Telematics Data – what can it be used for?
Telematics data provides insights on vehicle performance, location, and driver behaviour. Also, telematics helps communication, routing, plus vehicle status, performance, and speed monitoring. All of which helps with effective and efficient fleet management.
But what other insight and benefits can telematics data deliver?
The answer to that groups into three areas:
(1) Inform strategic decisions
(2) Optimise fleet operations, including safety
(3) Improve customer service
Combined, these give fleet operators a competitive edge. One that delivers cost savings, drives customer loyalty and protects company reputation.
Let’s look at the elements that deliver this.
Where and how does telematics data help?
Vehicle utilisation reports for purchasing plans
Telematics data provides vehicle utilisation reports. These help fleet managers understand which vehicles are being over or under-utilised.
Over utilised vehicles indicates a need to buy more of this type of vehicle. So that the fleet can keep up with usage while minimising wear and tear on the current fleet.
Underutilised vehicles don’t fit the needs of the fleet or the company’s customers. They are thus wasting money.
Utilisation reports are useful for informing buying and selling decisions. Helping right-size the fleet for business and logistics operations.
Boosts fleet productivity
With real-time GPS data, drivers can lessen traffic delays.
Fleet operations managers can give new or extra site visits to the nearest vehicle. Plus tell the driver the most efficient route to get there.
Lowers administration costs.
Telematics data simplifies administration and compliance.
Through digital tachograph/ELD data, and automated mileage expense reports. Reducing manual administration and reporting.
As well as supporting tax compliance reporting.
Reduces fuel and maintenance costs.
More efficient routing reduces the number of miles travelled. Which reduces fuel consumption, and wear and tear.
Carbon emissions also fall, reducing the fleet’s carbon footprint.
Telematics data also provides warnings about mechanical problems and maintenance needs. Removing the need to rely on drivers to report them. With alerts coming from mileage, engine use and diagnostic codes. Thereby cutting the risk of breakdowns, unplanned downtime, and disruptions to customer service.
Couple this with driver behaviour data to track wear and tear in detail, and preventative maintenance planning becomes efficient and effective.
Tracking driver behaviour also identifies areas of waste. Such as long periods of engine idling, harsh braking or rapid accelerating. All of which helps reduce fuel costs further.
Real-time vehicle location tracking
By knowing the exact location of every vehicle, at any time. Fleet and operations managers can make routing adjustments on the fly.
Adjusting to changes in traffic, breakdowns, difficult weather conditions, and other impacts on their initial plan for the day.
Through this, they switch resources around to ensure deliveries reach customers when they need to.
Plus, they keep clients informed about their delivery’s estimated time of arrival. Which increases customer satisfaction, through better customer service.
Improves safety
Addressing unsafe driving behaviours. Such as speeding, harsh braking, hard cornering, tailgating, and distracted driving. Helps with fleet safety and fleet risk management.
Telematics data gives fleet managers the information to coach drivers on safer driving. Both on ad-hoc items and as part of a continuous improvement program.
Accidents alerts, for FNOL management and emergency aid, also come from telematics data.
Additionally, telematics data assists with accident reconstruction. Helping insurance claims determine liability and identify drivers who aren’t at fault.
It is this use of telematics data to improve safety that CMS specialises in.
How does CMS use data to improve fleet safety?
Aggregating and combining telematics data and other digital information is what CMS does, with Clara, our SaaS platform.
Clara takes in data from telematics, sensors, training records and other sources and combines them to give better insight into the four key risk management areas:
Is my risk profile going up or down?
What high-risk behaviours are common in my business?
Which drivers are the highest risk and most likely to have a claim?
What incidents are happening right now that I need to respond to?
It does this by removing all the irrelevant data noise, which is a common problem with telematics systems.
Leaving the fleet management team with clear FNOL alerts that they need to take charge of.
Plus, the sharp insight into their fleets’ risk to deploy resources to address the issues and improve safety.
With Clara, CMS use telematics data to make fleets safer, making the World safer.
