A new vehicle management booking and routing system has been developed to support and streamline work on the HS2 high-speed rail project.
The system is the work of a joint venture between navigation and telematics firm Trimble and field service management software specialist Totalmobile, and combines a vehicle management booking system with an integrated inventory management system.
The resultant solution will support civil engineering joint venture Eiffage Kier Ferrovial BAM (EKFB) – which has been tasked with delivering civil engineering works across an 80km section of the new high-speed rail link – with its transportation and logistics operations on HS2.
It will specifically enable it to monitor, manage and analyse the status and location of its subcontractors’ vehicles and inventory in real-time.
The cloud-based solution will provide EKFB with near real-time insights into thousands of commercial vehicles via a single dashboard, including detailed information on loads, collections and completed deliveries.
The new system combines Totalmobile’s Mobilise mobile workforce management application with the Trimble MAPS platform of commercial mapping, routing, navigation and location APIs.
The data will enable EKFB fleet managers to plan routes that automatically factor strict capacity and routing compliance requirements determined by HS2. EKFB’s subcontractors’ drivers will also be provided with Totalmobile’s Mobilise app integrated with Trimble’s CoPilot truck-specific satellite navigation application. This allows EKFB to communicate directly with each delivery vehicle, based on live data feeds and potential route deviation alerts from the system.
Peter Bimson, operations director at EKFB, said: “EKFB is proud to have the opportunity on the HS2 project to lead the transformation of our industry. Historically, the management and monitoring of routes has been the responsibility of carriers or shippers; however, Totalmobile and Trimble’s innovative solution hands that control to us. It will help overcome the significant complexity associated with maintaining oversight of the hundreds of thousands of journeys when working at scale across such a large and diverse area.”
“Our collaboration with Trimble has combined our best-of-breed software to deliver a revolutionary system that will provide the levels of performance and compliance monitoring that is essential for major infrastructure projects,” commented Jim Darragh, CEO at Totalmobile. “This system is the first of its kind in the market and a real game-changer.”
Chris Quin, commercial director, Trimble MAPS Division, added: “The solution will help minimise disruption to communities within the HS2 project area while ensuring EKFB meets its contractual obligations and responsibilities. This is an exciting collaboration for Trimble and Totalmobile to support EKFB by delivering technology that is focused on improving efficiency, compliance, and most importantly, driver safety to and at the site during the construction of HS2.”
