GPS trackers can be employed to monitor and manage the efficiency of a fleet of street sweepers.

By Frances Sacco

The rumble and swish of the humble street sweeper is a familiar sound in urban areas across the country. But a growing number of councils are putting far less humble technology to work to coordinate these machines.

A GPS tracker fitted to a street sweeper can do more than put a dot on a map to tell the manager where it is. It can be programmed to show when and where the brushes go up and down, the type of terrain being swept and, over time, can be used to deploy the sweepers more efficiently.

The most popular use with the operators themselves is proof of service. This is particularly useful for contractors, but is also beneficial for councils that do the work inhouse. They can assure a complaining resident that their street has been swept that week.

Ezy2c Business Development Manager Peter Brown says this feature was having a positive impact on workers.

“We gave a presentation to the workers of one of the councils and they were really excited because there was a strip of shop owners who were constantly complaining about their car park not getting swept,” he says.

BIGmate Chief Executive Officer Andre Wessels says this feature is saving some of his clients more than just time spent dealing with complaints.

“It’s saving them from having pay out claims,” he says. “If someone rings up and says: ‘your street sweeper shot a stone through my window’, the officer can look up the date and time and see exactly where the street sweeper was at the time.

“It saves a lot of time in having to send out someone to investigate, because you can check the details without even having to talk to the driver.”

But the greatest value in the system can be derived from putting the data to work over time.

“It’s not about watching all the drivers on the map in real time, it’s the long term,” Brown says. “It can assist with fleet management and working out wear and tear.

“It can help plan the most efficient route for the sweepers, even to a point where you work out you may be able to do the job with one less.”

The system gives officers a breakdown of how much of a sweeper’s operating time is actually spent sweeping. Analysis of data collected over several months can even show which brush heads are the most cost-effective, as it reports exactly how long each one takes to wear down.

There are other day-to-day benefits of GPS trackers in street sweepers. Specific routes can be programmed into a unit, allowing a driver unfamiliar with the area to do exactly the same job as someone used to the area. It can help identify the need for driver training in cases where the equipment was not being used properly.

Furthermore, the tracker can take a driver back to the exact spot where a job has been interrupted for whatever reason, and electronic collection and storing of data eliminates much of the paperwork associated with the job.

“It’s very simple to install,” Wessels says. “We can remotely activate it on the same day they receive the data units and install them.

“We can give 15 to 20 minutes remote training and that person can then fully use the system.

Union concerns

Since the introduction of GPS trackers in local government vehicles, there have been concerns from workers about excessive monitoring.

The United Services Union has represented workers in several disputes related to GPS tracking.

A Union spokeswoman says there was an ongoing concern about GPS tracker information being misused as a disciplinary tool targeting staff.

“These disputes have resulted in memorandums of understanding between the union and the council about the appropriate use of this technology,” she says. “The union would encourage councils considering the introduction of this technology to discuss the initiative with the union first.”

But it is not always contentious. Mackay Regional Council recently developed a policy and presented it for negotiation with the union.

Peter Shuttlewood, from the Council, says the discussions were very smooth.
 
“There wasn’t much on it for the union to address,” he says. “The Council withdrew some items before the policy was put up for negotiation because we thought they might be contentious, but the union actually wanted those items back in.”

Five other uses for GPS in council vehicles

1. Distress calls: security personnel can intervene in a matter of minutes should operators be subjected to an attack
2. Recovery of stolen equipment such as mowers
3. Tracking of wear and tear on vehicles and service alerts
4. Allows garbage truck drivers to keep track of the exact house they are up to when they have to head back to empty the truck
5. Road defect reporting

Cost

The initial outlay will be $800 to $2000 per sweeper, depending on the system. Ongoing monthly costs are about $35 to $50 each.

Hold the date

BIGmate will be presenting at the IPWEA Plant and Vehicle Management Seminars in September to provide further information on GPS in local government fleets. For more information, visit www.ipwea.org.au/fleet or contact rmoody@ipwea.org.au

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