NAFA’s Old Dominion Chapter Discusses Big Data and its Benefits to Operations

NAFA’s Old Dominion Chapter dove into the subject of "big data" during their meeting on November 29 at the DGS/Office of Fleet Management in Richmond, VA. As the information management aspects of fleet and mobility gain dominance, and vehicles with telematics and data-collecting standard equipment are providing more and more numbers, fleet managers are asking, "Now what?"

John Brewington, CAFM^®, President, Brewington & Company, and a member of NAFA's Safety Advisory Council, described what accurate data fleet managers and their analysts should be capturing.

In short, a fleet manager should be able to determine the distances, usage, and fuel expenditure of a vehicle and it’s given routes, and should be able to determine any variations, either positive or negative, from that baseline. Having this information can be critical to questions the fleet manager will have to ask later.

What information should be factored into a vehicle lifecycle analysis
Are immediate changes to data indication a need to change preventative maintenance standards
Are drivers following predetermined best routing plans or going "off-route"

These and other indications and top reports will let fleet managers determine what data points require the most attention, and then they can effectively broadcast the information to drivers and mechanics.

Later in the day, City of Newport News Vehicle Services presented a real-case scenario of predictive maintenance. The organization’s representatives Matt White and Chris Perry provided this session.

Combing through old data allowed their office the ability to identify optimal replacement dates for equipment. This effort, in turn, lowered towing costs, downtime, and further repair costs based on the ability to replace equipment sooner.

Special thanks to Beth Cooley, CAFM^®, for information in this article.

NAFA Fleet Management Association
http://www.nafa.org/