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Tesco.com has invested in software to optimise the fuel consumption of its fleet and improve driver performance in its 2,000 vehicles.

Rising fuel prices are a growing concern for the online arm of the supermarket giant, which estimates that its fuel bill will reach "significantly more" than £10m in 2008.

Tesco is hoping for a return on its investment in the multimillion-pound GPS-based management project within 12 months, by slashing its fuel spend by between 10 and 12 per cent.

"As Tesco?s online business grew, effort was concentrated in areas such as driver recruitment. But fuel management was not an area it had examined closely as price was not such an issue", Tesco.com fleet manager Dino Papas told Computing.

"It became clear that we had to do something significantly better to manage fuel consumption, but if the savings were not deliverable I doubt the project would have gone ahead", said Papas.

"We had to scale back on some of the things we first intended to do, such as monitoring oil levels and vehicle performance, but preferred to focus on key features working first around fuel consumption."

The Microlise-supplied GPS/GPRS tracking computer connects to Tesco.com?s data network, which transmits information such as mileage, fuel flow, speed and engine revs. The data, coupled with GPS tracking information, is transmitted in real time via GPRS and enables the firm to assess vehicle activity against delivery schedule as well as driving style and economy.

Armed with this data, the business can produce reports to assess fuel economy as well as safe driving measures.

The system is already fitted in a third of Tesco.com?s 2,000-strong delivery fleet across the UK, with full implementation expected before the end of the summer.

?We could have rolled out the system sooner, but on its own the technology would have limited benefits because we still have to ensure drivers are professionally trained first. The system coupled with proper coaching will be a very powerful combination,? said Papas.

Microlise, the expert in delivering efficiency in distribution networks, has announced the latest innovation of its tracking and telematic solutions. The latest additions in version 2.8 of the Microlise Fleet and Distribution Portfolio has allowed the company to closely align two of its leading products, the Microlise Map Client and the Transport Management Centre, to give complete visibility and control over every aspect of the delivery process.
The solution helps to drive efficiencies and productivity by providing a comprehensive and powerful set of tools to effectively optimise and manage the utilisation of vehicles, drivers and their performance. The Map Client solution allows managers to instantly contextualise fleet activity against routes & schedules whilst enabling easy communication with mobile workers.
The Transport Management Centre allows available resource to be allocated for fixed, dynamic and imported plans automatically based upon location & availability, and then monitors the execution of these plans in real-time. Schedule, route and delivery exceptions can be managed in real-time, allowing users to automatically pre-notify customers of the vehicle's progress and allowing customer service teams to proactively update customers if there are likely to be any delays.
The alignment of these applications means transport managers can have complete access to the driver and job or delivery status, route information plus live playbacks and two-way messaging via one seamless interface.
Matt Hague, product director at Microlise said. "We are delighted to bring this to market. Our two solutions, Map Client and Transport Management Centre, have been making a real difference in the industry for some time now. However, our latest release takes the best features of each and aligns them - ensuring that the customer now has full visibility and control over all aspects of the process."
One of the areas to benefit from the Microlise Fleet and Distribution Portfolio is the urban home delivery sector. The enhanced solution will allow managers even more control and visibility over vehicles and drivers than ever before. The point to point routing engine, which provides accurate to the minute ETAs each time a vehicle reports in, allows for precise delivery advice to customers, as well as allowing improved reaction in the instance of a predicted late delivery.
However, it is not just customer service and economic benefits that companies will see after implementation. Microlise's solution has been further enhanced to aid in the customer's efforts to reduce their carbon footprint. Microlise has offered FMS / CANbus and J-Bus Telematics solutions for some time. However, this latest solution suite includes a powerful set of driver and vehicle league tables which more readily than ever allows operations to provide focused debriefing and training for those drivers where opportunities to improve fuel consumption or safety exist.
With two major deployments already delivered this year, Microlise is helping its customers not only reduce their impact upon the environment, but also significantly reduce their fuel costs.
Hague concludes. "At Microlise we know that companies need more than just maps with dots on. We believe that our Fleet & Distribution Portfolio enables customers to have the full planning, management and execution package ensuring economic, environmental and customer service improvements throughout their distribution operation. We are committed to providing the very best solutions."

See www.microlise.com for further information