What Is Fleet Telematics?

Have you ever wished you could ride along with your drivers? You can’t be everywhere at once, but with the power of connected telematics, you can get real-time insights into driver behavior, traffic conditions, fleet performance, and much more.

It’s all about telematics, a type of GPS hardware that gives you end-to-end information on crucial data points concerning safety and performance. While this is an additional investment for your fleet, telematics is a must-have for improving safety, staying compliant, and even reducing costs.

In this guide, we’ll explain how fleet telematics works and why it’s an increasingly important tool for effective fleet management.

In this article:

• What Is Fleet Telematics?
• The Benefits of Using Fleet Telematics
• Improve Fleet Efficiency with Wise Systems
• Frequently Asked Questions

What Is Fleet Telematics?

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Fleet telematics monitors fleet vehicles via GPS-enabled hardware that transmits diagnostics back to company headquarters, usually in real time. It’s a type of Internet of Things (IoT) hardware that transmits, stores, and receives data from remote fleet devices to a centralized dashboard.

Fleet telematics come in so many forms, including:

• AI-powered cameras
• Real-time GPS sensors
• Facial recognition software

With telematics, you install the hardware on each fleet vehicle. Depending on the device, you can monitor location, speed, fuel usage, and even engine diagnostics. The telematics software transmits data back to your server using a cellular or wireless network. The solution processes all the data in real time and makes it available in a simplified dashboard.

This solution makes it a cinch to understand driver behavior, fuel usage, and more at a glance. When you can’t physically ride along with drivers, telematics is the next best thing.

Check out our ever-growing list of tech partners and integrations! We’re adding the list to the list regularly and would love the opportunity to work with you, too. Join us! https://t.co/GqwPbLLGxy pic.twitter.com/xp0yv1AF3y

— Wise Systems (@goWiseSystems) April 26, 2023

The Wise Systems delivery automation platform integrates with third-party technologies to centralize telematics and other data to streamline last-mile delivery operations. Book a demo today to learn more!

The Benefits of Using Fleet Telematics

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Fleet telematics is an investment, like any technology. While it might sound like an additional asset to manage, this technology offers a range of benefits, from improved driver performance to lower costs.

Vehicle Tracking

Where are your vehicles right now? Never wonder again with telematics. Fleet telematics displays all vehicle locations in real time.

Not only that, but most solutions will display locations on a map and alert you when vehicles go outside of a predefined area. In many cases, this can help identify improper vehicle use or recover stolen vehicles.

But that’s not all. Some telematics will even tell you when a truck’s check engine light is on.

It’s easy to miss small issues when you manage a large fleet, but fleet telematics makes it much easier to pinpoint these issues and bring vehicles in for maintenance long before there’s an expensive issue.

Fuel Management

Fuel is a huge business cost. You might not have control over the cost of gas, but you certainly impact your fleet’s fuel usage. Fleet telematics tracks all fuel consumption and gathers data about your fleet’s fuel habits.

Over time, the software will suggest ways to prevent idling and design more efficient routes to cut costs.

Driver Performance

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You rely on your drivers to transport goods from point A to point B, but they need to do so safely. Fleet telematics helps you identify speeding, rapid acceleration, harsh breaking, and other dangerous driving behaviors.

Solutions like the Wise Systems delivery automation platform use this data to generate driver scorecards, which you can use to evaluate and coach drivers. Book a demo today to discover how Wise Systems can help you manage performance.

Safety and Compliance

Some insurance companies will cut you a deal if you agree to install telematics, like cameras, in your fleet vehicles. These devices are great to have in the event of an accident or dispute.

Better yet, modern cameras include AI analyses that identify safety issues in real time, alerting drivers about potential slowdowns or reckless drivers.

Fleet telematics also helps with compliance. These devices automatically log hours of service and verify that drivers only work approved hours.

This setup makes it much easier to comply with electronic logging device (ELD) mandates, helping everyone on your team save time and hassle.

Improve Fleet Efficiency with Wise Systems

When integrations are well built and well implemented, they enhance and streamline the last-mile delivery process. Check out our latest blog on Wise Systems Connect and our growing partner ecosystem here! https://t.co/3At4la667o pic.twitter.com/jM9jV6b77v

— Wise Systems (@goWiseSystems) April 11, 2023

Fleet telematics monitors vehicle locations, but it’s so much more than that. This technology improves safety, cuts costs, and makes your fleet more efficient, regardless of its size. Whether you’re tracking fuel efficiency or coaching drivers, telematics keeps you in the know, even if you’re miles away.

Wise Systems integrates with telematics devices and third-party solutions to give you actionable, AI-powered insights. Optimize routes, reduce fuel costs, automate dispatching, and more with our last-mile automation platform. Put the power of data to work for your fleet: Request a no-strings-attached Wise Systems demo now.

Frequently Asked Questions

How secure is the data collected by fleet telematics?

Reputable fleet telematics tools encrypt all data, whether it’s in transit or at rest. Always ask your telematics vendor to explain their security policies and how they handle potential breaches.

However, you’re ultimately responsible for safeguarding your data. Strict access controls, multi-factor authentication (MFA), and only sharing access with authorized employees will keep your data under lock and key.

Can fleet telematics work with older vehicles?

Yes, but the installation process is different. Most telematics have a plug-and-play setup that connects to the vehicle’s onboard diagnostics port or engine control module, which older vehicles have.

What data does fleet telematics collect?

It depends on the solution, but telematics can track data like:

• Fuel usage
• Vehicle speed
• Location
• Driver behavior
• Environmental conditions, like temperature