Wolseley UK has introduced Masternaut telematics across 193 vehicles after a small scale trial.

After a three-month pilot trial of Masternaut Connect at a Drain Center branch in Tonbridge last year, the company has now rolled the system out to 193 vehicles - 104 belonging to Pipe Center, 21 to Climate Center and 68 to Drain Center. Feedback from the pilot demonstrated fuel savings of between 8-10 per cent. 

The company is continuing a trial on five vehicles at a Plumb Center branch in Wolverhampton.

Driver behaviour is monitored through an in-cab light bar, which alerts them when specific harsh driving events are detected, including rapid acceleration, braking and cornering, idling of the engine and speeding. The light bar then notifies the driver to the degree of which they have exceeded a driving event in real-time, allowing for an instant rectification.

Mike Crowley, transport development manager at Wolseley UK, said: “We are always looking for ways to enhance our customer deliveries while keeping our drivers safe and reducing our environmental impact.

"Masternaut has developed the next generation of telematics compared to what we previously had and was the obvious next stage for our branch transport. Over time, people may develop poor driving habits.

"This system is not intended as a tool to tell our employees that they are bad drivers, but simply to point out where they can make small changes to become even more efficient.”

Steve Towe, chief commercial officer and UK managing director at Masternaut, added: “Telematics has applications right across a business, and as we’re seeing with Wolseley UK, it provides the tool kit to create a more efficient fleet. By providing feedback to drivers, Wolseley UK can reduce speeding and harsh driving events, improve fuel consumption, cut emissions and improve driver safety.