G4S enlists a modern partner for its specialized business

As a company specializing in security solutions, G4S Secure Solutions Trinidad has a recurring need to move valuable cargo in a way that is efficient and does not put customers' goods at risk. For this reason, the company has always been interested in GPS vehicle tracking systems and in constantly improving both the software and the equipment they use to provide the best service.

With the data and reports provided by Geotab's equipment, the security company now has greater control over its fleet, with key, specific, day-to-day details of the operation:

• Accurate location of each of the units, including alerts when one of the vehicles spends too much time in a single location.
• Camera system for internal monitoring of vehicles and their immediate surroundings.
• Panic buttons for drivers in case of emergency.
• Road behavior reports (excessive acceleration, improper braking, details of road incidents, etc.).

The challenge: To continue the process of modernizing and strengthening the transportation division.

G4S Security Solutions Trinidad is one of the largest companies of its kind in the nation. Specifically, its transportation division can boast the largest fleet of armored vehicles in Trinidad and Tobago, with more than fifty units. Because of the sensitivity of the work they do, the company has always been aware of how necessary it is to have monitoring systems for its vehicles on the road.

"Because of how technology evolves and develops, we have always known that we must move with the times and put in each of our units the best security systems to know where they are at all times."

Martin Rollock, Divisional Manager of Cash & Cash Solutions at G4S Security Solutions Trinidad

At the same time, modernizing a specialized fleet in the security sector is no easy task. Vehicles are constantly on the road, notes Martin Rollock, and installing new tracking systems is a complex task. "If [the units] are working at night, you have to accommodate maintenance at 5 o'clock in the morning. We created a challenge that telematics solution providers had to respond to in a timely manner," the executive notes.

The solution: More accurate reporting of the location and behavior of armored units.

Not only Giscad, the reseller of Geotab solutions and a supplier with almost two decades of history with G4S, was up to this logistical challenge. The security company was able to substantially improve the monitoring of its fleet with the new tools and monitoring systems installed. Geotab's real-time GPS tracking, according to Martin Rollock himself, proved to be a substantial improvement in accuracy. In addition, new monitoring equipment and platforms were installed on board their vehicles with specific benefits.

"We have the camera system up and running. We have panic buttons on the units, and we also added the inactivity alarm that is activated if drivers go more than 50 minutes without moving. We have reports if the vehicles brake too sharply, and information if the units were going too fast in an accident."

Martin Rollock, Divisional Manager of Cash & Cash Solutions at G4S Security Solutions Trinidad

G4S also now receives daily and weekly reports on their drivers' habits, which has enabled them to establish better feedback practices to avoid incidents and risky behavior on the road. And thanks to these reports, potential safety concerns can also be detected in time to design new prevention and monitoring strategies.

The results: New doors are opened to incorporate other safety and monitoring solutions into the fleet.

For the time being, Martin Rollock notes, G4S has not incorporated solutions from the Geotab Marketplace into its daily operations. However, he notes that it has been in constant communication with Giscad to request improvements and new alarms and alerts to prevent risky behavior. In fact, the automatic warning of inactivity after 50 minutes is one of the solutions that was incorporated into the fleet after the initial installation of the Geotab equipment, after analyzing the data provided by the telematics system and detecting new opportunities for use.

The adoption of Geotab solutions has also had a positive effect on G4S drivers. According to the Divisional Manager of Cash & Cash Solutions, drivers have quickly understood that the monitoring systems and the data collection they enable are there to improve their productivity and protect them against incidents. And as G4S is part of an international group, the expectation is that the use of Geotab solutions will only increase in the future. 

Martin Rollock points out that during the first half of 2022, they have been focusing on relocation of their offices and a consolidation of their business. However, by the end of the year, it is almost a certainty that it will be necessary to bring even more changes and improvements to the internal telematics system beyond those that have already been made.

From the Fleet Manager

"We were very open with our drivers about what we were doing. At first, when we reported that they were speeding too much or deviating from their set route, they would say 'Oh, I guess the boss can see me now.' But other than that, they've gotten used to the changes. The new systems are not intrusive, they don't bother them, and they don't stop them from working. The most critical thing for us is to communicate with them and let them know what they are doing and how they are doing it. The changes are to help them improve and protect them better. That's why it was easy to sell these changes to them."

Martin Rollock, Divisional Manager of Cash & Cash Solutions at G4S Security Solutions Trinidad