ABOUT

As part of the Vision Zero Action Plan the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC) started a pilot program, which allows the city to test and evaluate Vehicle Safety Technologies that are used to track and promote safe driving in TLC-licensed vehicles.

DataTrack274 as an approved vendor can provide its customers with approved vehicle safety technologies that meet the TLC’s operational and security standards. With thousands of satisfied clients and over 17 years experience in fleet management applications, Datatrack247 has been tailoring the most desirable and efficient system that will comply with the VST program’s regulations.

For an affordable price, DataTrack247 provides customers with state-of-the-art GPS tracking, telemetry, and two-way communication systems designed to achieve the highest standards of safety, control and delivery.

DataTrack247 offers GPS based fleet management solutions that are geared and tailored for the specific needs of your industry. The Fleet Management Systems provide real time 24/7 tracking, telemetry, dispatching and route efficiency applications that will produce guaranteed results. Also the technologies has been assisting customers to reduce overhead, cut excess spending while increasing productivity and end-customer loyalty as well as arming your business with the utmost accessible and user-friendly management tools.

As a service provider that has been based out of New York City for the past years and in an effort to support the Vision Zero Action Plan, Datatrack247 now offers cutting edge driver behavior technology that records speed, location, braking, acceleration, and lateral movement of a vehicle over time.

Datatrack247 Systems Offers:

• Pin point positioning of vehicles at any given time.
• Telemetry- Field data, speed, travel direction, stops/deliveries/ passengers pick up and drop offs, transmitted directly into your computer station.
• Approved and secured two-way text messaging (pre-set and free text).
• Voice over text messaging application.
• Smart GPS movement sensors indicating idling/stop time of vehicle, location and duration. Report generator provides detailed information of travel time, job execution, deliveries made, and route efficiency.
• Added sensors assist in fleet/asset management detecting drivers activities, pick-ups, drop-offs, excessive speeding, engine overheat, and more.
• Driver Behaviors monitoring and scoring analysis.
• Active Driving Violation alerts system.

Activities

The initial kick off for DataTrack247/VST Pilot began with 10 vehicles in the Bronx. During the first full month the drivers did not receive any alerts as to violations of the G factors and related improper driving behavior. This was necessary to determine a base line of activities in order to evaluate behavior and then allow for proper education and correction of behavior.

As we progressed and based on the request of the TLC we have increased the number of vehicles to over 350.

Our approach has been to include three key elements to improve driver behavior:

1. Notification to both the driver and responsible management
2. Education – advising the driver on a routine basis of their improvement
3. Enforcement – management control in advising drivers of the need to improve their performance or be removed from driving

Calibration Factors – DataTrack247 has taken the lead in the overall VST Pilot by emphasizing the need to evaluate the various factors in such a study. Specifically:

1. Difference in setting “G” factors for the various type of vehicles – i.e. the impact by an SUV due to weight is totally different that one by a Sedan
2. Independent Owner/Operator vehicles
3. Lease vehicle operators
4. Rental operators
5. Day/Night shift operators
6. Double shifted vehicles
7. Interchangeable factors – weather; day of the week and holidays

These factors are key in understanding how and which drivers cause violations.Without this data our Pilot study would be meaningless.

PILOT PROGRAM

DataTrack247 has been an active participant in the NYC Taxi & Limousine Commission (TLC) pilot program

• proposed rules vet pilot extension – 2016
• NYC TLC Notice
• Technology Report
• Commissioner’s Corner (by Meera Joshi)
• Presentation in Vision Zero conference
• In the News
• Transportation Technology Symposium
• Innovative step to make trip record data available
• proposed_rule_rev_driver_fatigue_1_5_17

VST PROGRAM

New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC) Commissioner and Chairman Meera Joshi, City Council Member and Technology Committee Chair James Vacca, and City Council Member and Transportation Committee Chair Ydanis Rodriguez today announced the launch of the TLC’s Vehicle Safety Technology (VST) Pilot Program, an extension of Mayor Bill de Blasio’s Vision Zero Action Plan. The TLC is one of three agencies taking lead on Vision Zero, alongside the NYC DOT and the NYPD. The VST pilot’s goal is to explore the ways that in-vehicle Technology may be employed to improve driver safety.

Data recorders, also known as black boxes, capture and record information on vehicle dynamics such as speed, acceleration, braking, and abrupt turns. Driver alert systems notify the driver when the system detects unsafe driving factors. Testing these types of high-tech systems in TLC-licensed vehicles enables the TLC to evaluate the practical applications of the technology and its effectiveness in promoting safe driving practices. Another of the pilot’s benefits is that it will allow the TLC to evaluate the unique driving conditions found in urban settings such as New York City and their effects on driving for-hire.

“The VST Pilot Program will give us a bird’s eye view of what is actually happening on the road and the mere presence of a black box will keep drivers mindful of the responsibility they have behind the wheel,” said Commissioner Joshi. “The data collected by this piloted technology will help the TLC and our industries reinforce good driving practices that will ultimately keep drivers, passengers, pedestrians and cyclists as safe as possible. Vision Zero’s mission of eliminating traffic fatalities challenges us to explore every option at our disposal to ensure the safety of our shared streets.”

Fleet Owners Minimal Engagement

 Operators/owners, who operate these 350 cars, have started the educational exposure awareness initiative, by alerting their drivers of the data being recorded, as well as presenting them with activity summary. Initial in house analysis demonstrates a very mild change in behavior for drivers engaged and exposed to the data of their own behavior. Noted change for the awareness factor stands at 12%-15% reduction only. We expect that such drivers will further “modify” their behavior once the full alerts system will be engaged, as well as future “enforcement ” procedures that will further impact this industry and push for better compliance with the overall initiative.

Industry Input

 During the conduct of the VST Pilot this past year we have listened carefully to our participants as to what they want and need in such a system.

Several things have become apparent:

1. Need for a unified system that will take into account “Vision Zero”, “Black Box”, IVCS

–DVR and now the integration of potential Driver Fatigue Rules

2. A reasonable cost factor – at present just the current IVCS costs between $600 to $800, the potential of another $1,000 more for a Vision Zero type Black Box will seriously impact drivers either buying it themselves or higher lease/rental terms.

3. Length of time before final TLC decision – owners, financing firms , insurance companies are all reluctant to move forward with a TLC decision.

4. Numerous firms (insurance/leasing/rentals) are testing or using different systems but will not expand it for all their customers being concerned the TLC will require something they do not have at this time.

5. Driver Fatigue – while this is something new being proposed as part of Vision Zero it is causing major concern by base owners. While the TLC is considering using the Trip Data Reports, it is generally felt that even the base owners do not trust the data especially when the APPs are part of the mix.

Datatrack247- our combined solution serves all parties of interest simultaneously and at an affordable price point.