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Fleet management companies are adopting telematics technologies at a rapidly increasing pace. Telematics solutions can be used to obtain meaningful intelligence from a fleet’s vehicles and use it to their advantage. With extensive analytical capabilities, telematics solutions harness a variety of data sources such as engine diagnostics, location & direction, driving behaviour, and much more to maximize a fleet’s productivity, reduce safety concerns, and boost fuel efficiency.

Preventative Maintenance

With advancements in vehicle technology, sticking to traditional maintenance schedules can be a waste of time and money. Instead, telematics uses advanced engine diagnostics, real-time odometer readings, and the trends of consolidated big data for smarter, preventative maintenance recommendations that will extend the life of assets and minimize downtime. Fleet managers can set customized alerts (that can be pushed directly to the drivers) for different vehicle groups that need service- based on engine hours, distance, or pre-set dates. Engine wear can also be minimized through identifying and actioning reports of long idle times and harsh acceleration.

Labour Optimization

Customizable geofencing technology can ensure that the labour force adheres to designated routes while meeting deadlines. Reduce time spent on compliance with indisputable, auto-logged start and end shift times. Anticipate seasonal trends from historical demand data to intelligently mobilize the labour force to match forecasted demand.

Fuel Savings

Less driving equals less fuel used. Optimizing delivery routes with commercial-grade navigation (that avoids low-speed zones such as schools, hospitals, and playgrounds while reducing left turns) will minimize the number of wasted miles and time that drivers are putting on company vehicles. Fleet managers can be instantly alerted to instances of unnecessary idling, harsh driving behaviours, and unauthorized after-hours personal use, all of which directly contribute to excessive and unnecessary fuel consumption.

Safety

Safety management is a time-consuming necessity for companies with fleets. Telematics can reduce the resources needed to enforce safety as well as provide the fleet manager with visibility into unsafe driving behaviour. Immediate notifications can be sent to fleet managers when safety rules are triggered, including speeding, harsh driving, lack of use of seat belts while the vehicle is moving, and driving hour limits (to prevent fatigue). Having live driving information about drivers enables faster response time to breakdowns to get vehicles up and running, which also helps speedily extract stranded drivers out of potentially hazardous situations.

Additionally, location-based fleet tracking is effective in recovering missing or stolen assets. A higher recovery rate means reduced loss and claim costs. Telematics technology can also act as a virtual “black box” that constantly monitors driving behaviour and engine diagnostics, which helps to recreate the pre-and-post accident scene with the data securely stored online.

Improve Customer Service

A study conducted by the Customer Contact Council found that customer loyalty is impacted less by delight in a product/service, but more by how easy the customer experience was. Inefficiencies in fleet management, especially in the services industry, can have an extremely negative effect on customers’ likelihood to recommend a company. With telematics, ETA windows can be greatly reduced with accuracy, and disruptions can be handled proactively. Delivery routes can be adjusted on the fly based on road conditions, vehicles available, or delays, and in turn provide updates on delivery times. For time-sensitive services, dispatchers can find the closest assets available for on-demand jobs to improve response time or even accommodate special requests.

Data Integration

Telematics data is stored in the cloud and accessible 24/7. Furthermore, this data can be integrated into the fleet manager’s ERP or FMIS software for easy tracking, live monitoring, and intelligent allocating of resources. Additionally, telematics data can be cross-referenced or overlaid with existing data from lease, fleet, and expenditures for combined insights, such as a fraud/culpability mitigation and improved odometer accuracy that were not possible before.

Cloud ELD

Shortly after ELDs being mandated for all commercial drivers in the USA, the Canadian Council of Motor Transport Administrators is in the process of finalizing a similar proposal for Canada. When in effect, this mandate will require all drivers to have an ELD-compliant device and forego the traditional logbook method, resulting in accurate, paperless, cloud-accessible historical records. Telematics devices can easily provide compliance to this mandate as an added benefit.

Flexible Plans & Hardware Selections

A fleet may consist of various classes of vehicles ranging from vans, light-duty, box, bucket trucks, to even tractor trucks. Depending on the functions, a fleet may benefit from simple yet powerful plug-and-play devices with no installation, to more discreet solutions that are hard-wired or hidden.

Ready to take it to the next step? Contact a JPL Telematics Specialist or Sales Rep to get started.

GLOSSARY
  • Telematics – Integrated use of telecommunications and GPS technology in vehicles to monitor, store, and/or control attributes of the vehicle on the move
  • Geofencing – The use of GPS to create a virtual geographic boundary that enables software to trigger a response when a vehicle enters or leaves a particular area
  • Black box – A device, independent from the vehicle that records relevant data before, during, and after a traffic accident, whose data contents can be retrieved after the accident to assist in reconstructing measurable factors surrounding the accident
  • FMIS – Also known as a Fleet Management Information System, an FMIS exists to aggregate and analyze timely financial data to allows for better insights before making key decisions
  • ELD – Also known as an Electronic Logging Device, an ELD is a digital device connected directly to the vehicle’s engine control module and used to automatically capture and store a driver’s Hours of Service data, which replaces the traditional logbook that drivers keep