If you mentioned GPS and telematics 20 years ago you might get strange looks, especially from school bus mechanics. Both technologies were far from legitimate options for running a fleet of school buses. But today, GPS and telematics are common tools used by many fleets to monitor maintenance schedules, bus locations, routing and driver performance, just to name a few.
The integration of telematics allows maintenance departments to use engine diagnostics to keep ahead of down time and costly repairs. The return on investment is obvious with the ability to control idling time and road speed, which directly aff ects fuel costs. Knowing when an engine code develops in real time prevents poor engine performance, wasted fuel and helps the shop keep on top of defects. Having the GPS advantage could turn into long- and short-term gains.
“GPS has given us a tool for reduction in idle times. Collecting this data gives insight into just how much drivers idle the engine,” said Bob Young, director of transportation at Boulder Valley School District in Colorado. “For us, we’ve found the greatest idle times to be among our white fl eet rather than among the school buses. Developments in heating systems have reduced the need for extended idle times, while GPS has given us the ability to assure that idle
time is actually reduced.”
KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS HELP DRIVE DOWN COSTS
KPI (key performance indicators) can utilize GPS with built-in cost analysis to analyze how much fuel was saved in regard to reduced idling time and road speed using a set time frame. Th is strategy can be applied to the white fl eet support vehicles as well. GPS data also gives fl eets the opportunity
to manage drivers who accelerate and brake aggressively and who do not follow policy.
“KPIs and GPS we use hand in hand,” said Michele Drorbaugh, transportation manager at Seattle Public Schools. “Our ontime service is monitored by GPS. We are a contracted district, and that is how we know what they are doing in real time. Our GPS is Zonar, and it has many functions for that on-time service.”
TELEMATICS AND EMISSIONS
Telematics reporting on emission-controlled diesel engines would alert the shop that the DPF warning light is staying on and the bus has to perform a parked regen. The number of DPF faults and parked regens per bus works perfectly with a preventive maintenance program.
There may be one particular bus with a high instance of parked regenerations, indicating that it’s time to do a health check on the engine or service the diesel particulate filter. Every bus that has to stop during a run to perform a parked regen adds 30 to 60 minutes to the run time.
Monitoring engine performance and keeping on top of preventive maintenance could avoid delays for bus routes. Electronic vehicle inspection reports are another method through GPS that flags a problem instantly, as compared to waiting for a paper report or a verbal report from the driver.
“As GPS and telematics are being integrated into more and more software related to the maintenance and repair of our service fleet(s), it is obvious that they are a significant part of not only the present, but also to the future of our industry,” said Rolando Monsevalles, director of transportation at San Benito CISD near Brownsville, Texas. The school district was recently awarded a Texas Clean Air Grant that will allow transportation to utilize all applicable data
from the bus telematics systems to monitor and report the effectiveness of emissions retrofit equipment.
“By utilizing data collected through telematics and other systems, we can minimize the time needed to diagnose repairs and concentrate on our most valuable resource — the ‘human resource’ on safety-related issues and the most important of our tasks … the safe and efficient transportation of our students from home to school and back home again,” Monsevalles added.
PREDICTIVE MAINTENANCE USING TELEMATICS
School districts often upgrade fleets by purchasing more than one bus at a time with the exact same specifications. The diesel engine with the same model and horsepower rating gives a fleet the upper hand in being proactive and predicting maintenance requirements before a major breakdown happens.
A fleet with multiple buses with the same specifications could experience more than one failure that is similar in nature, such as in the drive train, anti-lock brakes and other operating systems. The telematics feature will show fault codes that the maintenance department can use to determine which part of the bus to focus on and the severity of the problem.
If an operator is unaware of a warning light on the dash, it could lead to bigger problems and a possible service call. An EGR, for example, is an integral part of an emission- controlled diesel engine. When an EGR valve sticks and does not open at the correct position, it eventually causes the engine to lose acceleration. This particular engine code can be cured with service or equipment replacement, which results in a PM campaign involving other buses with the same specifications to prevent another mishap.
A leaking radiator would cause an engine code on the dash but would not tell the driver that it’s the result of low coolant levels. Telematics would send an alert to the shop indicating low coolant and the mechanics or dispatch could contact the driver immediately and instruct him or her to pull over and check the level. This may also point to a weakness in the cooling system that can be addressed in other units throughout the fleet.
Using telematics lets the shop know what the engine code is, how many times the fault code occurred and when it happened in real time. Other important data is provided such as engine temperature, oil pressure, battery voltage, coolant temperature, vehicle speed, engine speed, engine hours and the
odometer reading.
Telematics is also useful for finding intermittent, erratic codes. For instance, if an engine charge air cooler outlet pressure code occurs intermittently, the next step would be to book the unit into the shop and check out the charge air system for leaks and the turbo boost to prevent the problem from
elevating and affecting engine performance.
Marshall Casey, a school bus maintenance consultant and head of the NAPT America’s Best School Bus Inspector and Technician Skills and Training Competition, said most fleet operators realize vehicle telematics is helpful in transmitting information on why a trouble code is present. But there are more advantages to using telematics than just that.
“Being alerted as soon as a trouble code is present can allow communication with the driver to advise on whether or not the vehicle can continue to operate without danger of engine de-rate or danger of additional failures,” Casey explained. “It can also tell us when we need to advise the driver to find a safe parking location so that we can immediately dispatch a spare vehicle. When dealing with school buses, we must take every advantage to eliminate on-highway failures and the safety issues related with such.”
Even as today’s tools have redefined maintenance operations, it is imperative that school bus operators develop a process for storing and tracking the
mountains of data they are receiving, said Frank Gazely, vice president of client relations for software provider Transfinder.
“The technology has provided us with up-to-the-minute maintenance issues or errors that can occur,” he added. “It is even more crucial now to have a place where those incidents or issues reside to better track how they are resolved.”
COMPLIANCE SAFETY ACCOUNTABILITY
Keeping CSA levels up to par can be done efficiently using GPS data via daily critical defect and summary reports that allow the maintenance department
to keep ahead of repairs and monitor them electronically. This saves time and paperwork.
Electronic vehicle inspection reports get data to garages for monitoring much faster than paper reports and inspections, especially those paper forms that
have yet to be submitted. All this contributes to a favorable compliance score.
By reviewing roadside inspection violations and history, bus drivers can be educated on how that affects their driving record and the safety assessment of the carrier. Safety problems can be addressed quickly before anything serious happens.
The advantages of GPS and telematics are obvious using detailed data in real time to improve the efficiency of a fleet operation both on and off the road.
Fleets can monitor, analyze and make positive changes to their operation to increase production and reduce operating costs.
