Trimble has announced that it has teamed with Ryder, a provider of commercial vehicle rental, contract hire, and maintenance. Ryder provides and manages the fleet of administrative vehicles for the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) based in Germany. As part of a four-year agreement, Ryder said it has equipped the MoD with Trimble’s field service management solutions to more efficiently manage its fleet utilization, reduce costs and improve driver safety.

Trimble was selected following Ryder’s new contract in 2013 as the Service Provider for “Project Roc,” under which Ryder provides the overall fleet management and leasing services for approximately 1,500 of the MoD’s administrative transport vehicles throughout Germany, according to the companies. Trimble’s GeoManager Fleet Management, Driver Safety and vehicle diagnostics solutions were selected following a recommendation from the MoD in the United Kingdom, where the benefits of the Trimble’s fleet service management technology have been proven across its fleet of vehicles under “Project Phoenix.”

With the majority of vehicles driven across Europe as well as in Germany, the Trimble GeoManager Fleet Management provides Ryder and the MoD with real-time visibility into day-to-day fleet operations, enabling them to identify, manage and improve key areas such as vehicle utilization, maintenance planning and customer service to optimize the overall cost of transport by reducing fleet size, spot hire spend, fuel costs and CO₂ emissions, according to the companies.

In addition, Ryder has implemented Trimble Driver Safety to enable the MoD to review driving behavior across its fleet. In-vehicle diagnostics has also been incorporated to provide real-time data so information can be drawn directly from the vehicle. Diagnostics information includes receiving fault codes and alerts about engine-related issues, and obtaining real-time data on fuel consumption so exact fuel use can be monitored. By efficiently managing its vehicles through vehicle diagnostics, Ryder and the MoD will be able to better manage their assets, extend vehicle life, and increase productivity and performance, including reducing the risk of mechanical failures.