MILWAUKEE – Joy Global is seeing positive results from using Ford’s Crew Chief fleet asset management system. In a news release from Ford, Joy Global said it improved fleet fuel economy by 10 percent for part of its 800-vehicle fleet through efforts to cut costs that include using Crew Chief.

Michael Butsch, director of fleet operations for Joy Global, said he expects to reduce the amount of fuel used by his fleet by 80,000 gallons in 2011, in part due to the use of Crew Chief.

"You don't know what you don't know," Butsch said. "Effective fleet management hinges on a thorough understanding of utilization of equipment in the field. By shedding a light on what you don't know, you can train to that and better implement company policy in a way that ultimately promotes sustainability of your fleet."

According to the news release, Butsch said he views Crew Chief information for his fleet once a day at least and customized it to email specific alerts to him, for example if a driver is not wearing a seatbelt or engages in excessive speeding. If he discovers a detrimental driver behavior pattern, Butsch said the company gives the driver specific training.

Aliso Viejo, Calif.-based Telogis, Inc. provides the telematics software for Crew Chief.