Category: Telematics

Introducing Telematics

Telematics systems provide complete fleet management solutions for businesses big and small. Installing telematics fleet management systems enables the complete tracking of vehicles from optimizing vehicle maintenance to improving customer service. Telematics fleet management solutions benefit businesses by improving efficiency, lowering operating costs, and promoting better driver safety.

Vehicle telematics systems use a combination of a GPS receiver, a telematics device, and communication devices. These devices monitor and relay important information on vehicle use. In some ways, you could call telematics systems the “black box” of the vehicle industry.

In this article, you will learn exactly what a telematics system is. You will also find out how these technological solutions can improve corporate fleet management. 

What is Telematics?

The term “telematics” is a combination of telecommunications and informatics. In the context of fleet management systems, telematics allows information to be sent from vehicles to a centralized database. Fleet managers are then able to analyze and process the information to develop transport solutions and optimize the use of company’s resources.

The main industries that benefit from telematics solutions are logistic companies, insurance companies, and businesses who operate commercial fleet vehicles.

For example, vehicle telematics systems can record information such as location, driving speed, idling time, fuel consumption, tire pressure, vehicle faults, and driving habits. Business owners and managers are then able to schedule vehicle maintenance, use resources more efficiently, and improve their employee’s driving habits.

As a result of these reports and diagnostics, investing in telematics systems can result in great savings in transport operating costs.

How Does Telematics Work?

The main components for a telematics system in a car or other vehicle to work are:

• a GPS telematics antenna
• a telematics device that includes an accelerometer
• a SIM card to transmit data over a cellular network

Due to these components, telematics captures areas such as productivity, driving habits, and diagnostics.

Productivity

The GPS telematics system shows in real-time and records data such as speed, location, and types of roads the driver uses.

Driving Habits

In addition to monitoring productivity, telematics devices uses sensors to record driving habit data. For example, suburban fleets may use telematics to monitor and reduce risky driving habits such as harsh braking, harsh cornering, fast acceleration and speeding.

Diagnostics

Because the vehicle telematics “black box” is connected to the vehicle’s onboard computer, diagnostic data is also recorded as part of the intelligent telematics reporting. 

Telematics Solutions for Fleet Management

Why are fleet management telematics a standard part of the industry? The biggest reason is because telematics goes hand-in-hand with effective fleet management.

Fleet managers are responsible for goals such as optimizing fleet resources, improving customer service, increasing safety, and monitoring maintenance. Telematics provides data for fleet managers to realize all of those goals.

 

Telematics Navigation: Vehicle and Trailer Tracking

There are multiple ways that GPS telematics can be used as tracking software for fleet management solutions.

For example, logistics companies can work out the best route to take to increase delivery time or maximize fuel efficiency. Or, real-time GPS fleet tracking can help dispatch the nearest driver to a job or incident (in the case of emergency services).

However, vehicle tracking is also useful to locate stolen cars, trucks or trailers. In fact, if a trailer or vehicle is moved without authorization, an alert can be sent instantly to the fleet manager.

 

Telematics in Cars: Maintenance Monitoring

Telematics devices improves maintenance schedules and extends vehicle lifespans.

For example, by using fleet telematics solutions, businesses can schedule preventative maintenance and track engine hours. Diagnostic alerts can also help repair small issues before they develop into major costly repairs.

Due to the fact that vehicle telematics helps keep cars in a safe operating condition, they also go a long way to improving road safety.

 

Fleet Telematics: Safety Reporting

By analyzing reports on driving behavior, business owners can minimize the risks caused by poor driving habits.

Apart from telematics monitoring driver behavior, there are many telematics device add-ons that can boost safety. For example, devices that prevent driving distractions, collision avoidance systems, and lone worker safety solutions all help improve safety.

Telematics solutions are also effective to increase productivity and safety in large industrial vehicles. For example, the Go RUGGED telematics device has been specifically designed for vehicles such as farm machinery, off-road vehicles, dump trucks, and mining equipment.

It is also good to remember that bad driving habits don’t just put other road users at risk. They also shorten the life cycle of the car by putting the vehicle under unnecessary wear and tear. Fast acceleration and harsh braking also negatively impact on fuel efficiency.

In the event of an accident, GPS telematics devices along with dash cams can provide accurate data to reconstruct the event. This can help to save money on falsified insurance claims. What’s more, by installing telematics devices on fleet cars, companies may be able to save money on insurance premiums.

 

Intelligent Telematics Solutions

Apart from being useful in tracking driver habits and optimizing fleet vehicle management, there are a number of practical ways that telematics work.

Using telematics for predicting traffic conditions can help drivers plan their best route to avoid congestion and hazards. This can not only help companies continue to provide good customer service but it can help to minimize driver stress and improve job satisfaction.

Intelligent telematics fleet solutions also save money on fuel costs. Choosing the most effective route, avoiding idling in traffic, and driving at reasonable speeds all improves fuel efficiency.  

 

Fleet Management Telematics Use Case

Lastly, let’s explore a 2019 use case. Consider one of our recent clients. Like many other fleets, they were a second-time telematics user. Also similarly to other fleets, they understand that using telematics is much more than tracking vehicle location.

For that reason, their use case was more complex. They wanted a custom solution that tracked their vehicles, actionized vehicle data, and provided rich data. As a result, our product team designed the following solution.

GO9 Device

Firstly, our product team provided the brand-new Geotab GO9 tracker – an updated version of the Geotab GO7. The client was one of the world’s first GO9 users. In addition to providing rich telematics data, the GO9 is future proof and will be able to handle future fleet management needs such as tracking electric vehicles.

Automation Software

Secondly, our product team developed and provided automation software. Automation software actionizes telematics data by assigning tasks to telematics triggers. For instance, our client used ZenduMA to automatically assign a mechanic job whenever a driver reported a vehicle defect on their DVIR.

Rich Data

Thirdly, our product team provided rich data by providing a camera solution. ZenduCAM provides valuable video footage to make sense of numerical data. For instance, our client started using footage to follow up on safety incidents and unexplained vehicle damage.

 

Key Takeaway

Hence, the key takeaway is that fleet telematics is now more than collecting vehicle data. In 2019, fleets expect telematics to provide rich data and to actionize that data into business activity.

Sources

Business Fleet

Telematics Helps Materials Placement Company Reduce Costs

Research Gate

A Telematics Application for Stolen Vehicle Recovery Using On-Device Position Fixing

Telematics can often get a bad rep – from being too expensive to being like ‘Big Brother’. In this article we will take a closer look at some of the biggest telematics misconceptions.

First misconception: All telematics technologies are the same.
The truth: There is a huge difference between telematics providers. If you do your research, you’ll see there are a ton of choices when it comes to different software, hardware, features available, reports, alerts, dashboards, and more.

Second misconception: Cheaper is better.
The truth: If you find a solution to fit your specific business needs and goals, you will gain a better ROI. Better telematics software is often more expensive for a reason – more functionality and features, reliability, top notch customer service, making for a long-term valued business partner – NOT just the basic software and hardware. Bottom line: price should not be the driving factor in your final decision.

Third misconception: Telematics is too expensive.
The truth: It’s no secret that the initial up front investment in telematics can be expensive, however, when used correctly, telematics can help a fleet save significantly more that the first initial cost. When speaking with different providers, make sure to take a look initial investment and have them show you how you’ll save more than that. Telematics is only costly when you are not getting a ROI.

Fourth misconception: All telematics solutions are scalable & will adapt to your growing business.
The truth: Unfortunately, not every solution is scalable. Fleets will often grow out of some providers because of their limited functionality. It’s important to find out about the scalability of a telematics solution when looking at different providers. Make sure they have all the capabilities you are looking for right now, as well as many other features and add-ons that will allow the solution to grow along with your business.

Fifth misconception: Using telematics will make your drivers angry.
The truth: This is probably by far the most common misconception, and unfortunately yes, some drivers may have an issue with telematics. However, most of your drivers want to do a good job and make your company money, and the right telemaatics solution will only help them do an even better job. And the small percentage of drivers who do have an issue with it? Well, in our experience, they’re the ones who are doing something wrong and don’t want you to know about it.

 

Source:
Automotive Fleet: Telematics ROI Beyond Fuel Savings

 

Telematics Technology

 

Your company is using Geotab’s GO devices and the MyGeotab software platform to manage your fleet, increase productivity levels, improve safety, and integrate data into other internal applications. It’s interesting to look back and see just how far telematics technology has changed and developed and how it will continue to change in the future.

Telematics of the Past

If we wind back the clock and look at how fleet management worked 10 years ago, we remember a very basic product with a GPS and position recorder. Back then an external antenna was required because GPS’s used to need direct view of the sky. Unfortunately, the external antenna was an obvious failure point. It had a long wire, connector, was always subject to interference, and was often the cause of needing installers to return to vehicles. Back then nobody was connecting into the vehicle’s OBD port. Because of this, intricate wiring had to be done in order to power the device, another failure point. Any time a wire was cut or a connection was made, the wire could break down. There was also absolutely no engine data available; for example there was no way to tell if a driver was wearing a seatbelt. Any fault lights and statuses or fuel data was completely unavailable.

Old GPS devices had little to no expansion capabilities. They had dedicated I/O wires and possibly a serial port. Today we have come a long way from there and now have IOX expansion; there are over 30 different IOX’s that can be plugged into the Geotab GO device. Essentially, the wide variety of add-ons turns our tracking device into a very specialized data gathering computer. For example, a module that connects to the Iridium satellite network so that the device will work anywhere in the world, can be added at the same time as Mobileye integration, reefer temperature monitoring unit, and driver ID keys. The possibilities are almost endless.

Old devices were also missing an accelerometer. The accelerometer is an extremely sensitive micro machine (MEMS) that measures when you brake or accelerate too hard. It also has the capabilities to reconstruct what happened in an accident.

In the past, databases and software had to be installed in your own IT infrastructure. You also needed an expert staff member to manage the systems and install the end user software. Thankfully, today all systems are cloud-based through the web.

Initially, there were no API‘s for MyGeotab. Through the SDK, hundreds of partners are integrating data from MyGeotab into other systems like risk management, invoicing, maintenance, safety systems and route planning. There is an entire ecosystem of partners that are adding even more value to the existing Geotab solutions, in order to help customers solve business problems that are very specific to their industry that couldn’t be solved in the past.

It’s obvious new technology has brought amazing improvements to fleet management:

• Reliability (no more cutting of wires, unreliable installs or mounting antennas)
• Simplicity (plug & play installs in the OBD port, emailed reports, Web-based services, server rules & driver feedback)
• New Engine Information (valuable measurements directly from the vehicle like ODO, seatbelt, fault codes & fuel consumption)
• Expansion (new IOX’s that address virtually every use case, from weight scales to driver identification to temperature monitors)
• API’s and Integration (automating data & connecting customers’ systems to solve any new tricky business problems)

It’s truly amazing how far fleet management technology and telematics has come and how much it has improved fleet management. We will constantly continue to add value to how customers manage and measure their fleets.

The future holds a ton of exciting opportunities including connected vehicles, big data, and customer benchmarking.

GoFleet & Geotab are your partners at the FOREFRONT of changing fleet management. Between Geotab’s always improving technology and our incredible support staff and in house development team, we are sure to meet all custom needs to fit your business.

 

Original Article By: Niel Cawse, CEO at Geotab

http://www.geotab.com/blog/advancing-use-technology-telematics/

The Golden Age of Telematics

 

Telematics is an ever expanding and exciting field involving multiple technologies simultaneously working together to collect and present data in a useful manner for cost-savings, process, standard improvements and safety. Telematics has been around for many years, however we are now entering the ‘Golden Age’ of telematics expansion, innovation, and growth.

Industry Trends

Increase in OEM Telematics

It is estimated that 15% of all vehicles sold across the world in 2014 were equipped with OEM embedded telematics. This number is expected to grow to 50% of all new vehicles sold by 2020.

Examples of OEM telematics include:

• Roadside Assistance/eCall
• Vehicle Diagnostics
• Stolen Vehicle Tracking
• Usage Based Insurance
• WiFi Hotspot
• Leasing & Rental Fleet Management
• Connected Navigation & Infotainment
• Convenience Applications
• Electronic Road Charging

The number of new cars sold utilizing some sort of telematics is forecasted to increase from 7 million in 2013 to over 68 million in 2020. Embedded telematics systems are expected to grow from 8 million units sold in 2013 to 54 million units by 2020. That’s a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 31%.

Telematics Subscriptions on the Rise

Telematics service subscription numbers are expected to grow at a CAGR of 38%. This means the amount of subscriptions will rise from 16 million in 2013 to 158 million in 2020. In the near future, the global sales of insurance telematics products are projected to grow over 2013 to 2018 at a CAGR of 80%; in 2018 the subscriber base is expected to reach 85.5 million.

 

Worldwide Growth Potential

(Berg Insight Forecasts)

The large growth expectation in the telematics market indicates that within the next 10 years, most of the cars on the road will be equipped with some form of telematics. In South Africa, the number of cars with a telematic system is projected to expand to 840,000 by 2017. There is an estimated 90% of the light consumer vehicles market which currently remains untapped. The Chinese telematics market is also expected to increase 22% at the end of 2014 from 2.1 million units to 5.9 million by 2019.

 

India’s Quickly Growing Telematics Market

(Berg Insight Forecasts)

The Indian market is projected to grow at a CAGR of 31% (From 2015-2020) and CAGR of 38% (from 2020-2025).

Telematics and the Insurance Industry

A wide range of insurance companies have already begun to incorporate telematics into their policies, taking advantage of the huge data range collected by telematics devices in the following ways:

• Pay As You Drive (PAYD): Monitor where, when and how often a vehicle is being driven. This technology can provide customized policies to suit each individual’s needs. It also can monitor unsafe driving habits and can be used to reward safe driving (deeper discounts, etc).
• Accident Reconstruction: Determine the driver at fault during a car accident, decrease costs related to insurance fraud and gain quicker payouts to those injured
• Vehicle Recovery: Track stolen vehicles for a better chance of quick vehicle recovery.

Check out this blog for further details on insurance discounts related to telematics devices.

Safety Benefits of Telematics Solutions

As telematics continues to advance, the benefits it can potentially provide will become even more significant. Google claims that with its driverless car technology, it will reduce the rate of traffic accidents by 90%, and Volvo claims by 2020 with its new cars it will provide an accident-free driving experience. While these benefits may be years away, telematics technologies offer multiple substantial benefits for fleet vehicles and personal vehicles alike, today.

Telematics is a tool to improve safety, boost employee morale, increase efficiency and add to the bottom line of any business. You do not want to get left behind! Get your fleet vehicles connected with telematics today! Contact us for more details so you can take advantage of the full benefits of telematics today and in the future years to come.

 

Original Article By: Boby Multani, Senior Technical Services Engineer at Geotab

http://www.geotab.com/blog/telematics-growth-the-golden-age/

Telematics Improves Employee Satisfaction

In the USA, it’s estimated there are around 22 million employees who are put in the category of having low morale at work which works out to an estimated 350 billion dollars in added costs to businesses every year. [1]

It is frustrating for management to continually oversee defeated, disgruntled and downhearted staff and can also translate into an uncontrollable (yet avoidable) expenses. An increase in staff turnover, decreased employee productivity and worker absenteeism all contribute to the costs businesses are burdened with.

The lack of recognition for hard work, time away from home, and the difficulty making a living are what professional long distance drivers often cite for the reasons they do not recommend their occupation to others [2]. The industry is also predicting a shortage of drivers due to the fact that many baby boomers will be soon retiring from their driving positions [3]. This makes maintaining a happy and satisfied workforce a prominent factor to saving on employee related costs for any fleet company.

 

What can fleet managers do to cut these costs,
and how can telematics contribute?

 

Infinite data is provided from telematics systems to analyze, learn from, and be effectively utilized to cut down costs. Often, savings from altered driving habits can be passed on to the drivers themselves if they are exposed to the knowledge base the analysis can provide. If savings can be realized by the drivers themselves, as well as the organization, a reason for work dissatisfaction is minimized. Further to this, transparency with data by an organization is both welcomed and appreciated by workers [4]. Telematics provides an avenue for organizational higher-ups to recognize the importance and value of their fleet drivers.

With such independent and isolated work, it can be challenging to recognize and reward loyal and top performing employees to provide pride and motivation. Telematics systems provide you with strong metrics and flexibility to narrow down and track the exact type of behaviour to reward while providing clear goals for drivers to find motivation in. For example: recognizing and even rewarding drivers with the least number of a specific exception violation will provide management the awareness they are seeking. As an added bonus, the fleet assets as well as employees will be safer overall.

Additionally, employees with clear expectations within the organization will reduce stress they endure [5]. Using Telematics to translate “efficient”, “safe” or “compliant” driving expectations into measurable actions eliminates any confusion in the employee-management relationship. In turn, this will uplift the quality of drivers’ work, helping to reduce stress, and increase satisfaction with their job.

Telematics is a fleet management tool that can be used by businesses to realize financial gains as well as increased productivity, optimization, safety and compliance [6]. However, there is also the opportunity for fleet managers to dive deeper and use telematics as a tool to curtail defeated, disgruntled and downhearted staff. Use the substantial capabilities of our telematics to boost the employee-employer relationship, increase employee morale, and eliminate the manifestations of staff dissatisfaction that can be detrimental to any organization.

1-888-998-1122 | [email protected] 

Main Source:
Original Article By: Caitlin Johnson, Human Resources Assistant at Geotab
http://www.geotab.com/blog/how-fleet-managers-can-manage-and-improve-employee-satisfaction-with-telematics/
Other Sources:
[1] graphs.net/how-to-boost-employee-morale
[2] questia.com/determinants-of-job-satisfaction-among-long-distance
[3] questia.com/determinants-of-job-satisfaction-among-long-distance
[4] graphs.net/how-to-boost-employee-morale
[5] onlinelibrary.wiley.com/
[6] geotab.com/gps-fleet-management-solutions