Time is money when it comes to outages. When a plant, pipeline, or system is offline, every minute creates ripples downstream. Crucial processes get delayed. Customers grow angrier. The longer a system is down, the greater the effect and the cost.
Even a single truck carrying valuable diesel is carefully scheduled to minimize downtime and arrive right on time. A breakdown or waylaid driver can cause expensive delays.
That’s why oil and gas companies and utilities are constantly searching for ways to reduce and shorten delays and outages.
GPS tracking, fault alerts, and real-time ETA notifications can help. When combined into an oil and gas fleet management solution, oil and gas companies can proactively reduce and respond faster to outages and delays.
1. Identify potential delays and outages faster
The best time to avoid a delay or outage is before it begins. Motive’s all-in-one oil and gas fleet management solution helps fleets stay proactive with vehicle and asset health, with configurable reports and alerts that can tell you when service is upcoming or overdue. Real-time fault alerts can catch defects in the moment so you can take action right away to avoid a disruptive breakdown.
Motive also helps fleets stay on top of hours-of-service rules and prepare for roadside inspections, helping avoid costly delays. Motive even incorporates the HOS rules and exemptions specific to hauling oil, helping Trade Star’s fleet stay in compliance. Trade Star’s Senior Operations Manager Kari Gibsays, “Even if my drivers are not 100% familiar with the HOS rules, Motive is.” That keeps drivers and deliveries on schedule.
2. Improve dispatching and asset tracking to respond faster
When an outage occurs, work crews and equipment need to be on site ASAP. Motive’s next-gen integrated GPS tracking technology gives dispatchers valuable information that helps them make smarter decisions, faster. Fleet View shows dispatchers the exact location of every asset, while Proximity Search identifies which drivers are nearest to the outage. With that real-time information, they can dispatch the closest vehicles as quickly as possible.
After dispatch, Motive helps fleets track assets turn by turn to provide updated estimated arrival times. Meanwhile, crews en route can receive all the information they need to address the situation or coordinate with other crews.
If a crew arrives onsite and realizes they need additional manpower or equipment, dispatch can locate and route those resources right away.
Smarter dispatching reduces the time from analysis to action, helping reduce the length of outages, their effects, and their costs.
3. Know when vehicles, equipment, or assets are being used without authorization
When a vehicle isn’t where it’s supposed to be, deliveries can be delayed. Outages can drag on. And customers can grow restless and frustrated.
Motive’s equipment and vehicle GPS tracking can send alerts when assets deviate from scheduled routes or geofenced areas. That could identify potential theft or misuse of equipment. Because Motive GPS typically sends updates every one to three seconds that a vehicle is in motion, fleet managers can receive alerts as soon as a potential problem is detected.
4. Share real-time ETAs with clients
Customers want to know when their outage will be resolved or when their delivery will arrive. GPS tracking can enable real-time ETAs that put customers’ minds at ease while improving service and satisfaction.
Motive’s live location sharing tool allows dispatchers to share live location and accurate ETAs with customers. Customers can receive real-time alerts throughout the trip to stay in-the-know, without disrupting dispatchers’ other duties.
Cordy Environmental shares Motive’s user-friendly dashboard with customers so they can check ETAs at any time. Allen Chatten, Cordy’s Health, Safety, and Environmental Advisor, explains, “I showed the customer how to use geofence and breadcrumbs on all of our trucks, so she could do a query on her own…. [T]hat just raised our accountability.”
Are you trying to respond faster to outages or reduce delays? Learn how Motive’s AI-powered, oil and gas fleet management solutions can provide real-time vehicle and equipment tracking that helps improve safety, productivity, and profitability. Contact us today.
