The 24/7 monitoring and telematics room in Melbourne to coordinate freight movements and drivers
Toll Group has unveiled its first ever Australian control room, located in Melbourne, designed to improve efficiency and safety within its road network.
Operating constantly throughout the year, the centre is responsible for monitoring fleet location, delivery times, vehicle performance, driver fatigue and distractions, and incident analysis in real time.
One of the features includes Guardian, an innovation from technology company Seeing Machines, which uses biometric eye-tracking technology to track a driver’s eyes and alert the control room if their eyes deviate off course for longer than two seconds.
There is also a connection to GPS-enabled telematics to track truck location and driving hours to monitor fatigue.
Toll president of group operations Peter Stokes hails the control room as putting Toll at the forefront of transport technology in the name of safety and productivity.
“Our new control room is a major milestone for our company and the business we support throughout the country,” Stokes says.
“Using data and digital technologies, the control room allows the Toll team to view and respond to any safety or operational issue across the country.
“Our team now have the very latest technology at their fingertips, enabling them to safely monitor and move our fleet across our national network like never before.
“The centre is an investment in the future of our transport network and will ensure Toll continues to deliver strong results for safety and on-time deliveries.”
The data in a truck and from the various operational software is displayed and processed on a 9.5m video wall with interactive touchscreens within the room – which Toll claims is the largest in Australia.
Up to 24 personnel in analysis, planning and operations occupy the space at any given time.
Federal transport minister Michael McCormack toured the room and officially opened the facility, which will handle a 40 per cent increase in linehaul movement ahead of the peak holiday season.
“It is an important milestone, not only for Toll, but for the community and industry in our quest to improve road safety across Australia,” McCormack says.
“I am very impressed by what I’ve seen today. It is a clear a significant amount of expertise has been invested by Toll in this facility to support drivers and the community.”
Toll says its control room is part of its broader eight-year $1.6 billion investment in new fleet and equipment.