Wiseway: Never idle when it comes to safety, savings and service

Electrical, plumbing and lighting distributor Wiseway has made vast improvements in safety, idling and delivers added value to clients. Geotab’s dedicated service has made all the difference to this safety and customer-focused fleet.

Fleet wins: 

• 2 point improvement in the fleet’s safety score
• 40% reduction in speeding
• 40% reduction in idling

Wiseway Supply is a family-run operation that has been in business for 50 years. It’s grown from a single location in Florence, Kentucky to one with nine, soon to be 10, branches from Central Ohio to Central Kentucky, including the greater Cincinnati and Lexington areas. They employ 130 people and currently track a fleet of 22 trucks.

Wiseway distinguishes itself in the market by offering a range of supplies, rather than focusing on just one. They provide plumbing, electrical and lighting supplies to support the construction of homes, schools, hospitals and businesses.

The Challenge: Protect the company with reliable evidence for vehicle collisions

Michael Kidwell, Vice President of Branch Operations at Wiseway, identified the need for tracking devices when, in two separate incidents, Wiseway trucks were rear-ended. In both cases, truck repairs were costly. It became apparent that the company needed telematics to provide evidence in the event of any future collisions.

After researching about a dozen providers, Wiseway decided on Geotab. The technology is a good fit for their company for many reasons, including reinforcing their commitment to investing in technology that adds value for customers and helping Wiseway stand out from the competition. Wiseway’s use of Geotab telematics solutions has now expanded well beyond protection from lawsuits to safety, fleet maintenance and beyond.

The Solution: A robust, customized suite of time- and money-saving solutions

Karl Zakher, Senior Customer Success Specialist at Geotab, who works with Kidwell on fleet optimization, helped set up a speeding notification system that alerts drivers when they’re going too fast. 

Since then, Zakher has worked closely with Kidwell to build a robust, customized system integrating a variety of features and tools from Geotab, including the Driver Safety Scorecard Report, Weekly Idle Cost Trend Report, Fleet Savings Summary, Fleet Management Rules and Alerts, Maintenance Reminders and Driver Vehicle Inspection Report (DVIR). Wiseway also uses the Annual Trend Report which provides 12 months of data on critical indicators, such as aggressive driving, seatbelt use, idling, speeding, and distance driven.

The dedicated customer support is noticed by Wiseway. Kidwell notes, “Karl has really gotten to know us. When we have problems, he goes away and figures out answers. That’s what I admire about him, he is driven to get results.”

Safety is priority number one

Wiseway’s Denny Hungler, Training and Development Manager, who works closely with Kidwell and Zakher says that the company leaders continuously teach the importance of safety – for employees, customers and the community. “We end every meeting with a conversation about safety.” 

The Geotab Driver Safety Scorecard is critical to maintaining their safety standards. It allows Wiseway to manage risk and monitor speed, seat belt use and erratic driving. It provides granular details to help management isolate issues that need further attention or coaching. 

“Geotab makes my day work!”

Maintenance notifications have helped Wiseway proactively manage issues when they arise. Wiseway drivers use the electronic Driver Vehicle Inspection Report (DVIR) for pre- and post-trip inspections,  flagging issues and defects as soon as they discover them. Telematics fault protection also lets Kidwell know when low-priority lights come on. 

“There is a pop-up window that tells me when an oil change is due at 500 miles,” says Kidwell. 

Delivery notifications provide a new value-added service for customers

Wiseway customers rely on timely delivery of products to help them stay on schedule. To address this, Wiseway worked with Geotab to implement delivery notifications as a value-added service available to qualified customers. It’s a win-win. The clients are informed and drivers can focus on the road.

“This will help Wiseway build better relationships with customers. Now we can let them know that they don’t need to call us. They will receive a notification by email or text.”

In addition to supporting customer service, Wiseway knows this will be an important time management tool. “The project manager can’t always be on site, but they’ll know when the product is there.”

The Results: A vast improvement in safety, idling and savings

Kidwell says they are most focused on the safety scorecard, but also closely monitor idle cost trends and opportunities to save money. When he and Hungler talk about the work they do to manage safety and efficiency and deliver exceptional service to customers, you can hear the pride in their voices.

They have good reason to feel proud. Kidwell says they are seeing “direct results” from their investment in Geotab solutions. Since February 2021, Wiseway has seen:

• 2 point improvement in the fleet’s safety score
• Nearly 40% reduction in speeding
• 44% reduction in idling

From the Fleet Manager

“We’ve built a great relationship with Karl. He drives us to get great results. We present him with a problem and he goes away and figures it out.” — Michael Kidwell, Vice President of Branch Operations, Wiseway Supply Ltd.