Driver coaching

Introduction

The Driver coaching module aims to give companies an extra tool to improve driving performance by reducing fuel and maintenance costs. 

This tool is a powerful add-on to the already existing Driving behavior module, adding to it the real-time analysis. Analysis of the driving performance in the Driver coaching module can be done retrospectively, selecting a certain period in the past and analyzing the variables collected during that period. It can also be done in real-time, using the Now option and selecting a vehicle

Collected data is organized by users in Driver coaching sessions, which allows them to analyze previous executions and even compare two executions of the same route, for instance between two different drivers/vehicles, or for the same driver, in two different passes. Sessions are also preserved after the usual 2 months period, so you can still analyze its data at any moment in the future.

Requirements

The Driver coaching panel can be accessed by users with the following permission:

Once the permission is granted, you can find the Driver coaching module in the Main menu:

Important: To enjoy the best experience with the Driver coaching, we recommend that you run it on a computer equipped with a Processor i5 (equivalent or superior) and with at least 8GB of RAM.

Instances of Google Meet and Antivirus software running on the same computer might also affect Driver Coaching's performance.

Sessions

Sessions are data concerning the periods under monitoring so that they can be rerun, analyzed, and compared at any moment. Additionally, such data will be maintained even after the regular 2 months period.

The main panel shows a list of all the previously recorded sessions. It also allows you to create new sessions:

Creating a session

From the Menu

To create a new session from the Driver Coaching Menu, click on the ADD NEW button:

You will see the following popup:

In Session type, you must choose if this session will cover the current trip (Now), or if you will manually select a previous part of a trip of a vehicle from the Map.

If you choose Now, you must select the Vehicle or Driver that will be observed (note that the vehicle must be configured with Real-time tracking and CANBus reading, and it must have the ignition on. You will be asked to enter the Total recording time in minutes (up to 60 minutes) and give this session a Name:

Once you click on SAVE, the session will be available in the main list.

If you choose Select from map, you will see a panel with the instructions to select a session from the Map. Click on Go to Map to begin the selection:

You need to select a vehicle configured with Real-time tracking and CANBus from the Vehicle list. For the other vehicles, the options on the context menu shown below will not be available.

The next step is to indicate to Frotcom exactly what is the beginning and end of the analysis. For that, you to select two waypoints that are not more than 1 hour apart. If the period is higher than 1 hour, it won't be accepted:

Note: The two options related to Driver coaching are only shown in the context menus of any waypoint of vehicles with Extended CANBus Collection. This includes all symbols related to those vehicles’ paths, such as alarms, last position, etc. They are not shown in any other context menus.

When you select the period for analysis, you will be prompted back to the popup: 

By default, Frotcom creates a session name based on the initial and final locations of the session. You can change the name before saving.

Once you click on SAVE, the session will be available in the main list.

From the Map/Vehicle list

Alternatively, you can create new Driver Coaching sessions directly from the Map or the Vehicle list:

• Right-click on a vehicle's last position on the Map, and click on Start Driver Coaching session now:
  
  
  
• Or right-click on a vehicle in the Vehicle list, and select the option Start Driver Coaching session now:
  

The following popup will be displayed for you, where you must provide the Total recording time in minutes (up to 60 minutes) and give this session a Name:

Once you click on SAVE, the session will be available in the main list.

Reviewing a session

When you review a session, you can see information regarding the driving performance. Some of these elements such as vehicle Position and Speed change approximately every second, while others such as Engine temperature only change once a minute.

To review a session, click on any session you already created in the main list:

You have the following panels, synchronized between them:

1. Map: You can see the location of the vehicle under observation on the map. The system allows you to:
   • Define auto-center so that you always see the vehicle moving at the center of the map. For that, click on the vehicle icon to unselect, click again;
   • Adjust the zoom level to the one you want;
   • Toggle between map view and street view, by clicking on the header of the small thumbnail. By default, Frotcom will show a large map and a small street view. Once you click on the header of the street view thumbnail, the street view will become large and the map will become small.
   • Check the thumbnail with the closest Google street view available. Have in mind that this is not real video footage from the vehicle, of course, it is only the available street view from Google, so it does not represent real circumstances such as proximity to the vehicle in front, the traffic status, or the local weather, for instance.
     
   • Click at any part of the vehicle's path and select Restart from here to reposition the time cursor at that exact moment.
     
2. Graphs: You will be able to see the graphs you have configured previously in the Graphs module. It includes Customized graphs as well.
   Because all panels in this view are synchronized, the graphs will have a timeline similar to what you see on the map, i.e., the vehicle's position on the map corresponds to the rightmost moment on the graphs.
   
   You can also click on any point of the graph and select Restart from here to reposition the time cursor at that exact moment
    

3. Dash
   The dash panel simulates what would be a dash on the vehicle, with the main gauges and indicators. 

   The following variables can be observed in the Dash:

   • Speedometer: Gauge and number display indicating the speed of the vehicle;
   • Engine coolant temperature: Engine coolant temperature in Celsius. After 110C the indication becomes red. 
   • Temperature outside: Outside temperature in Celsius;
   • RPMs: Shows the RPMs of the vehicle. The green zone range configured for the vehicle is highlighted in green.
   • Cruise control: A green icon is displayed if the Cruise control is active;
   • Gear: 0 = Neutral, -1 to -4  = Reverse, 1 to 18 = Driving;
   • Retarder: An orange icon is displayed if any retarder is active, along with the percentage of torque applied (0 to 125%);
   • % Accelerator pedal : 0% to 100%. The icon gets highlighted if the pedal is pressed by the driver.;
   • % Brake pedal: 0% to 100%. The icon gets highlighted if the pedal is pressed by the driver.
     
   • Totals/Average panel: For sessions that already occurred (not LIVE), a section in the central part of the dash displays a series of indicators with the Average and Total values for:
     • RPM
     • Speed
     • Weight
     • Fuel consumption
     • Accelerator pedal position
     • Brake pedal position
     • Number of times the brake pedal was used
       
       
4. Time control
   At the bottom of the view, you will be able to use the following time controls:
   
   • Slider rule: The slider rule allows you to move time from the beginning of the interval (left) to the end of the interval (right). In the case of real-time (Now) coaching, pushing the slide to the right end will show the current record information;
     
   • Pause: Pauses time;
   • Play: Resumes time where it stopped;
   • Advance one measure: Moves forward only one second/record and pauses;
   • Go back one measure: Moves backward only one second/record and pauses;
   • Fast forward (2x, 5x, 10x): Moves forward faster by jumping in longer intervals (2 records, 5 records, 10 records) ;
   • Go to start: Moves to the beginning of the time interval;
     
   • Go to end: Moves to the end of the time interval. In the case of real-time tracking, the time will continue to evolve to show the current time;
   • Repeat: This allows the user to define a start and end moment inside the period under observation and repeatedly cycle through its data. Adjust the start and end of the cycle by dragging and dropping the left and right endpoints, respectively.