Seven Manawatu and Wanganui councils are working together to better manage their vehicle fleets and improve health and safety.
Under a LASS (Local Authority Shared Services) arrangement, Horizons Regional Council and Manawatu, Horowhenua, Rangitikei, Ruapehu, Tararua and Wanganui District Councils have installed the EROAD system throughout their combined vehicle fleets.
EROAD’s agreement with the LASS follows its appointment in 2013 as a syndicated supplier to the Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment (MBIE) for the procurement of fleet optimisation products and services. The company was also appointed preferred partner to Local Government New Zealand (LGNZ). The EROAD solution has been rolled out into 21 New Zealand regional and local councils in the past 12 months, as well as a number of government agencies such as Landcorp.
Craig Grant, Executive Officer, Manawatu-Wanganui LASS, said that after two months of having EROAD on board, his council was already seeing vehicle efficiencies in the data being collected.
“We’ve never had this level of reporting, Not only does the information we’re getting tell us how often each vehicle gets used; it also encourages staff to carpool to meetings and provides driver behaviour data if required,” Mr Grant said.
“One of the key functions of EROAD that appealed to us was its GPS ability. A number of our staff work in remote locations,” he said. “If they don’t come back at 5, we can now see where they are and provide help if they need it.”
Lorraine Vincent, Chief Executive, Manawatu District Council, said EROAD’s system is further enhancing fleet management for her council by automating paper-based processes such as RUC (road user charges) purchases.
“This is making life much easier for staff as they no longer need to remember to check their RUC every few months,” she said. “We are very pleased with EROAD to date.”
EROAD CEO Steven Newman said he was delighted that the company’s commitment to making road transport safer and more efficient was helping change the way the LASS manages its fleets.
“The EROAD system collects thousands of vehicle events every minute,” he said. “We’re really excited that the data our system generates can help local councils run significantly more productive, safe and efficient organisations.”
Each of the seven councils can now see where all the vehicles are in all of the fleets, on one screen.
“We see that as a huge benefit, particularly during emergencies,” Mr Grant said. “We can now capture movements of all seven councils rather than relying on radios to find out where staff are during an emergency event.”
That visibility could potentially be extended to other local government bodies, and Mr Grant said other North Island LASSes are watching the EROAD deployment in Manawatu-Wanganui with interest.
“It’s not just about savings. It’s about total fleet management, training and the health and safety of our staff,” he says. “Everyone wins.”
Craig Grant, Executive Officer, Manawatu-Wanganui LASS