Photo By Matthew Stinson | Capt. Greg Vinci, NAVFAC Washington commanding officer, is one of the pilot users of a...... read more read more
Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command (NAVFAC) Washington recently implemented automated vehicle sharing technology in the National Capital Region, aiming to optimize usage of its fleet of vehicles.
NAVFAC Washington provides transportation services to military commands and government agencies in the Washington metropolitan area and is piloting this automated system for the worldwide NAVFAC enterprise. To do so, the command has partnered with Agile Fleet, a Virginia-based company which provides fleet management solutions to government, university, utility and commercial sectors. Agile Fleet’s system, called FleetCommander, automates motor pools and provides comprehensive analytics designed to help right-size vehicle fleets.
FleetCommander automates vehicle sharing through a combination of hardware and software. The software eliminates the need for an on-site dispatcher by allowing drivers to request a vehicle online at any time, day or night. Establishing the automated system also reduces the risks of the spread of COVID-19 by eliminating the need for a dispatcher to be stationed on-site. Transportation managers have the option to remotely approve requests and assign vehicles manually or let the system work automatically. Once a driver creates a request online and is approved to use a vehicle, they can then interact with a self-service kiosk on-site to retrieve their assigned key. When the driver returns the key, the kiosk will prompt them to enter data that managers can specify, such as ending mileage, fuel status or parking location.
“AgileFleet offers us a seamless tool designed with Fleet managers as well as end users in mind,” said Matthew Aldridge, NAVFAC Washington transportation specialist. “Data is quickly accessible on all aspects of your fleet and its usage in a single application.”
Data mining and reporting is a key feature of the system. Custom reports allow managers to track metrics such as vehicle utilization, maintenance schedules, fuel costs and accident details. These metrics can then be used to manage the fleet more efficiently, while saving money. For example, tracking a metric like vehicle utilization allows the system to automatically select lesser-utilized vehicles to fulfill a vehicle sharing request, thereby distributing wear and tear more evenly throughout a fleet. Data analyzation offers the opportunity to right-size the fleet by providing insights into which vehicles are needed most and which vehicles can be retired.
The system can also be utilized as a mechanism for sub-pooling vehicles on an installation. This would allow users to share vehicles between various departments and even other Tenant Activities, creating opportunities to reduce the amount of vehicles and operating costs.
“We must look for alternative ways to increase efficiency and mitigate costs, without decreasing our capabilities,” said Ryan Costa, NAVFAC Washington product line coordinator.
NAVFAC Washington is strategically introducing four kiosks on installations throughout the National Capital Region, including on the Washington Navy Yard. Due to its proximity to a variety of commands in the Region, the Washington Navy Yard is a prime location to establish an automated vehicle sharing kiosk for maximum engagement. The goal for the NAVFAC Washington transportation team is to achieve 200 users by the end of the year.
| Date Taken: | 04.15.2021 |
| Date Posted: | 04.15.2021 13:27 |
| Story ID: | 393927 |
| Location: | DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, US |
| Web Views: | 195 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, NAVFAC Washington Pilots Automated Vehicle Sharing Program in National Capital Region, by Matthew Stinson, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
