How useful would it be to your company’s fleet manager to be able to know exactly where each vehicle in your fleet is and how it is being driven at any one time? Too, many companies would like to be able to contact their drivers safely about alterations in their schedule or to check if they are running late.
Enter Telematics, the task of the fleet manager has been transformed since the introduction of telematics or fleet tracking systems and once you get to understand them, it is hard to imagine managing your fleet to maximum effect without them.
Telematics are essentially a range of different features, options and devices that are brought together by a single principle – data and communication, and is used heavily in fleet tracking and management. More and more fleet owners are finding huge savings and increased efficiencies by adopting telematics technology.
A fleet tracking system makes use of location technology in the vehicles being tracked and software programs that gather the data from these automatic vehicle location devices to help you pinpoint its whereabouts.
Many of us are already familiar with the most common vehicle tracking system, GPS, or Global Positioning System, thanks to the SATNAV system on our own vehicles. GPS gathers data on both location and time and because it is based on space satellites, is able to gather information in any weather conditions and from anywhere in the world for as long there is a direct line of sight to at least four GPS satellites.
There are typically three main components of a typical fleet tracking systems: the tracking device, the tracking server and the user interface.
The tracking device: This is the GPS equipped device that is fitted into your trucks, cars and other vehicles. The device captures the location and time from your vehicles and relays it to the central server. The other types of information that these devices track include the amount of fuel you have, the temperature of your engine, geocoding, the altitude, tire pressure, headlight and taillight status, ignition, battery status and the number of GPS satellites that are open to it, the emergency button status, idling information, the RPM of the engine, and the GPRS status, among others.
The tracking server: This receives and stores the data being transmitted by your tracking device. The server serves up the information that the user wants.
The user interface: This is what the fleet manager sees. It works with the user interface to display the stored information and generate reports.
Fleet tracking devices can either be passive or active. Passive systems store all the information from the device. When your truck arrives at the office, the tracking device is removed and the information and the data are downloaded to a computer and stored there. Active fleet tracking systems, on the other hand, connect to a satellite or cellular network and transmit all that data while the vehicle is in transit.
If you need real time data, you would need an active fleet tracking systems because the data is transmitted as soon as it is gathered. This will be a little bit more expensive, but will help you know where your vehicles are to the minute. But if there is no need for you to have up to the minute locations, then opt for the more cost effective passive tracking systems.
Telematics enable an overview of all your vehicles simply by entering their registration or VIN number, whether they are stationary or moving. Location information means you can even set up routes to see if your vehicles or drivers are still within their specified routes or not, some systems give you the ability to zoom into a particular city and even call up a street view.
You could also get a detailed view of the vehicles in your fleet, including whether they have been fitted by a tracking device, what type of tracking device, and the serial number of the tracking device installed on the vehicle, as well as information that is specific to the vehicle itself, such as the VIN, the license plate, odometer and engine hours.
It doesn’t stop there either, telematics can provide a raft of other information, such as the distance travelled, the idling time, how many times the vehicle has been idle for more than five minutes, the number of trips made after hours, and the number of stops.
It can also inform you about speeds that exceed your specified limits as well as the vehicle’s average speed. Many companies link a dashboard camera to the system to easily establish fault in the event of a collision, others may also install a device that prevents a mobile phone ringing when the vehicle is on the move, storing messages until the vehicle comes to a stop.
You can also set exception rules, create reports by device or by driver, include or exclude historic data, and hide all the zero distance rows. And when the report is generated, you can run the report to individual devices, the entire fleet, the company, and other groups you set up, automatically.
With telematics you have instant and fingertip control over all your vehicles and drivers, both for your security and theirs.