What is IVMS compliance for contractors?
An in-vehicle monitoring system (IVMS) records how each vehicle is driven: speed, harsh braking and acceleration, seatbelt use, driving at night and for long periods, and who was driving. Many oil and gas operators require contractors to fit IVMS on vehicles that work on their contracts, set the events and limits in a specification, and ask for a monthly report that ranks drivers and shows what was done about each event.
IOGP, the international association of oil and gas producers, publishes Report 365 on land transportation safety and guidance note 365-12 on implementing an in-vehicle monitoring program. It also notes that driving-related incidents have historically been the single largest cause of fatalities in its member companies' operations. Client specifications in the Gulf build on this practice, but each client sets its own events, thresholds and report format.
Who needs an IVMS compliance kit?
- HSE, road safety and transport supervisors at contractors serving oil and gas clients in Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Oman and Kuwait.
- Service companies preparing for a client audit or a bid prequalification that asks for an IVMS procedure.
- Fleet managers who get IVMS data every month but have no fixed way to score drivers, close events and report.
How to use the IVMS kit step by step
- Copy the client requirements. For each event, write the client's threshold, class, weight, close-out time and clause. Beige values are examples to replace.
- Set up. Choose the report month, the rating method, the color bands, the minimum km for a rating and the offline limit.
- Register vehicles, devices and drivers, including subcontractors. The sheets flag offline devices and expired documents.
- Enter the month. One row per driver with km, hours and the count of each event from your IVMS, RAG or RALG report.
- Review and close events. Mark each event valid, device fault or authorized exception, choose the action and close it before the due date.
- Coach Red and Amber drivers and record what was agreed. Next month's rating and the result appear by themselves.
- Send the client report, and fill in the Word procedure once for the contract, with every driver's signed acknowledgement.
How is the IVMS RAG rating calculated?
The workbook offers two methods. Use the one your client asks for.
The example bands (Green up to 1, Amber above 1 to 3, Red above 3) and the example weights (1 for overspeed, harsh braking, harsh acceleration and driver seatbelt) follow the SP2000 RAG report described in the Safee user guide. The class method follows the logic of Safee's RALG report: any IVMS violation moves a driver to Red, while risk-exposure events such as night driving move the driver to Light green only. Replace both with your client's values.
Worked example: one driver in September
Driver D-103 drove 5,400 km in September with 95 overspeed events, 50 harsh braking, 30 harsh acceleration and 25 driver seatbelt events, each with weight 1.
- Weighted points: 95 + 50 + 30 + 25 = 200.
- Score: 200 ÷ 5,400 × 100 = 3.70 per 100 km, above the Red limit of 3, so the rating is Red. He was Red in August too (3.08), so the coaching record shows Same.
- Driver D-102 was Amber in August (42 points over 3,200 km = 1.31). After coaching on seatbelt use and rest stops, September came to 32 points over 3,500 km = 0.91, Green, and the coaching result shows Improved.
- An overspeed event on 3 September with a 7-day client close-out is due on 10 September; one left open after its due date turns Overdue and counts on the client report.
Common IVMS reporting mistakes
- Thresholds copied from another client. Every specification differs. Quote the clause for each limit.
- Counting events that were never reviewed. A device fault is not a driver violation; mark it and close it.
- Rating drivers on 300 km. A score on a short distance swings widely. Set a minimum km.
- Coaching with no follow-up. Check next month's rating; that is what the client asks about.
- Leaving out subcontractors. Client reports cover every vehicle on the contract.
- Offline devices noticed at month end. Check every day; a vehicle with no data has no score.
What the kit does not cover
The kit is a generic working template. It does not claim to meet the specification of any operator or authority, and it sets no thresholds: limits, weights and close-out times come from your client. Values quoted as examples are labeled with their source: the SP2000 RAG bands in the Safee user guide, and a published supplier procedure (Nokia, In-Vehicle Monitoring Systems and Data Analytics SOP v2.0, 2025) that uses a 5 km/h and 10-second speeding filter, 120 minutes of continuous driving with 15 minutes tolerance, and no travel between 20:00 and 04:00. Retention of driver data should be agreed with your legal adviser and your client. The kit is not legal advice.