Deployment has begun on a major upgrade of Eddie Stobart’s telematics system which sees them implementing Microlise across their entire fleet of more than 2,000 vehicles, including the deployment of in-cab ‘ruggedised’ tablet devices.

The new deployment of Microlise Fleet Performance and Journey Management, which they are calling Eddie Stobart Link, aims to deliver enhanced driver support and safety, help to increase fleet utilisation and efficiency and reduce fuel costs.

The move follows a competitive tender, extensive negotiations and detailed product evaluation by the privately owned logistics and supply chain company, where it compared its incumbent supplier’s offering with other solutions on the market.

One of the key features will be the ability to compare “plan versus actual” routes in order to make efficiency improvements.

Another important improvement is the ability to give drivers and fleet managers easy and clear driver performance access through the Microlise DPM app.  

John Court, chief information officer at Eddie Stobart, said: “Despite challenging market conditions, we are continuing to grow our business and see investment in new technology as key to supporting our plans.

“By giving our staff access to the best systems to do their jobs we can improve their working environments as well as the service we provide our customers. Through Eddie Stobart Link we will be right at the cutting edge of technology for our sector and continue to set the standards that others then undoubtedly follow.”

Microlise engineers are currently installing telematics hardware, designed and manufactured in the UK by Microlise, on the entire fleet of heavy goods vehicles with a go live date in the spring.

Each tractor unit will also be fitted with a Microlise DriveTab, a seven inch Eddie Stobart branded Android tablet device, which will give access to truck-specific maps for navigation, journey information, two-way messaging and safe hands-free voice calls.

Eddie Stobart will also use the Microlise Safety Module which features an incident data recorder to provide granular information about exactly what the driver and vehicle were doing 30 seconds before and after any incident. This will help the team to minimise accidents out on the road and quickly investigate the causes when incidents do occur.  

“Everyone in the country knows the Eddie Stobart brand,” said Nadeem Raza, chief executive officer at Microlise. “To many outside of the industry it embodies transport.

“It’s a privilege to be working with the team to refresh and upgrade their transport management infrastructure and we look forward to helping them to make a quick return on investment and boost their service offering,”

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