Industry practices in metering and monitoring

Abstract

The objective of this study was to provide information and understanding to assist the Marine Corps in implementing metering and information systems to support effective use of vehicle fuel. A research project, including the study described here, and also a thesis and MBA project (see Henton & Noack, 2015; Robinson, 2015) examined how industry organizations implemented vehicle telematics systems, with a particular focus on how the organizations aligned fuel usage metrics to business goals and mission. The study described here, draws on a model developed through previous work in support of the Expeditionary Energy Office of the Marine Corps, which highlighted the importance of policy, procedure, technology, education and culture to effective fuel use. This study employed an embedded case design, examining two organizations: FedEx, a global logistics company, operating more than 49,000 motorized vehicles, 652 aircraft, and located in over 220 countries and territories; and Granite Construction, a national construction company that uses Caterpillar heavy equipment and Ford commercial trucks. Detailed descriptions of each case are included in the thesis and MBA project. This study developed 1) a conceptual model based on information gathered during a literature review and case studies of recommended practices in implementing telematics systems 2) a discussion of key findings of the case analyses and 3) a checklist of implementation considerations.