Fleets not using telematics to full potential, survey finds

A survey of more than 2,400 fleet professionals has found that while technology adoption is at an all-time high with 77% using telematics for vehicle tracking, most fleets are only scratching the surface of technology's potential.

The research conducted by Teletrac Navman deduced that following heavy investment in ELDs last year and technology saturation in the transportation market, fleets must focus on more sophisticated use of telematics features and data for competitive advantage.

Key insights from the survey include:

• 74% say ELDs remain their top compliance concern in 2018
• While 64% of fleets are using ELDs to track HOS, 31% are still using paper logs even after the ELD Mandate went into effect
• 72% perceived benefits from ELDs, with "less risk of compliance violations" at the top (28%), followed by "eliminating manual processes" (20%)
• Respondents ranked "peace of mind/knowing where vehicles are" as the top benefit from telematics (46%), followed by "more efficient routing and dispatching" (32%)
• Several important telematics features showed marked decrease in utilisation since 2017, such as monitoring speeding (down 18% since 2017) and harsh braking (down 12%)

“We're seeing more companies invest in telematics, but unfortunately many are only doing so to check the compliance box, not making the most of the technology to better their businesses," said Sid Nair, senior director of transport and compliance, Teletrac Navman.

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“That's likely due to tech fatigue especially in the wake of regulations that demanded new technology, like ELDs, but in the long-term it will be a crippling hindrance, as we're already seeing a widening gap between companies leveraging technology to drive fleet profitability and those who are merely reaping the benefits of the current high demand.

“Training everyone from drivers to fleet executives on how telematics data can boost operations is key, as the data alone won't drive change.”