For Winegrowers, Fleets Pair Well With Data
Dec 7, 2022 | 5 min read
Remaining competitive in agriculture, whether it’s bringing corn or grapes to harvest, means business owners need to keep a firm grip on costs. Equipment is a big expense on a farm, particularly one managed by a relatively small crew. Vehicle downtime can blow up a budget – and profits – through lost productivity.
Fleet managers like Joe Dutton of the Dutton Ranch are using powerful new software from Ford Pro to manage and track each vehicle in the fleet, including E-Transit vans and the F-150® LightningTM Pro. This includes real-time vehicle tracking, vehicle health alerts and driver behavior monitoring to continually diagnose each vehicle within the fleet while providing insights on operating costs.
“Every morning, we’re working out logistics,” explains Sonoma County winegrower Joe Dutton, discussing operations across his family farm in California’s Russian River Valley. “It’s very important we fix things quickly, get them right back out in the field and keep things going.” When repairs last too long, it’s a burden and “we have to find a spare vehicle to keep things moving.”
Dutton Ranch is making a change: It’s leveraging Ford ProTM Telematics to access the power of data to improve performance across its fleet of vehicles, which includes one of Ford’s advanced electric vehicles, the E-TransitTM, cargo van. Dutton Ranch received an E-Transit vehicle as part of a pilot program and paid sponsorship with Ford Pro. Dutton is one of three Sonoma winegrowers participating in a paid sponsorship with Ford Pro.
Many older vehicles at the Dutton Ranch, including gas-powered F-150 trucks,1040 Ford Super Duty® and even the Duttons‘ Class 8 trucks, have been outfitted with a plug-in device (PID)1041 so all vehicles can be monitored.
Tuning In to Telematics
Ford Pro Telematics is available in any Ford vehicle with a modem or PID1041. This includes real-time vehicle tracking, vehicle health alerts and driver behavior monitoring to continually diagnose each truck within the fleet while providing insights on operating costs.
For gas-powered vehicles adapted with a PID1041 – available for Ford model years 2015 to 2019 as well as non-Ford vehicles – instead of using antiquated windshield-mounted stickers to note the mileage target for an oil change, an alert will notify the fleet manager when it’s time for that service through the telematics dashboard.
The F-150® LightningTM Pro arrived at Dutton Ranch this summer along with Ford Pro E-Telematics129 to help monitor electric range, manage energy use and precondition the battery prior to crew arrival.
Dutton is one of three Sonoma County growers who will be working with Ford Pro to use the all-electric F-150 Lightning trucks and E-Transit cargo vans across their ranches to better understand how new vehicle technology offers far more than transportation.
“To see your entire fleet on one screen and know exactly the status of when something needs an oil change, how fast it’s going, where you were or where your crew is” will help growers be better business managers, said Karissa Kruse, president of Sonoma County Winegrowers.
She notes that farmers have always relied on data to improve their business, but some data collection methods are outdated. Often, farmers document maintenance service by hand, while drivers are responsible for monitoring a vehicle’s health as they go about their tasks for the day.
“A lot of things are still handled the old-fashioned way,” Kruse says. “There’s always been the handshake deal and some magic in that, but it’s not efficient. This collaboration is truly the next step in our decade-long sustainability commitment.”
An Easier Way to Improve Efficiency
Increasing productivity and reducing downtime are key features of telematics, which allows drivers to focus on the task at hand. As soon as an indicator light brightens – low tire pressure, for example, or time to schedule planned maintenance – the fleet manager receives an alert and a suggested action. Also, within the Drive App, if a driver enters an issue into the system, such as a cracked driver’s side mirror, a manager is alerted to take action.
“I’ll know when a vehicle needs service,” Dutton says. “I’m responsible for that. It’s going to make it a whole lot easier for me."
Fleet managers can constantly check the health, location and other data about each vehicle in a fleet through a Ford Pro dashboard.
Reducing Fleet Operations Costs
Tapping into telematics can lead to potential savings in many ways. Managers will know, for example, if a vehicle goes outside the boundaries of a “geofence” that marks a business’ service area. In addition, through vehicles’ embedded GPS, the fleet can communicate as one, so it’s a snap to identify the closest vehicle available for the next call.
Further, vehicle owners can add gas, hybrid and electric vehicles from other automakers to a networked fleet if vehicles have an approved PID1041 to support GPS.
Getting more data from each vehicle allows for workflow tools to schedule service appointments in advance, avoiding unexpected repairs and fleet disruptions. Such ongoing digital vehicle checks remove the need for paperwork, while drivers can add additional information – like that cracked driver’s side mirror – through a mobile app.
In Sonoma County, Kruse is looking forward to when more growers use the data.
“There are learnings we don’t even know yet,” she said. “Maximizing and optimizing that data is going to be fantastic. That’s an untapped asset to learn from, and our growers will have all that data at their fingertips.”
Learn how you can tap into telematics software to start reducing fleet-management costs: https://fordpro.com/en-us/telematics/
Disclosure(s)
Models prior to 2020 model year.
With 2020MY commercial vehicles, or newer, connectivity comes standard with factory-installed modems. For model years prior to 2020 through 2015, there is an available Ford PID, offering 4G LTE Wi-Fi.
Eligible (2022 and 2023 MY) vehicles receive a complimentary three-year trial of Ford ProTM E-Telematics services, and eligible (2024, 2025 and 2026 MY) vehicles receive a one-year trial that begins on the new vehicle warranty start date. Requires modem activation. Terms and conditions apply. Telematics service and features depend on compatible cellular network availability. Evolving technology/cellular networks/vehicle capability may limit functionality and prevent operation of connected features. Annual service contract is required for E-Telematics service after trial. Call 1-833-811-3673 or go to FordPro.com to activate E-Telematics service.