A safe partnership - Norse Group Ltd

Norse and Fleetclear have been working together since 2015, on municipal contracts in the UK.  The full spectrum of Fleetclear safety technology incorporating the Cyclear cyclist safety warning device, Reverse Radar, RXLite Live camera recording systems and IDclear anti-roll away technology, is now standard specification for refuse vehicles (RCV) on Norse municipal contracts in the UK, with approximately 220 RCVs currently in operation.

Chris Davison, Group Fleet Manager, Norse Group Ltd:

“Fleetclear has a collaborative, inclusive approach, which we like. They listen to the challenges we face and develop products that address them. We are delighted to have been involved in some of their product development. When it was first launched, we retrofitted IDclear to vehicles operating as part of our GYB (Great Yarmouth Borough) Services contract and following a successful trial rolled it out to the rest of our fleet.”

Mike Crowther, National Key Account Manager , Fleetclear: “Norse Group has a very proactive approach to safety and were early adopters of our Cyclear™ cyclist warning device. They particularly liked the fact that it is a proactive device that actively helps prevent accidents between HGVs and vulnerable road users.”

Cylear was first fitted to vehicles operating within the Suffolk Coastal Norse and Waveney Norse contract, along with reverse radar and ‘Workers at Rear’ light-boards.

Chris Davison commented: “Cyclear was well tested in the field. The system engages both drivers and cyclists to prevent dangerous situations and collisions. Another thing that sets Fleetclear apart is the excellent after sales support and training. Their engineers are very responsive in dealing with any teething problems or issues.”

Connecting and consolidating


Recently Norse announced a new partnership with Rochford District Council – Rochford Norse – marked by the arrival of a new fleet of 11 refuse vehicles.

These vehicles are equipped with the full spectrum of Fleetclear safety technology, according to the standard specification and Norse has decided to trial the company’s latest innovation, Fleetclear Connect.

Fleetclear Connect is a new web-based fleet management software system providing Fleet Managers with an end-to-end solution incorporating safety, compliance, tracking and telematics.  All vehicle safety data is gathered in one place, combining journey and driver information, providing a clear picture of every aspect of vehicles, drivers, and operations.

Chris commented: “We don’t want to be operating multiple systems anymore. It’s inefficient and time-consuming. Fleetclear Connect consolidates the huge amounts of information produced by our vehicle camera systems and safety technologies on one platform, which we can view LIVE and see the whole picture.”

Driver compliance

With changes to the Highway Code this year further prioritising the safety of vulnerable road users, it is more imperative than ever for fleet operators ensure that their vehicles are equipped with adequate safety technology and to monitor driver behaviour regarding health and safety best practice.

Chris added: “We need to know immediately when there is a near miss with a vulnerable road user or if there is a potential vehicle roll away or an alert during a reverse manoeuvre. We have equipped our vehicles with the very latest safety equipment from Fleetclear to assist our crews and we have strict processes in place to mitigate the risk of accidents.  However, it can be difficult to continually monitor driver compliance to ascertain if best practice is always being followed. Fleetclear Connect will help us to do this more effectively, as we can see any equipment activations or alerts immediately and take the appropriate course of action.”

‘The solution fleet operators have been waiting for’

Fleetclear Connect provides LIVE vehicle chassis and body telematics data, including fuel efficiency, carbon output and electric vehicle analysis, braking, speed, and vehicle idling time data, which can be used to optimise and schedule routes more efficiently and safely.

Comprehensive event reconstruction and compliance features provide a powerful tool for fleet operators allowing the re-construction of any event with accompanying telematics and journey data, in just a few seconds via a multi-asset slider bar on the Fleetclear dashboard.

Mike commented: “We have spent years listening to fleet operators like Norse and we understand the challenges they face. There is so much equipment fitted to vehicles nowadays, all running independently and requiring different software applications to access the data. What is needed is something to tie everything together and make sense of the plethora of data that is produced. That’s why we developed Fleetclear Connect. It consolidates all the information in a simplified and user-friendly way to help manage vehicles and drivers.”

Fleetclear is a fleetwide solution and works with every make and model of vehicle, incorporating advanced data analysis and processing techniques to combine hardware with GPS tracking, telematics, driver behaviour, as well as advanced compliance and reporting tools. Fleetclear cuts through the confusion of enormous amounts of data, using smart widgets to drill down and provide business critical, accurate data to inform business decisions.

A single point of focus

Mike explained: “We are a data driven technology company and we are focused on integrating systems to enhance and future proof fleets. We provide everything you need for operational fleet management and safety in one place. By delivering accurate and usable data, we equip our customers with the information they need to maximise the output of their division, drive up safety standards and stay compliant.”

Chris commented: “Subject to the success of this trial we will consider rolling out Fleetclear Connect across our RCV fleet. I am looking forward to making the most of all the features and reporting functions and being able to access important data more easily about how our vehicles and drivers are performing.  It is an exciting time, and we could potentially improve the safety of our fleet and save ourselves a great deal of time and resources, by uniting all our vehicle data in this way.”  

Mike added: “Fleetclear Connect is being very well received by our customers and we are confident that Norse will have a very positive experience.  There is a great potential here to consolidate and add value to the package we currently provide, by providing a single point of focus for all equipment and all vehicles. By incorporating all Norse refuse vehicles on the Fleetclear Connect system, the operations team can see how every driver and every vehicle is performing across multiple contracts.”
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