Fleet Telematics

As a kid when I rode my bicycle down the street, my mom would warn to cut down my pocket money if I dared to drive fast as she had a small device that could monitor me! Shit, I could have won the ‘Le Tour de France’! But today that has become a reality. Technology has empowered us to that extent. Fleet telematics is one of the gifts that we have received.

Introduction:

Fleet Telematics – this technology is not so much known to the general mass. The term “Fleet telematics” is a combination of two words – telecommunications and informatics. Since its introduction over 15 years ago, business telematics has been regarded as a useful tool for vehicle tracking and getting insights about how long journeys have taken.

The whole process of starting from vehicle scheduling, maintenance, driver tracking, and vendor payment is quite tedious and challenging but hail to the technology-driven era that we live in. Technology has transformed the business operations and fleet telematics is into excellent use. Businesses are using telematics data to collect real-time information like vehicle location, fuel consumption, mileage, speed of the vehicle, rash driving, emergency situations and much in order to reduce the involved cost, improve safety and productivity.

How does it actually work: 

There is a tracking device, not the one my mom had! But a real one which components of- a GPS antenna, a SIM card, and an accelerometer. The device uses cellular networks to transmit location and other vehicle data back to the servers. These servers are usually hosted by the fleet telematics provider. 

Process:

The data is stored in these servers which is accessible from any location provided the device has an active internet connection. The GPS antenna detects the location of the vehicle, the road you are traveling on, and even the speed you are traveling. The accelerometer detects if the vehicle is involved in an accident. Not only this but some intelligent algorithms even detect incidents like harsh braking, tailgating, hard acceleration, and cornering.

Industries which can benefit:

• Vehicle Insurance- the companies or say the vehicle provider for that matter can monitor your driving and charge you accordingly.
• Warehouse management- The vehicles of a warehouse transporting the inventory can be monitored for safety.
• Trucking companies:  one of the key industries that use fleet tracking to reduce costs and maintain regulatory compliance. Fleet Trax helps improve driver safety by monitoring for rapid acceleration, hard turns, aggressive braking, seat belt use, and other issues.

Benefits of using Fleet Telematics: 

1. Reduction in operational costs: Cutting down the wastage of time by route optimization of the vehicles, directing the drivers to preferred fuel vendors, etc. The consumption of fuel gets reduced significantly. Surveys tell that more than 80 percent of field service businesses that use telematics save on fuel expenses. With fuel costs being the most significant expense, identifying and reducing excessive fuel usage is crucial to overall efficiency and profitability. Telematics does this through route optimization, cutting down on idle time, and detecting unauthorized vehicle use. Fleet telematics can also help you reduce fuel costs by alerting you to driver behavior.
2. Optimize vehicle performance: The installed device in the vehicle can alert about engine problems and other diagnostic issues while informing routing centers when a vehicle is out of service.
3. Increased efficiency: Real-time communication coupled with route optimization can divert drivers away from road delays and toward high-priority loads. Adding even a few minutes of driving time to each driver’s daily hours of service (HOS) can boost overall fleet utilization.
4. Increased productivity: Advanced automotive telematics systems will enhance your drivers’ productivity by helping to reduce vehicle idle time, improve routing, and ensure vehicle safety. Tracking maintenance can leverage you greatly, you will not be able to run your business efficiently if vehicles are off the road due to unscheduled maintenance. Fleet management software can help you be proactive with preventive maintenance.
5. Increased safety: With the Telematics you can monitor the drivers and warn them for rash driving, not following the traffic rules. This will not only prevent your vehicle from wear and tear but also provide you productive hours.
6. Enhanced customer experience: Real-time vehicle location, on-time delivery, and accuracy will reduce the chances of errors and in-turn increase customer satisfaction and will provide a better experience.

Wrap Up:

Businesses that ignore the varied capabilities of fleet telematics may find it difficult to keep up with their competitors. By using this technology Businesses will not only grow at an exponential rate but also will stay ahead of the curve.

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