Telematics; Changing attitudes

For Fleet managers and those involved in the transport and logistics industry, telematics solutions have been on the agenda for a number of years now. Yet, building the business case to implement a telematics system into a fleet can remain a challenge. To this end, we thought the recent Fleet World and Shell survey of 252 fleet industry executives, looking at attitudes towards telematics and connected technologies was an interesting read and may offer additional insight to those of you still considering a telematics solution. The key findings of the survey were:

• Adoption of telematics is high amongst operators of heavy goods vehicle fleets, with 82% making use of a system
• Adoption has also increased across smaller vehicle operators. 72% of those with lighter vehicles and 58% of those with a fleet of cars also reported making use of a solution
• The most common reason given for using a system was improving fuel efficiency (63%)
• The next most important reasons were improving driver safety (59%) followed by cutting costs (58%)
• Those with fewer than 25 vehicles we much less likely to use telematics at all
• Traditional solutions aren’t the only ones being utilised. 49% reported using smartphone apps to monitor their drives and vehicles, whilst 58% of respondents reported using wearable technology to keep track of driver’s health, sleep and breaks.
• However, the survey still revealed a lack of support and resistance from drivers and senior managers when attempting to incorporate and roll out the technology

The ability to pre-empt faults and fix them before a vehicle breaks down, therefore avoiding expensive downtime, the ability to overlay data to identify which vehicles and fuel solutions work best in certain areas and industries as well as telematics systems no longer needing to be hard wired into vehicles, are all now a reality. In a world where data is king it isn’t hard to imagine how telematics solutions could further impact the efficiency and functionality of the industry. Building a strong and solid business case if you are looking to implement a telematics solution remains of the upmost importance. Ultimately those with or those looking to implement a system that really works for its business, fleet and drivers are those that will be in the best position to harness the power of the data to drive efficiencies. Here at Anthony Jones we have seen first-hand the benefits that telematics solutions can bring to fleet businesses. If you require any help or assistance in overcoming any perceived barriers to your organisations use of a telematics system, we are more than happy to offer support where we can. Visit our transport and logistics insurance pages for more information on what we offer and how we can help you.