What is Freewheeling?
Freewheeling means when a vehicle moves purely by its momentum without any engine power. The situation occurs when the clutch is down and the gear is neutral. In that exact moment, the engine cuts off the power transmission to the vehicle’s drive wheels.
Freewheeling occurs when drivers release the accelerator during descending hills or right before a stop, which saves them fuel. But this practice might lead to overuse of brakes, lack of control, and the need for greater stopping distances. Driver performance monitoring systems can detect the habit very efficiently and send instant freewheeling alerts so that fleets remain safe.
How Does Freewheeling Work?
Vehicle freewheeling happens once a car driver lifts their foot from the clutch pedal, thereby disconnecting the engine and transmission. The car keeps running, solely relying on inertia. When the engine is not engaged, the engine brake is lost. Only brakes are used to manage a car’s speed. The exact same scenario will take place if the engine is turned off during a drive. A real-time GPS tracking system help identify real-time GPS tracking moments through live vehicle data.
Why is Freewheeling Risky for Fleets?
Fleet freewheeling is dangerous for commercial trucks. This is because it removes engine braking which increases the stopping distance as well as raises the possibility of accidents and brake failure. These risks accumulate and result in a direct threat to a fleet’s safety and an escalation of its operating costs.
- Driver uses brakes only – As the drivers use only of the brakes and do not utilize the brake engine mechanism, the brake shoes and pads wear out quicker.
- Brakes may stop working – Going downhill repeatedly strains the brake system beyond its limit. This makes braking even more ineffective.
- Harder to drive the vehicle – Turning and changing speed becomes more difficult as the driver loses the grip.
- Longer stopping distance – The ability to handle momentum drops without help from engine braking.
Altogether, these contribute to a greater likelihood of accidents mainly for large commercial trucks.
A video telematics software helps managers to also review footage of the risky moments apart from tracking the data.
How TrackoBit Detects and Prevents Freewheeling
Trackobit identifies freewheeling incidents at that very moment by combining OBD data with monitoring of driver behavior. Every time the engine detaches while a vehicle is in operation, TrackoBit records it. Fleet managers are immediately notified and provided with driver scorecards demonstrating the freewheeling frequency of each. TrackoBit’s fleet management software has been developed to include this component as part of the driver behavior monitoring system.