Richard McKeogh shares how Transpower minimised admin with Fleetwise.
Transpower is a State Owned Enterprise that owns and operates the national power grid.
Just shy of a decade ago, Transpower was grappling with many issues – health and safety, cost management, compliance and vehicle maintenance and disposal. It soon realised outsourcing could solve everything.
We spoke to Richard McKeogh, Workplace and Facilities Manager, who looks after the organisation’s vehicles and corporate procurement functions.
He explains why Fleetwise has helped improve compliance and all but eliminate administrative burdens.
No centrally managed system or oversight = huge risk.
Before using Fleetwise, Transpower’s vehicle management was messy. With no centralised system, getting national oversight of the entire fleet meant a lot of manual work – hours spent chasing people for information, then compiling and analysing data by hand. This wasn’t just time-consuming – it also meant errors were all too possible, breeding mistrust in any analysis.
There was an issue with vehicle disposal, too – under New Zealand legislation, only registered motor dealers can dispose of more than seven vehicles each year. Becoming a motor vehicle dealer wasn’t an option for Transpower, and it couldn’t take on the work of decommissioning them.
Maintenance was also sporadic, and there was no centralised system for keeping tabs on warrants of fitness, compliance and registrations. Though the managers were trusted to check these things, there was no data to support it. Even though Transpower deals with electricity daily, driving is its most significant risk. New health and safety legislation put more responsibility for driver safety onto Transpower, but the company couldn’t guarantee that drivers had compliant licenses or that vehicles had upto-
date registrations. It needed a new system, so it searched for a partner that could solve all these issues.
Fleetwise – ready to help
Richard explains that Fleetwise stood out for several reasons, but the biggest selling point was that it’s a trusted New Zealand company.
“It’s set up in Palmerston North; there’s a goods story behind it… that appealed to us.”
Transpower was also impressed with Fleetwise’s responses and eagerness to help.
“It’s small enough to make small tweaks if we need them. Some of the other bigger players are a little more set in their ways, and it can be harder to change things. Fleetwise is also happy to take our feedback on board.”
Richard points out that if any issues crop up, they’re always pleased to get a fast response from the Fleetwise team. “They’re all welcoming, invested and transparent – ensuring our fleet is fit for purpose. They’re also always offering other ways they can help – vehicle procurement or anything.”
“Instant benefits” in compliance and efficiency
Switching to Fleetwise has been a gamechanger for compliance.
“We instantly saw its benefits – it’s made life much easier. Having one outsourced company that does this daily, knows much more about it than we do, and can provide that information has been a success.”
Fleetwise sends out automatic reminders, emails and reports to Transpower, saving the admin team hours of work and stress. When a registration expires, Fleetwise alerts the driver and organises them to take the vehicle to be serviced.
Access to real-time data improves and validates business decisions
With its data collection centralised and automated, Transpower now has easy access to
real-time analytics about vehicles. That meant more informed decisions, improved efficiency and boosted utilisation of vehicles.
Plus, all the fuel data is now centralised, showing a breakdown of how much fuel each region uses. That’s helped to validate business decisions, like its shift to using more EVs.
“It’s been very useful,” Richard says.
Disposal headache solved
One of the best things about working with Fleetwise, Richard explains, is that it’s a registered motor dealer, solving Transpower’s issue around vehicle disposals.
All Transpower has to do is inform Fleetwise that a vehicle is ready for disposal. Fleetwise picks it up – wherever it is in the country – removes any branding, fixes and grooms the vehicle, and then sells it on Transpower’s behalf. Then it sends Transpower a statement of how many vehicles it sold that month.
“It has a very slick process for disposals,” Richard notes.
Reflecting on how Fleetwise helped smooth out processes, free up time and grow the business, Richard couldn’t be happier with their nine-year partnership.
“It’s a niche, nimble, good New Zealand company to deal with – adding much value to how we operate. We’re very pleased with how it’s all panned out, and our relationship has been very successful.”