Frontier Tech uses telematics to extend fleet lifecycle

Across Canada and around the world, service and transportation businesses have been using the power of telematics to save considerable time and money. Frontier Technologies, a Canadian telecom company with offices spanning from Vancouver Island to St. John’s, NL, experiences these savings daily. With 90 vehicles on the road, Frontier has been leveraging Geotab and Northern BI’s services to not only track driver activity but extend the life of their aging fleet.

An older fleet doesn’t have to equal higher maintenance costs

Frontier Technologies has been in the network and security infrastructure business for more than 20 years. Their current fleet of 90 vehicles was manufactured between 2014 – 2015 and includes Pro Master City and Dodge RAM CVs. Like any business, finding ways to save money while keeping safety top of mind continue to be at the forefront of Frontier’s core values. When Frontier’s fleet was challenged to lower maintenance costs and fuel consumption, their team found the solution with telematics.

To be clear, Frontier’s fleet wasn’t a stranger to using Geotab’s telematics devices. In fact, they’d been using the tracking devices for some time, however, they weren’t using the data effectively to measure business efficiencies – and we all know what can’t be measured can’t be managed.

“We wanted to use the data to create an action plan,” says the fleet manager. “Our fleet was getting older and we wanted to find a way to control maintenance costs, lower fuel consumption and track driving behaviour.” Using the MyGeotab software platform, Northern BI was able to analyze the data and create custom reports for Frontier allowing them to pinpoint cost-saving opportunities.

“With MyGeotab, I know exactly where my vehicles are. » With automated notifications and reports, Frontier is now able to alert managers about unsafe drivers in their fleet. “It’s amazing to look at the speeding chart from three years ago compared to today. Our technicians are no longer speeding or doing harsh braking and cornering. All of a sudden our costs to maintain the fleet have significantly dropped – even though it’s older.”

Seeing a significant return on investment

Thanks to Geotab telematics and Northern BI’s expertise, Frontier can extend the lifecycle of its 90-vehicle fleet by at least two more years. “Our average maintenance cost per vehicle has dropped by 33 percent. In 2017, we spent $995 per vehicle, but in 2019 we only spent $667 per vehicle.” Multiply that by 90 vehicles and you’re seeing major dollar signs.

But the savings don’t stop there. By having total visibility, the fleet manager can capture idling and driving behaviour data leading Frontier to decrease their fuel consumption by 5.5 percent and their CO2 emissions by 8.8 percent.

“With the Geotab solution, we’re able to monitor our vehicles more closely – it’s all documented. By doing this, we’ve saved another $14,000 year over year in maintenance costs.”

Northern BI delivers the royal customer service treatment

Delivering superior customer service is really what sets Northern BI apart from the competition. The entire fleet has experienced this first-hand with NBI’s added technical support. “NBI goes above and beyond the other providers to make sure their customers are seeing value. »

“We’ve used other telematics providers in the past, but the combined Geotab and Northern BI solutions are way more advanced and comprehensive. Their customer support alone far outweighs any of the competition. A lot of companies sell you the product and then leave you to figure it out. I would recommend Northern BI 100 percent.”