Vehicle tracking from Masternaut Three X helps keep the highways open

Vehicle tracking from Masternaut Three X is assisting authorities and gritting contractors to keep ice and snow at bay on major roads. With dwindling road salt supplies, the Masternaut system enables managers to monitor gritters live on screen as well as recording how much salt has been spread. During the current adverse conditions the system provides a bird’s eye view of operations ensuring efficient and economical grit spreading, without sending gritting managers out on treacherous roads.

Organisations making use of the Masternaut innovation include the London Borough of Newham, Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council, Trafford Council, South Wales Trunk Road Agency (SWTRA) and Traffic Wales, UK highway maintenance specialist Ringway Infrastructure Services and winter risk management services company GRITIT.

Masternaut uses GPS to track gritters, the information is automatically transmitted via GPRS and position of the vehicle is then recorded against Microsoft Bing Maps online street mapping. This information is available to the gritting managers in real time for accurate reporting or incident management and a daily report is also delivered by email for historical monitoring.

"Since it is a web service, the council has not had to buy or install any special software and it is very easy to use, with information accessible from any PC. We also chose Masternaut because it could be easily tailored to meet our exact needs. This configuration work was done very quickly, allowing us to get everything up and running in just a few weeks ahead of the winter season," commented James Weldon of London Borough of Newham.

"The ability to monitor and record the exact location of our vehicles and their gritting activities gives us real advantages when delivering services to our residents. If required we can easily divert a vehicle from a gritting route to respond to an emergency incident, the safety of our drivers is improved and we have historical information we can refer to if we need to investigate a query or claim from a third party," said Depot Manager Ray Knowles.

"Masternaut has become a standard management tool and in order to meet contractual obligations and improve the management of winter operations all new spreaders are specified with Masternaut’s vehicle tracking solution," said Scott Waldrop, Managing Director of Ringway Infrastructure Service, "Enabling us to deliver more efficient and productive works to our clients and helping us to keep the highway safe throughout the winter months."

"Masternaut will provide archivable reports that will allow us to verify gritting operations have been undertaken along the South Wales section of the M4. The reports will also allow us to follow up and defend any invalid claims made against the Agency. In addition, we will be able to follow the gritters in real time and route them during snow events to the motorway sections requiring the most urgent attention. The service will provide us with an extremely powerful and useful management tool," said Richard Jones, Head of The South Wales Trunk Road Agency.

Elsewhere, Masternaut Three X and GRITIT developed a unique web-based solution for rigorous management of UK-wide commercial gritting operations. The company provides services to major retailers, offices, the NHS and education and industry.

Utilising the latest in Masternaut Three X’s real-time vehicle tracking and telematics, PDA-based mobile field service software and real-time business intelligence solution, VisuLive, the fully integrated system demonstrates GRITIT’s committed to innovative technology for maintaining its competitive edge and delivering consistent service excellence.

"In this business we have zero margins for error. With Masternaut we have full control over every situation. From real-time vehicle movements, to live updates for onsite activity – we know precisely where each and every operator is at any time. We know exactly who is driving which vehicle, when they arrive on site, when they complete the work and leave. The fully automated system records a full history of each job – in short it allows us to operate a tightly managed nationwide service," said Jason Petsch, Commercial Director, GRITIT.