information, fleet managers can more accurately account for their vehicles and reduce risks to their fleet.

Fleet managers can also review the driving habits of their employees, so you’ll know who is driving safely or not. By having the safest drivers on the road at all times, you’ll limit the chance of an accident, lower repair and insurance costs.

Keeping your fleet in top-driving shape can also increase safety and decrease repairs. Our Engine Diagnostics feature allows you to be proactive about fleet maintenance, instead of reactive. You’ll know in real-time when a vehicle needs some work, or is due for maintenance. This helps you better manage your fleet, and keep you from getting caught off guard by repairs.

But that’s not all you can do. Through Engine Diagnostics, you’ll know how many miles per gallon your fleet gets, and how to improve fuel efficiency. You can even set regular reports so you can review components like engine hours and fuel usage. 

Should a truck break down, GPS tracking makes it easier to find, reach, and replacing. Helping you keep your delivery schedule—and satisfied customers. 

Start reducing fleet management costs today. 

Getting started with Synovia Solutions is simple. We offer a free, no obligation trial so you can experience the benefits first hand. We’ll send you a device to plug into your vehicle so you can starting learning how to view vehicle locations, engine idle time, speed, driver behavior, diagnostics, and more in real time.

After you decide Synovia Solutions is right for you, we’ll provide installation on your entire fleet with no upfront costs. To learn more about Synovia Solutions, visit www.synoviasolutions.com or call 1-877-796-6842.

Sources: http://www.automotive-fleet.com/channel/safety-accident-management/article/story/2015/07/accident-management-cost-continue-modest-increases.aspx

A good business owner or fleet manager is always on the lookout for ways to save money while improving service to their customers or constituents. Increasing the efficiency of your vehicle fleet is a great way to achieve both simultaneously. Here are a few methods that can help you make it happen for your business:

Cut fuel costs

Fuel is expensive, and it’s one of the biggest concerns for any fleet manager. Finding ways to reduce fuel usage is a major priority, but with a whole fleet of vehicles and a team of drivers to manage, it’s not an easy task. Fuel card reporting is a solution that allows you to monitor expenses and usage of fuel across single vehicles and fleets. 

Two crucial weapons are data and communication. Knowing how often and for how long your vehicles are in use can help you to better manage your fleet and reduce fuel usage. You can use GPS data to communicate with drivers about wasteful driving habits while educating them on how to change for the better.

Reduce time and money spent on repair issues

A broken-down vehicle creates a long-list of problems for your fleet. Routes get diverted or missed, you can’t cover your whole territory and you might even be paying drivers to sit by while repairs are being made. At worst, a vehicle’s lifespan could be shortened dramatically. The best way to keep any of that from happening is to prevent major mechanical issues before they happen, while they’re still minor problems that can be addressed with minimal downtime and expense.

Knowing what’s going on inside your vehicles means that you can see what’s coming. Long periods of downtime are avoided. Your vehicles remain in the field, your drivers keep busy and your clients stay happy.

Increase driver safety

Reckless driving is deadly. It can also hurt your business even if your drivers never end up in an accident. If a motorist is cut off by someone driving a truck with your business’ name on it, that motorist goes from potential customer to outspoken critic.

Speeding and reckless driving can also cause unnecessary wear and tear on vehicles, and increase the time and money you have to spend on wear and tear items and vehicle replacement. It can even raise your fuel costs. Training your drivers to operate their vehicles safely and efficiently can save a lot of money. It can also save lives.

Monitor vehicle and equipment locations

As your fleet grows, it gets harder and harder to manage. Things fall through the cracks. Sometimes equipment can end up lost or stolen from a worksite. Having to replace equipment that’s disappeared without a trace gets expensive quickly. Making an effort to track your equipment closely, with detailed reporting, will help you save thousands on replacement spending. Asset tracking can help you always know where your equipment is - and easily locate it if it goes missing. 

Find the best routes

The shortest path to fleet efficiency is just that – finding the shortest and simplest routes for your drivers to use. Don’t just guess when drawing up routes – gather data to make informed decisions, and then make sure your drivers are following the proper routes.

Of course, all of these tactics are much easier when you have comprehensive data at your disposal – the kind of data Synovia GPS-powered tools provide. Vehicle monitoring allows you to track fuel consumption and maintenance needs as they arise. Location tracking means you’ll always know where your equipment is. Request a demo or begin your free trial today. You’ll love what Synovia Solutions GPS tracking technology can do for you.

When managing a public safety fleet, you need a way to ensure your personnel are in position to respond to emergencies as quickly as possible. But as tightening budgets meet rising fuel and maintenance costs, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to serve those who need you most.

Fortunately, Synovia Solutions has everything you need to better manage your entire public safety fleet, from police squad cars and unmarked patrol units to fire trucks, EMS ambulances and beyond. Synovia Solutions GPS technology enables you to track driver behavior, so you can enforce safer driving habits while decreasing unnecessary fuel consumption.

With GPS tracking tools from Synovia Solutions, you can enhance service to the community and ensure your vehicles remain in the line of duty. How? With route verification tools that confirm whether an area is being patrolled and engine fault code alerts that enable minor repairs to be made before they become major problems.

With Synovia Solutions GPS tracking, your officers, firefighters, paramedics and other first responders will be able to reach those in need faster while your department will see a reduction in fuel and maintenance expenditures and marked improvement in overall cost savings, vehicle uptime, accountability and more. 

Want to find out more?

Simply download our guide, How GPS Systems Protect Police and the Communities They Serve. Inside, you’ll discover how GPS tracking can make police work safer and more cost efficient, from crime mapping and route planning to savings on fuel and maintenance expenses.

The best way to make your school system’s buses are as safe and efficient as possible is through careful route planning. Optimal routes will save time and money, and keep your students safe. But even with considerable planning, it’s important to audit your routes and monitor them on a frequent basis.

You need insights to how your routes are performing relative to the planned routes. Are your bus drivers following the routes as designed? Did the bus get to its stop on time, and not early or late? Did it make all the stops it was supposed to, or were stops added? Did the bus arrive at the school on time? Synovia’s Comparative Analysis tool allows transportation managers to review the route planning with the actual results.

Comparative Analysis tracks key performance indicators like arrival time at school, missed stops, extra stops made, and punctuality so you know how your drivers are doing, and can determine why vehicle routing problems occur. It matches your planned routes to the actual data on both a macro and micro level. For any district, Comparative Analysis can give you a percentage of buses running on time to gauge your overall fleet. And it gives you the ability to drill down to look at specific schools, specific routes, etc. to make adjustments.

A transportation director can even monitor buses in real time. With live updates, a route’s current status is always available with an ETA on individual stops and arrival at the school. With the Yard Monitor, you know when buses enter and leave the parking lot so you know as early as possible if a bus is late or a driver is a no-show, and can take the appropriate action.

Comparative Analysis provides you with the facts to deal with issues such as a missed bus. Rather than having to take a driver’s word against that of a parent claiming the bus didn’t stop for their child, a transportation director can go to the data to see exactly what happened, and defuse conflict before it starts. Historical data can be provided to tell the parent when the best time would be for their child to get to their stop.

Routing adjustments are made to help you optimize your routes and improve your fleet metrics. Is a driver taking 20 miles to drive a 10-mile route because of problems with traffic in the area? Is it driver error? Is the driver avoiding dangerous intersections? Now you have the data to compare what’s supposed to be happening with what is happening, and whether changes need to be made to the plan.

The best transportation plan is the one that’s safe for passengers and drivers, provides convenient service for students and parents, and saves the district money. With Comparative Analysis and accurate real-time data and insights, that plan can become reality.

GPS tracking solutions, such as the ones offered by Synovia, provide you with the gift of information. To maximize benefits, it is important to use fleet telematics as a complete fleet management solution and utilize the information provided to guide your day-to-day actions. Below are five ways Synovia Solutions can help you reduce time and money spent managing your fleet. 

1. Decreased Fuel Consumption- Fleet management solutions from Synovia can help save on fuel costs by empowering you to monitor and subsequently manage and influence driver behavior. You can ensure your drivers are adhering to their assigned route, not burning fuel unnecessarily by taking “the long way back.” Synovia’s software can also monitor how much time your vehicles spend idling, so you’ll know if fuel is being wasted while a vehicle is parked. And by tracking driver performance, including excessive speeding, harsh braking, abrupt turning and sudden acceleration, you can make certain that your drivers operate your vehicles safely and efficiently.

2. Improved Operational Efficiency- GPS applications generate more efficient route planning and scheduling, helping you achieve noticeable cost savings. You’ll be able to consolidate routes, allowing your fleet to operate with the appropriate number of vehicles. And while most schools and commercial operations have a route planning system in place, there is no way to tell what is actually taking place out on the road without a tracking solution. For example, If one of your drivers were to stray from their assigned route, you would never know unless you actually witnessed it happening. Synovia software eliminates this uncertainty.

3. Reduced Vehicle Mileage and Wear- Every minute on the road is costly. By managing excessive braking, hard turns, speeding and acceleration, those costs can be greatly reduced. With Synovia, you can tell if a 20 mile route is taking longer than planned so you can put a stop to side trips, courtesy stops and other inappropriate use of your asset. Synovia Solutions also lets you monitor engine diagnostics. If a fault code appears, our software can inform you of the problem in real-time, helping you avoid costly repairs. What’s more, Synovia telematics gives your dispatchers the ability to see which vehicles are closest to a specific location, so they can send the nearest driver in the event of an emergency. This can be especially valuable if you are looking to better response times or avoid additional wear on high mileage vehicles.

4. More Control Over Your Payroll System- If your drivers are paid hourly and you don’t have a foolproof way of tracking their time, your payroll costs are likely higher than they should be. With Time and Attendance from Synovia, you can rest easy knowing the hours your employees log is correct. A web-based solution, Time and Attendance allows drivers to clock in and out from their vehicles rather than a central location or a paper timesheet, so you no longer have to wonder if time logged is accurate. Time and Attendance can also help you manage the number of hours employees work each week. If an employee’s hours are close to the full-time threshold, assignments can be shifted, allowing your department to avoid benefit-related expenses associated with the Affordable Care Act. In addition, Time and Attendance helps manage overtime costs, saving your department even more. And since Time and Attendance ties in directly to your payroll system, reports can be sent directly to your payroll department, drastically reducing time spent on manual data entry or re-keying information.

5. Increased Time Savings- Think about it – how much time do you spend dealing with day-to-day issues, like parents or customers calling wondering where one of your vehicles is located? All of those calls rob you of your time, forcing you to stop what you’re doing and investigate. Without GPS, you will always be in the dark. With Synovia, the light switch goes one and you’ll always know the exact location of every vehicle in your fleet, so you can take care of any issues quickly and stay focused on your daily responsibilities.

When it comes to fleet management systems, Synovia Solutions delivers a complete package that’s tough to beat. To start, our incredibly capable and intuitive platform is paired with a knowledgeable and experienced sales and support team you can count on. Then there’s Synsurance, a way to pay for your system over time that is unlike anything our competition can offer. In fact, many of our current customers have switched from another GPS solutions provider to Synovia because it’s simple, easy to use and doesn’t require any upfront investment. To help make your choice even more clear, we’ve assembled seven reasons to get started with Synovia.

With Synsurance, there are no upfront costs.- Synsurance means you pay nothing to get started with Synovia, and includes everything you need to get going right away, including all training, hardware and support. What’s more, we guarantee there will never be a price increase for the life of your agreement, so you can your plan your budget knowing your costs won’t increase.

We provide you with essential information in a simple, easy to understand way- Synovia software identifies things you should look out for, be it alerts or key performance indicators – all of which can be fully customized. With Synovia, you never have to dig deep to find the right data. We provide you with clear, high level information tailored to your specific needs. And if there is something that requires your immediate attention, our applications will alert you and provide the details you need to address any issue you may encounter.

Synovia provides an intuitive platform that can be learned quickly- Our software was designed to be incredibly user-friendly from day one, so the amount of training required is minimal. In fact, all of our training videos are embedded in our online help section. We also host a monthly online training webinar at no cost to our clients. Should you ever need a refresher or are looking to get a new hire up to speed, you have the ability to choose when and where you want to learn.

Our platform is designed to do more- In addition to the numerous core benefits our software delivers, Synovia software is engineered to be easy to connect to other third party applications so that you can adopt new capabilities quickly and easily.

Synovia has your back. Always.- At Synovia, our expert support team is full of industry veterans who know every aspect of our software and fully understand fleet management. Their commitment to our customers and years of experience means you’ll never have to search for the right answers to your questions.

We stand behind our products- With Synsurance, your warranty never expires. We provide spare hardware for you to keep on-site. If any piece of your hardware ever malfunctions, we’ll send you a replacement part immediately and at no cost to you, so you don’t have to worry about dealing with extended downtime. We back this up with a 99% uptime guarantee, or we pay.

Software that’s always up-to-date- Synovia provides important software updates three to four times a year. Each update can be accessed quickly and easily and integrates with your existing technology seamlessly. The best part? Every update provides a clear benefit and will never complicate your existing setup. 

As school systems nationwide continue to face cuts in state educational funding, district officials are looking to technology as a way to increase operational efficiencies. One of these officials is Steve Zickefoose, Assistant Superintendent for the Lincoln County, North Carolina school district. Steve and the Lincoln County schools have been using Synovia Solutions for the past two years. We spoke with Steve, who shared how Synovia has helped his district improve operations and reduce costs.

As Assistant Superintendent, what keeps you up at night?

Just one thing. A continual decrease in state funding.

Is that what led you to seek outside help?

Primarily. For one, we were looking for a better way to capture employee time for payroll purposes. Drivers were clocking in when they arrived at our transportation building, not when they boarded their buses. This was costing us. We wanted to examine our bus routes and scheduling procedures to see if there were ways we could make either more efficient. We were also concerned about student safety, and needed a way to determine the location of our buses at all times.

What were your reasons for choosing to work with Synovia?

We had been looking for a partner for the better part of two years, and considered a wide range of options. But no one else seemed to offer what Synovia offered us. There were a lot of monthly data costs with other vendors, and many didn’t have a product that was able to communicate with our current software. With Synovia, neither was an issue. 

And Synovia was the only group we spoke with that didn’t require full payment up front. With Synsurance(SM), we were able to lease our equipment rather than having to buy it outright. Having a pay-as-you-go structure was huge for us. Not having to present capital up front is what allowed us to afford a solution like Synovia at all. Plus, we knew Synovia had helped several other districts. We knew they were industry pioneers with a proven track record.

What was it like to get started?

Synovia was in constant contact with us throughout the entire implementation phase. They exceeded our expectations by leaps and bounds by meeting all of our immediate needs. What’s more, Synovia met with us in-person and demonstrated their software using live data from our own fleet. And once it’s setup, there is no need for additional support. The system is so simple to operate.

How would describe your overall experience?

Our experience has been excellent. We use Synovia to track just about all of our vehicles. There hasn’t been much need to interact with the Synovia team as far as troubleshooting is concerned, but they touch base with us every couple of weeks to see how things are going. We’ve served as a reference for Synovia to other districts on several occasions. When they ask why we recommend Synovia, we tell them it’s because their product is functional, reliable and it just works. Period.

Severe temperatures with extreme wind chill and snow has disrupted the start to the school year. What does this mean for students waiting for a school bus? It can result in students getting sick, or worse, frostbite from the elements. What if the parents could see when the school bus was a minute or two from the bus stop in their neighborhood? We have been working very hard to provide this visibility to parents. 

Our Parent Access tool allows the parents to track where the school bus is located, and it provides an estimated arrival time for the children's bus stop. It alerts parents when a school bus is delayed. And most of all, it gives parents peace of mind knowing their children are making the bus on time and returning home safely – and shows your district’s commitment to safety.

Check out this clip from Indianapolis’ WISH-TV News 8 on our implementation at several Indiana school districts.

In a winter plagued by storms like the "Polar Vortex," it is rewarding to improve the start to the day for students and parents.