ITS and fleet management operations

The use of intelligent transportation systems (ITS) offers benefits that reach across all aspects of transportation systems, from road safety to fuel consumption through maintenance and fleet management. ITS have a vital role in effectively moving people and goods across our transport system. In relation to safety in transport, it is estimated that ITS may reduce fatalities and injuries by 40 per cent across the OECD. It is also claimed that ITS may reduce CO2 emissions and overall fuel consumption by 20 per cent. Despite the widespread use of ITS and the sheer amount of on-line information available (e.g. location information), fleet managers have not comprehensively exploited such information to automate and simplify fleet management operations. The aim of this paper is to review current practice. It highlights current limitations of the use and validation of ITS in fleet environments. A further objective of this paper is to demonstrate how ITS may improve fleet safety information exchanges, planning and administration with the view to ensure timely, correct data delivery and management of organisational policy.