Webfleet rollout set to save ASCO £194,000 a year
Webfleet is forecasting annual savings of £194,000 for global logistics and materials management specialist ASCO following the rollout of its fleet management, trailer tracking and driver monitoring technology across 383 vans, trucks and trailers.
The technology has been introduced to improve fleet safety, regulatory compliance, driver performance and operational visibility, while helping ASCO reduce maintenance costs, vehicle downtime and administrative workload.
ASCO has installed Webfleet’s Electronic Braking Performance Monitoring System (EBPMS) across around 280 trailers to meet the latest DVSA trailer brake testing requirements.
The system continuously monitors trailer brake performance while vehicles are on the road, comparing results against DVSA standards and alerting ASCO’s fleet team to potential problems.
“Our priority was to improve braking safety through continuous, proactive monitoring rather than relying solely on periodic inspections,” said Mick Smith, Transport and Operations Manager at ASCO. “Having live brake performance data reduces the need for more frequent rolling road brake testing, helping us maintain high safety standards while reducing maintenance costs, workshop workload and vehicle downtime.”
“Webfleet’s digital alternative gives us the confidence of continuous brake performance oversight, backed by robust evidence for our compliance and maintenance processes.”
The move towards continuous brake monitoring is designed to give ASCO greater visibility of trailer condition between scheduled inspections, allowing potential issues to be identified earlier and maintenance to be managed more proactively.
The Webfleet deployment has also addressed coverage problems with ASCO’s previous vehicle tracking system.
The company supplies services to the energy industry, meaning some drivers regularly enter high-risk fuel terminals where equipment may need to be unplugged or isolated because of spark ignition risks.
“As a key provider to the energy industry, some of our drivers are in and out of high-risk fuel terminals every day,” Smith explained. “Our previous tracking devices had to be unplugged or isolated on-site due to spark ignition risks. Because of this, vehicles could occasionally leave site before the devices were reconnected, creating significant gaps in our fleet data. Webfleet developed a bespoke hardwired solution to eliminate this issue.”
The bespoke hardwired technology means ASCO can maintain more consistent visibility of its vehicles without creating the same risks associated with conventional tracking equipment at sensitive sites.
Remote tachograph download technology has also been deployed across 102 trucks, providing ASCO’s transport team with up-to-date information about drivers’ remaining hours.
“This allows managers to proactively warn drivers to take a break before an infringement occurs, rather than identifying the issue several days later,” said Smith.
The ability to monitor driver hours remotely allows transport managers to take action before potential infringements occur, helping to strengthen compliance while reducing the administrative burden associated with tachograph management.
ASCO is also using Webfleet’s OptiDrive 360 platform to improve driving standards and identify opportunities to reduce speeding and unnecessary idling.
Line managers can configure the system to display only the teams and vehicles relevant to them, while key performance indicators have been introduced to focus attention on specific areas of driver behaviour.
ASCO is now planning to introduce driver league tables based on department and vehicle type, with the aim of encouraging positive driving performance across the business.
“Webfleet has made us all much more effective,” said Smith. “It’s helped us to rewrite our driver standards and, by telling us who’s doing what, how and where, alerts us to when we should intervene. At ASCO, we live by three obsessions, safety, service and sustainability, and embedding innovations such as Webfleet across every element of our business supports that commitment in a very practical way.
“The team has impressed us with their responsiveness and flexibility and has risen to every challenge we’ve set, including a full rollout across 383 vans, trucks and trailers within just a few weeks.
“The whole Webfleet team went well beyond the call of duty, working to our out-of-hours timetable to ensure that no vehicle downtime happened as a result.”
The scale of the deployment highlights how connected fleet technology can support multiple aspects of fleet management through a single technology ecosystem. By combining trailer brake monitoring, vehicle tracking, remote tachograph downloads and driver performance data, ASCO can gain a more comprehensive view of its fleet and take action based on real-time information.
Alex Crane-Robinson, Regional Director UK & Ireland at Webfleet, said: “ASCO optimises the movements and operations of some of the world’s most critical industries, where safety and efficiency are essential. This rollout shows how connected fleet technology can help customers strengthen compliance, improve visibility and unlock measurable operational savings.”
With Webfleet forecasting annual savings of £194,000, the ASCO deployment demonstrates the potential for fleet technology to deliver financial benefits alongside improvements in safety, compliance and operational efficiency.
