What is automotive telematics and what does it have to with a company’s fleet of vehicles? The answer is both complex and simple at the same time. The simple part is that it allows you to know where each of your vehicles is at any given point in time. This is accomplished with the use of a GPS unit and a wireless transmitter. There is a wide variety of information that is collected and transmitted back to your dispatch.
The amount and type of information that is collected by the system you purchase will, to a large degree, depend on how much money you want to spend and how complex you want to get. The simple systems will tell you how fast a vehicle is going and where the vehicle is. The more complex systems will give you are more detail and flexibility to determine what information you want to track on each vehicle.
If for example you are evaluating a particular driver’s performance, you can monitor the route they tack to make their deliveries, how much time they spend at each location and the speed they are traveling. If for example you have an employee you suspect is using a company vehicle for personal use. You can track them and be alerted to any unauthorized stops that may indicate unauthorized use.
These systems also come in very handy when a fleet vehicle has been stolen. It will help the police locate and retrieve your vehicle. Vehicles can also be located during times of inclement weather, such as during the winters in the mountains and plains areas. These places are prone to blizzards and significant snowfalls that can delay delivery or even place a driver’s life in danger. These systems will allow you to know where your people are in the event of a blizzard so that you know if your people are someplace safe or if they need help.
These systems can provide an extra layer of insurance that protects your assets. You always know where your equipment and that staff assigned to them are at any given time. That is important as you can use this information to evaluate the performance of each vehicle. You can see how the driver is using the vehicle and the routes that are taken to see if peek efficiency is being achieved. If not than what can be done to improve the efficiency of the vehicle, route or driver.
The fact is that auto telematics is here and it is not going away. It provides a great deal of information that will help you remain competitive in your market. There are always the growing pressures of increase competition and rising costs. By deploying an automotive telematics system, you can give yourself an edge over the competition that will help keep you profitable.
[tags]telematics, auto, vehicle, fleet[/tags]
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