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Case Studies   Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority

Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) Streamlines Support Operations with GPS Asset Tracking

The Challenge

SEPTA needed a flexible fleet management and GPS tracking system to monitor asset and vehicle allocation and dispatch resources as needed.

The Solution

SEPTA partnered with Forward Thinking Systems to equip their fleet of non-revenue support vehicles with GPS vehicle and asset trackers, and implement the IntelliHub connected fleet management platform.

The Results

The new fleet management system has improved asset utilization and streamlined support operations for SEPTA by providing a scalable, reliable system to monitor all vehicles and assets.

Customer Snapshot

Fleet Size:

900

Drivers:

3,000

Industry:

Government

SEPTA bus and maintenance vehicle at the transportation authority.

The trackers are doing exactly what we want them to do. We know where the vehicles are and when they’re running; we know everything we need to know about those vehicles.

Don Heim, Vehicle Transportation Manager, SEPTA

SEPTA transit police parked in Philadelphia.

As one of the nation’s largest transit systems, the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) provides service to nearly 4 million people across five counties. The SEPTA network of fixed route services includes buses, subways, trolleys, trackless trolleys, Regional Rail, as well as ADA paratransit and Shared Ride programs.

To continue providing the region with safe, reliable, and efficient transportation options, SEPTA needed to outfit their fleet of non-revenue support vehicles with GPS vehicle and asset trackers. SEPTA’s fleet of support vehicles includes sedans, sports utility vehicles (SUVs), pickup trucks, heavy equipment, and large Class 8 vehicles that move trailers and deliver parts. The fleet also includes transit police vehicles, as well as a variety of assets, such as trailers, pressure washers, and compressors. According to Don Heim, Vehicle Transportation Manager, “We wanted to track everything, and our previous system didn't have the capability to track assets – it was just rubber tire vehicles.”

As the Vehicle Transportation Manager, and with a background as an auto mechanic technician, implementing the GPS trackers was a critical part of Heim’s role. Equipped with OBD-II plug-and-play trackers, Heim described the implementation process as streamlined and efficient.

“With the light-duty cars and trucks, we had no issues at all,” said Heim. Some of the heavy-duty trucks needed to be directly connected to provide the required tracking, but between his team’s expertise and FTS support, getting these outliers up and running wasn’t a problem. “The trackers are doing exactly what we want them to do,” said Heim. “We know where the vehicles are at and when they’re running; we know everything we need to know about those vehicles."

For asset tracking, such as trailers and Bobcats, the robustness of the GPS system impressed Heim. According to Heim, the asset trackers were configured to ping once per day, but he soon realized the system was capturing more data than expected. “We didn't realize the trackers included a gyroscope sensor that would ping information whenever it moved,” said Heim.

I like the things I see in IntellHub. When you look at the breadcrumb trail, you can see their speed. At a glance, I can see if they're speeding because it's in red.

Don Heim, Vehicle Transportation Manager, SEPTA

SEPTA paratransit vehicle waiting to pick up passengers.

In addition to implementing the system, Heim also manages the IntelliHub platform, including vehicle inputs, training, monitoring system usage by the various departments, and communicating with the Forward Thinking Systems team. “We have a lot of groups and departments actually using the system to monitor vehicles, but as far as overseeing and managing the actual vehicle inputs, that’s just me and one other person,” said Heim. To that end, Heim relies on IntellHub’s customizable fleet, driver, and vehicle reports to monitor vehicle and system utilization. “I don't look in daily, but I get reports showing where a vehicle is and what it's doing so I know what it was doing at a specific time.”

Heim stays up-to-date on IntelliHub’s capabilities to understand what data is being captured, the available tools, and ensure he can support the various departments. “I like the things I see in IntellHub. When you look at the breadcrumb trail, you can see their speed, which is really good,” said Heim. “At a glance, I can see if they're speeding because it's in red.”

Heim particularly likes the speeding report. “We can see if anybody is doing 80 miles per hour for more than two minutes,” said Heim. “That's a good report because we have areas with 70 mile-per-hour speed zones, and if anybody's hitting excessive speeds like 80 miles-per-hour, we want to know about that.” Given the freeways that cross through much of their five counties, Heim needed high-level reports. “We don’t want a report if somebody hit 80 for 30 seconds on the Turnpike,” said Heim. The useful reports, according to Heim, will highlight drivers excessively speeding for a longer duration.

Idling reports have also been a big hit. Excessive idling can indicate areas of improvement for drivers, and can negatively impact fleet utilization. “I have seen that some of the department heads have set up those idling reports,” said Heim. “They want to know if somebody is idling for excessive amounts of time.”

Once we capture the data about these assets, the user groups and management teams can use the data to manage their employees as well.

Don Heim, Vehicle Transportation Manager, SEPTA

SEPTA construction workers and heavy equipment working on rail lines.

Beyond actual vehicle tracking, system usage reports have been invaluable. Heim likes being able to see which departments are actually using the system. “That’s a really good feature,” said Heim. “We set the system up and pay for it each month, so I look to see who's using it.” In the past, utilizing a fleet management system was a challenge as his departments were slow to embrace the new technology. “It’s taking some time to get everyone onboard,” said Heim. FTS has stepped up to help in this area, as well, by scheduling training sessions and lunch-and-learn meetings with the department heads to fully showcase IntelliHub’s capabilities.

Throughout these training sessions, Heim wants to impress on the department heads how beneficial the new system can be for them. “The things you can do with IntelliHub and these trackers are real time savers for your job,” said Heim. “You can see what your people are doing, where they’re going, and how long they’re spending on each job.” This is critical data for fleet managers trying to optimize their departments.

While monitoring vehicle locations and activities are useful, Heim sees the utility of this data extending to personnel management, as well. “Once we capture the data about these assets, the user groups and management teams can use the data to manage their employees as well,” says Heim. For example, the system tracks accidents and incidents, which helps them correlate with customer complaints. So if a customer calls in to complain about an action performed by someone in a SEPTA vehicle, IntelliHub can help verify if a vehicle was in that specific area.  Moving forward, Heim wants to connect drivers with specific vehicles to use such incidents as coaching opportunities, improving both driver performance and customer satisfaction.

As broader acceptance of the new system ramps up, SEPTA is already seeing the benefits for the community at large. During a recent snow storm, public transit users would frequently call in to report icy and slippery bus stops. Using IntelliHub, the SEPTA team could quickly identify the nearest service vehicle and dispatch them to address the situation. By promptly addressing these public safety concerns, SEPTA is improving public satisfaction and showing people a direct payoff from their tax dollars.

The new system also helps support SEPTA with more routine mechanical breakdowns. “If somebody calls in and says that their vehicle stopped working or the check engine light is on,” says Heim, “we can see exactly where they are on the map and dispatch someone to help them."

The things you can do with IntelliHub and these trackers are real time savers for your job.

Don Heim, Vehicle Transportation Manager, SEPTA

SEPTA worker and snowplow clearing snow from a transit station.

As SEPTA moves into the future, sustainability is a growing part of the fleet. According to Heim, SEPTA has recently added several Class 8 hybrid vehicles, including two-person bucket trucks, platform trucks, and fuel supply trucks. The new hybrid vehicles offer several advantages over traditional vehicles for SEPTA and the city.

These vehicles need to be running during operation, which can be very noisy in residential neighborhoods and make communication between crew members difficult. Plus, idling diesel vehicles increase emissions and fuel consumption. The hybrid versions, however, are much quieter and cleaner, reducing noise pollution and generating both fuel savings and environmental benefits. And by capturing the telematics data in IntellHub, these savings are now tangible and trackable.

From the streamlined implementation process to the enhanced telematics data provided by IntelliHub, SEPTA is leveraging the system to enhance not only vehicle tracking but also asset management and employee oversight. And as SEPTA continues optimizing its new asset tracking system, the future promises to deliver even greater value to the community. “Overall, we're happy with the system,” says Heim. “When people call me, I tell them how happy we are with the system. It works.”

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