Next-generation telematics

Telematics have come a long way from simply tracking vehicles. The next generation of telematics are now so intuitive they can transform vehicle management practices

Written by Trafficmaster

In a quest to survive the ongoing economic crisis and remain in business, the last thing on most companies’ priority list is a pursuit of reducing carbon dioxide emissions and being seen as greener than your competitors. But what if becoming more productive and reducing costs means that by default you do become more ‘environmentally friendly’?
    
As well as purchasing the latest fuel-efficient vehicles, the adoption of new generation fleet telematics solutions is a sure and fast way of enhancing vehicle management practices. These telematics solutions can be as simple or as complex as a business requires and fleets from as small as six vehicles through to fleets covering hundreds of vehicles can benefit.  

From simple to complex
Most fleets would benefit from using a basic fleet management solution that simply locates a vehicle. There are many to choose from in the market and help a fleet manager identify nearest vehicles to a new job as well ensure the driver is in the right place at the right time.
    
As technology becomes more enhanced and a company’s need to become more productive and cost effective intensifies, the more advanced telematics systems have become more accepted and accessible.
    
The best fleet management solutions are able to combine vehicle tracking, optimum route calculation, real time traffic, two-way communication, safety camera warnings, exception alerts which tells a fleet manager if a vehicle is entering a no-go area or being driven out of hours and finally provides in-depth reporting and analysis.

Far reaching benefits
The benefits of these comprehensive telematics solutions are significant both financially and on a customer service level. According to business research company, Aberdeen Group, companies who have implemented these types of fleet management solutions have experienced a 42 per cent increase in work order completion over the last two years, compared to a 12 per cent increase for firms that haven’t installed these solutions. In addition they have also seen a 23 per cent reduction in maintenance and vehicle running costs, compared to only one per cent reduction for companies without the system.
    
One vehicle manufacturer who has fitted a fleet management system into its vans has independently measured an overall operating cost saving of £2,000 per vehicle per year. Citroen UK has taken its customers struggles within this current economic climate seriously. Adding value both to its own van offerings and to a customer’s investment, it fits Trafficmaster’s Smartnav with traffic information, stolen vehicle tracking and safety camera alerts as standard and at no extra cost to the new vehicle owner.
    
Charles Peugeot, head of commercial vehicles and business sector sales, explains: “Citroën remains committed to providing its customers with the technology to optimise vehicle efficiency and safety. The company’s new 2010 initiative – to fit all Berlingo, Dispatch and Relay panel vans with Trafficmaster Smartnav – will empower even more operators with the means to cut costs, minimise emissions and reduce driver stress. No other light commercial vehicle manufacturer has shown such a clear and unequivocal commitment to these crucial factors.”

Benefits for the environment
These savings not only contribute to a company’s bottom line but also reduces the impact business driving has on the environment.
    
Trafficmaster and its US based sister company Teletrac, has measured astonishing fuel savings driven through the use of its fleet management solution across its customer base. Overall its fleet customers have reduced their fuel consumption by 13 per cent on average. This equates to an annual total of 280,000 tonnes of CO2.
    
Over the next few years, governments, vehicle manufacturers and businesses will be pressed to reduce carbon dioxide emissions even further. At the moment road transport on its own contributes 22 per cent of the UK’s total greenhouse gas emissions. This also means that future telematics solutions have to be cleverer to support this increasing challenge.
    
Already some telematics providers are introducing more intelligent solutions. Cutting down on journey times, reducing the length of a journey and eliminating wasted journeys are obvious ways of improving vehicle management. This is possible through obtaining better information, processing data quicker and improving communications between office, driver and customer.

Intelligent systems
Integrated granular traffic information is being used in Smartnav satellite navigation. This means that there is a greater amount of quality information being used to calculate the best route. Real road speeds assess which is the quickest route and traffic flow is measured to the nearest one mile per hour. This means that drivers won’t be taken off a motorway just because speeds are down to 40 miles per hour and there is a ten minute delay. The alternative route won’t put you through the middle of a town centre or down a country lane; because the system knows that the typical speeds on these roads are only 20 miles per hour which in effect adds 20 minutes to your journey time.
    
In future, two way communications may soon be a standard direct three way communication. The fleet manager knows where the driver is, the driver knows where the destination is and the customer knows the exact time of arrival. And if there are any changes all parties are immediately informed.
    
Pro-Tect Systems Ltd, the UK’s sole distributor of Taser products, which are electronic control devices used by police forces and the military, runs a fleet of only six vehicles, however it uses an advanced fleet management system to manage its drivers better. Glenn Cameron, IT director and office manager, explains his use of fleet telematics: “We had a driver in Scotland when a customer based in Cumbria called in with an emergency technical fault. As the driver was travelling back down we notified him of the job details and immediately sent directions via Smartnav. Not only were we able to satisfy the customer’s demand, but we saved ourselves from sending out another driver on another day.”
    
So the next generation of fleet management systems are already on their way. We are starting to see a better quality of information used to help drivers complete jobs more efficiently. However this is also now being amalgamated with increasingly detailed cartography. Fleet management systems are using 3D mapping such as those developed by Microsoft’s Bing Maps. This augmented real mapping view helps fleet managers and operators pinpoint the exact location of a vehicle whether that is in a car park, on a motorway, a private driveway or even in a field – not possible on traditional 2D road maps.

Managing drivers
For many fleet managers, the flexibility of the telematics system is the way ahead. Already exception alerts can be texted to your phone, so that a fleet operator can manage a driver wherever they are. But being able to actually view a vehicle’s location from office, home or even from your smart phone is key to being an effective manager.
    
The growing popularity of smart phones gives rise to new developments in fleet management systems. There are already satellite navigation applications ready to be downloaded to the phone and if integrated with back office administration functions as well as location services, will provide the driver with an all round business and communications tool. However these systems won’t completely replace the systems fitted into vans and cars, because the vehicle is an asset and if stolen is not only an insurance problem, but could hinder operations and planned job scheduling.   
    
The benefits and the future of next generation of telematics are not only down to the technology itself, but also in how they are used. Fleet managers should be more confident in letting these systems do the hard work for them. The reporting within these solutions should be used to help managers measure where costs could be cut, how operations can be improved and where productivity can be increased.
    
Some telematics systems are becoming more intuitive to make this job easier. Viewing drivers doesn’t mean you have to keep switching to different pages, calculating a vehicle’s weekly fuel consumption doesn’t mean you have to work late on Friday and cutting costs doesn’t mean you have to make a driver redundant. Fleet managers should embrace the existing technology as well as welcome the new developments.