When it comes to fleet logistics, John Kingman has done it all — both on the road and in the warehouse. Having started his working life as an apprentice electrician, today he’s the chief technology officer (CTO) at Group Tyre — the UK’s leading independent tyre wholesaler — a business with national reach but one that prides itself on local service.

As CTO of Grouptyre, he works hand-in-hand with Samsara to use tech to solve the most pressing business issues. Here, he shares his perspective on safety, the distracting influence of mobile phones, and the evolution of fleet management from guesswork to one underpinned by data. 

JOHN, WE’RE SURROUNDED BY DISTRACTIONS. HOW DO YOU HELP YOUR TEAM TO STAY SAFE AND FOCUS ON THE JOB AT HAND?

You’ve hit the nail on the head — mobile phones are a distraction. They’re the biggest threat to our people both on the road and in the warehouse. That’s why it’s important for us to manage those distractions. It’s getting harder to do — but we have processes in place to mitigate those risks. Technology is a big thing for all of us. But only as long as it's used at the right time. 

WE KNOW YOU’RE PASSIONATE ABOUT SAFETY. HOW DO YOU GO ABOUT MAKING SURE YOUR PEOPLE USE TECH IN THE RIGHT WAY? 

From a driver perspective, we use mobile experience management from Samsara. This allows us to lock down the screen when they are above a certain speed. Drivers can do mapping, but that’s it. We want them focused on getting from A-to-B safely. 

We’ve done something similar for the team in the warehouse. It blocks them so they can only use devices when they are in a locked position. After all, you don’t have to be behind a wheel driving at high speed for an accident to occur. Warehouse machinery is big. And some of the stuff we shift is heavy. People working in the warehouse are just as important as someone on the road. 

YOU HAVE A LIFETIME OF EXPERIENCE WORKING IN ALL AREAS OF YOUR BUSINESS. LOOKING BACK, HOW HAS TECH CHANGED FLEET MANAGEMENT?

When I first joined the warehouse we didn’t have telematics. We had to rely on drivers to tell us if anything happened while they were out. Thanks to connected fleets, we now have access to previously unimaginable sources of data that help give us clear visibility. We can see individual driving styles, anticipate vehicle maintenance and see real-time camera footage. Connected fleets are all about massive data and that is amazing. 

BEFORE THE INTRODUCTION OF DIGITAL PLATFORMS, WOULD IT BE FAIR TO SAY THAT MUCH OF YOUR TIME WAS SPENT ON PAPER PROCESSES AND GUESSWORK?  

You can say that again. It was organised chaos! If there was an incident, it was down to drivers to fill out accident forms. It could take days — weeks — to pull all the paperwork together. Now, it can be done in minutes. Likewise, managing maintenance was down to manual checks and the drivers handing in the right paperwork. It worked to a degree — but it was chaotic. There was a lot of room for improvement.

IT’S OFTEN SAID THAT THE WORLD OF PHYSICAL OPERATIONS HAS BEEN UNDERSERVED BY TECHNOLOGY. DO YOU AGREE? 

It’s fair to say that working in the tyre industry means that we were not always at the forefront of technology. But all that’s changing. We’ve had some catching up to do and we’re making good progress. 

It helps that we have a young workforce and tech — any tech — is second nature to them. When we introduce something new, they pick it up really quickly. They don’t need to be shown what to do. 

WHAT DOES SAMSARA MEAN TO YOU? 

Working with Samsara has allowed me to have a connected fleet, to generate data and make sense of all that information it generates. If I had systems from multiple suppliers, I wouldn’t be able to interpret — or utilise the data — in the same way. If you asked me 25 years ago whether we’d be able to see this kind of data in our industry, I’d have said it was impossible. And yet, here we are today, and we can now make educated decisions about the business. It’s a massive step forward.