Harrowden Turf achieve FORS Silver Accreditation with Cubo technology
Overview
Following an amalgamation of five separate turf businesses, Harrowden Turf is today recognised as one of the UK’s biggest horticulture growers specialising in turf, wildflower turf, sedum, and topsoil. From their head office in Kettering and multiple depots across the UK, they supply thousands of B2B and retail customers and boast accreditations in ISO 9001, 14001 and 45001, and FORS Silver.
Harrowden Turf were looking for a better truck monitoring solution. As a trusted partner of Aquarius IT, who supply their tachograph and vehicle defect solution, they got in touch with Cubo who delivered a fully integrated telematics and camera solution that met their requirements for live vehicle and driver updates, remote footage downloads and the ability to monitor their carbon emissions.
“We required a system that we could trust. Lucy and the Cubo system were exactly what we needed – a great service and the product is exactly as described and demonstrated.”
Richard Boyson, Group Transport Manager
- Industry: Lawn Turf Supplier (Farming)
- Location: Islip, Kettering, England
- Fleet size: 30
- Vehicle type(s): HGV’s and Vans
Products
Telematics
Cameras
Compliance
The Challenge
Harrowden Turf required a live telematics solution that gives them accurate data and valuable insight into their fleet to enable them to monitor and improve driver performance. To achieve FORS Accreditation, they required effective technology to demonstrate that their operation was being run safely, efficiently and in an environmentally sound manner with insights into fuel consumption, CO2 and NOx emissions – all calculated from accurate CAN-Bus data.
Specifically, Harrowden Turf were looking for foolproof and reliable data with strong customer service. Faulty cameras can result in missed footage but also bring operational disruption whilst resolutions are sought. The team decided it was time to look for a more reliable telematics solution with a focus on a better customer experience.
The Solution
Cubo’s system was selected due to its rich functionality and reputation for customer service and support. As well as directly integrating with Aquarius IT on the MyCubo platform, Harrowden Turf also adopted:
- Track Smart – Ability to track their vehicles in real time and access vehicle and driver reports.
- Fuel Smart – Fuel monitoring to get actionable data with insights into driver behaviour and vehicle performance.
- Tacho Smart – Remotely download tachograph data and live drivers’ hours information.
- Cameras – Click straight into 3-channel cameras to access live footage or download incident footage in HD.
- CitySmart – Left-side audible alarms for enhanced safety to comply with Direct Vision Standard (DVS) in Greater London.
- Integration – Direct integration with Aquarius IT tachograph compliance software and vehicle defect checks.
Cubo engineers installed the hardware to the vehicles across the 4 depots in Kettering, Southport, Edinburgh and Feltwell which ensured minimal disruption to operations. Training was provided by Cubo to the transport team on-site.
The Cubo platform is a slick system that always does as it is supposed to. The product was exactly what we were looking for and is consistently good. The team have been impressed with the reliability of the system and the quality and access to the live cameras are fantastic.
The Impact
With Cubo’s products, Harrowden Turf achieved FORS Silver accreditation, highlighting exemplary levels of best practice in safety, efficiency, and environmental protection. Operational efficiency improved with the ability to access valuable fleet information from one platform, MyCubo, featuring direct integration with Aquarius IT’s tachograph compliance software and vehicle defect checks.
Harrowden Turf can now track the performance of each vehicle and driver through effective fuel monitoring and tracking. This gives them the insight to create a more efficient and sustainable fleet by reducing overall fuel consumption and has contributed to increased customer satisfaction with the ability to provide accurate delivery times thanks to live location updates.
The in-depth reports are used by Harrowden Turf for driver training purposes to identify where improvements can be made with driver scorecards assessed by factors including harsh braking and acceleration, idling, excess RPM and MPG.
The Cubo technology also gives the ability to report on CO2 and NOx emissions, empowering the business to manage their commitment to reducing their carbon footprint and contributing to their sustainability goals.
The introduction of pedestrian sensors and vehicle cameras has resulted in enhanced fleet safety and DVS compliance. Footage from the high-quality vehicle cameras can be accessed remotely at the click of a button, with the conclusive evidence being used to protect drivers from false accusations and for training and driver safety purposes.
Compliance
Sustainability
Safety
Efficiency
