Sept/Oct 2003

Generally, vehicle tracking confirms a vehicle's location and time of arrival, but it can prove equally useful in proving a vehicle was not at the scene of an accident, as Kinch Fuel Oils, an independent distributor of domestic and industrial fuel oils, has discovered.

Kinch has combined Siemens VDO's latest-generation FM200 Plus vehicle data recorders with VDO Dayton MS 5100 satellite navigation systems in its fleet of eight tanker vehicles based at Minety, near Malmesbury, Wiltshire. "The tracking facility not only shows us where our vehicles are but also allows us to maintain a record of where they have been," says managing director Roy Kinch. "During a recent oil-spill investigation within our area, our records showed where our trucks had been at the time, proving that we had not been involved."

Kinch wanted to combine a fleet monitoring system with satellite navigation and two-way communications between the office and drivers. The FM 200 Plus computers record base measurements of time, motion and distance and up to four other functions. Kinch's units are linked to the fuel dispensers on the tankers enabling the company to download data confirming delivery times and quantities without the vehicles returning to base.

"We can now send text messages to our vehicles to schedule deliveries while they are out on the road," says Kinch. "If our driver is not familiar with the location, he can input the information into his navigation system to guide him to his destination. "