The Indian commercial vehicle market is fast maturing and one area that is witnessing tremendous traction is vehicle tracking and fleet management. There are umpteen number of brands providing vehicle tracking solutions, some at really cheap prices and others slightly more priced, but on the whole, there is a lot of data that is being generated by monitoring the vehicle parameters.
During our recent interaction with Mr. V. Thiagarajan, Founder of KT Telematic Solutions Pvt. Ltd., we got a very different perspective on the entire idea of improving efficiency of fleets.
“In most cases, people are convinced it is the vehicle data that has to be tracked in order to increase the overall performance and efficiency. From my experience, I have found that it is equally, if not more important to track the person who is handling the vehicle. The vehicle by itself would never deny to perform at its best efficiency; it is in the hands of the driver who decides the efficiency, so it is the driver who has to be tracked and taken care of”, says Mr. Thiagarajan.
He continues: “For a vehicle, there are four important time periods – loading time, transit time, idle time and travel time to next loading point. Most GPS solutions are currently being used mainly to track what happens during the transit time. The other three time periods are equally important because that is where most of the inefficiencies occur. This is why tracking the non-movement aspect of the truck can make a big difference.”
Stating an example to prove his point, he explains: “For instance, if a heavy equipment is being transported, a crane is required at the unloading point. Many a times, the truck waits for hours together waiting for a crane or for information on what to do next. Along with the driver, the manager at the loading and unloading points also need to be brought into the whole tracking system. All details of the trip – loading point, route & time taken for the trip, unloading point – are well-known before the trip. Many of the operations currently being done manually can be automated which will result in tremendous increase in efficiency. Such models exist in some of the matured truck markets around the world and we are working on providing similar solutions for our customers.”
Hailing from a trucking family that owns over 400 trucks in Sankagiri, Mr. Thiagarajan is a data analyst who returned to India after completing his MS in Australia. Before starting KT Telematic Solutions, he had personally met over 3,000 truck owners and interviewed over 5,000 drivers to get a first-hand understanding of the nuances of the trucking business, the challenges and the most sought-after solutions. The company, which has received funding from home-grown tyre major Apollo Tyres, has come up with a fleet management solution that has become highly successful and is equipped on over 40,000 vehicles at present.