Black box turns white van man into golden boy

Latest in-cab technology could signal a U-turn in driver behaviour. The knave of Britain’s highways and by-ways will be transformed into the king of the road by the latest technology fitted into his vehicle.

The dreaded white van man will become a kind, considerate and environmentally friendly driver thanks to a box of tricks called Driver DNA.

The sophisticated ‘all seeing’ device has been produced by Trimble MRM.

Trimble have already been adopted by a number of UK companies with large on-the-road fleets including British Gas and British Telecom.

The Driver DNA Box can be attached to any vehicle and records where it is travelling and how it is being driven.

Trimble then send the diagnostic information back to the business so managers can monitor bad driving habits and how well the vehicle is running.

“Improving road safety is paramount to us and our fleet customers,” says Andrew Yeoman, MD of Trimble. “If we can help drivers realise what they need to change to help prevent accidents then we are proud and pleased to do so.”

Driver DNA uses diagnostics to ensure workforces are driving carefully and helps save companies money by running teams more effectively.

Research saw the white van man voted the most feared driver on the road – scarier than young drivers, elderly drivers or motorcylists.

And statistics released last year by the Institute of Transport Management showed one in three company drivers has a crash annually. The figure was even higher for those driving more than 12,000 miles a year.

Information from the black box also helps to reduce CO2 emissions by spotting faults with vehicles and making sure they are running efficiently, and it can be accessed immediately online by those using Trimble vehicle tracking.