DC Water moves its fleet up a gear with FleetWave

Sometimes the right technology can completely revolutionize the way a business operates. And that’s exactly what happened when DC Water invested in Chevin’s smart fleet management software, FleetWave.

Changing the way that its business operates for the better, DC Water uses Chevin’s signature software for more than just fleet management – and after rolling the solution out across the whole company, they even renamed it ‘Wave’.

Timothy Fitzgerald, Fleet Director at DC Water, explained: “FleetWave has allowed us to create cultural change across our organization by providing complete visibility of our businesses, and by driving policies and processes.”

Accelerating change

Tim describes how alerts about drivers’ on-road style have highlighted training requirements, promoting not only a culture of learning but also safer and more efficient driving habits. And with safer drivers comes better fuel economy, enhanced company reputation, and increased job satisfaction.

That’s just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to benefits that the utility giant drives from FleetWave. Tim says: “We can now manage how equipment is provided to DC Water’s staff – including pretty much any asset – from rugged laptops all the way to vehicle keys.

“These items are stored in secure locking compartments so that our people can access their allocated property with a reservation code and employee ID.

“This has made sharing equipment across departments and the wider business much easier while increasing the utilization of our assets.”

And DC Water’s success story doesn’t end there. The company has adopted a plethora of efficient working practices, none of which would have been possible without Chevin’s smart software solutions.

A good example of this is DC Water’s paper-free working environment. Staff across the entire business have changed the way they work:

“If the data isn’t in the system, then the job hasn’t been completed. And I don’t allow them to use separate spreadsheets or bits of paper, because that quickly leads to disparate processes,” Tim says.

Chevin’s smart software solutions show exactly what’s going on across the whole business, and highlights paths for improvements. Centralizing a wealth of business-critical data in one location, decision-makers have operational insight at their fingertips.

Fitting Right In

FleetWave’s adaptability was enough to seal the deal for DC Water, fitting seamlessly with the company’s day-to-day processes and integrating with other important systems – including fuel management.

This powerful integration made it possible for DC Water to see which vehicles stop to refuel, and check that the correct type and volume of fuel was being purchased, preventing the opportunity for fuel fraud.

Feeding an impressive amount of fuel-related data back into FleetWave – including consumption figures – DC Water was able to keep a lid on costs and hit ambitious emission targets. Chevin’s FleetWave software isn’t a “burn down and start new” solution, Tim adds. It adapts. And for DC Water, that’s important. The company needs to ensure existing technology investments keep on providing ROI. Tim says:

“A lot of software offers some level of customization, but ultimately the business must adapt to the software’s structure. Instead, FleetWave has been truly adaptable to our exact business requirements.”

Award-Winning Fleets Start Here

DC Water has received international awards for the management of its utility fleet and was quick to name Chevin’s FleetWave software as part of its success story.

Download our whitepaper, A Buyers Guide to Fleet Management Software, for top tips on how to buy the right fleet management software for your operation.