Microlise has won the Commercial Fleet Award for Innovative New Product 2019 for its new Driver Hazard Warning (DHW) app. The DHW combines Big Data technology with what is potentially, the most comprehensive bridge database in Great Britain.
There are an estimated 2,000 bridge strikes annually across the UK, with each strike costing an average of £13,500, for repairs alone. According to Network Rail, journey delay compensation to passengers stands at an annual cost of around £13m. Hauliers can also be held accountable for associated damage and compensation costs. Leaving costs aside, the risk of a bridge strike derailing a train and causing multiple casualties, is a major concern for everyone.
Microlise has carefully examined the main causes of bridge strikes and developed a product that can help to tackle these issues. The DHW app is available to users of Microlise telematics products, specifically users of our second generation DriveTab in-cab device. The app runs in the background on the device, providing a short-lived, audio and visual warning as a hazard is approached.
The Microlise R&D team created the DHW app by layering the space ahead of a vehicle into regions. The UK-wide, DHW hazard database was then created by collating local authority information, crowd-sourced map data and Microlise’s own Big Data. The result is a non-invasive app that warns drivers about height, weight and width issues as they approach them, but stops when a driver diverts away from the hazard.
Speaking after the award event, Microlise Chief Executive Officer, Nadeem Raza said: “Innovation is in our DNA and underpins our credentials as a global leader in telematics and transport management solutions. We are delighted to receive recognition for our DHW application as it addresses a very current and real issue for the road transport industry and for the wider community.
“DHW is the result of a concerted body of work, from the Microlise product management and development teams and draws on insight from customers and other stakeholder groups. We have made a significant investment to bring the application to market, to support hauliers and fleet operators in minimising bridge strikes and more widely, in helping to maintain the highest safety standards. We are also working on additional features to future-proof the application, by adding in other alerts including poor driving hotspots, seasonal weather–related events and crime hotspots.”
Microlise designs, develops and creates technology solutions to capture data and create meaningful insight across driver performance, vehicle usage and safety standards. These software and hardware products support fleets to reduce the cost and environmental impact of their operations while helping transport service providers and retailers to deliver an improved customer experience.
Microlise is a pioneer of logistics and telematics technology and has been delivering enterprise grade solutions for the road transport sector for over thirty years. Microlise works with 14 of the 15 largest UK retailers – both here and in their international markets, with Tesco and Carlsberg being prime examples of leading brands that work with Microlise around the world.
Further information on Microlise can be found at www.microlise.com.
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