Illusdtration of connected trucks telematics

How telematics will improve your fleet operations in 2022

Historically, fleet management has not been an easy endeavour. With so many moving parts and dependencies, companies have struggled with the bandwidth to stay on top of their operations and expenditures. There’s the need to ensure that vehicles and drivers are assigned efficiently, that resources aren’t constantly overstretched and that unnecessary costs aren’t racking up – all of which is incredibly difficult if you don’t have real-time information at your fingertips.

Thankfully, innovations in technology are revolutionizing the process. Telematics solutions are shifting the way in which organizations track and manage their fleet operations, yielding a wide range of benefits in the process. Here’s how telematics will improve your fleet operations in 2022.

The Benefits of Telematics

Telematics is a monitoring technique that uses a combination of GPS, dash cam technology and on-board diagnostics (OBD) to keep track of automobiles, trucks, machines, and other assets. By analyzing real-time fleet data, such as location and activity information, end users can use telematics to provide invaluable business insights into their operations and assets.

Since fleet managers don’t have time to measure every single aspect of the operation manually, telematics is a quick and easy way to assess your fleet’s performance at any given moment. The system automatically detects all the details you need to keep track of without needing intervention from human operators.

Telematics solutions offer a comprehensive list of benefits to trucking companies. It can tell you how fast you’re going, how much gasoline you’re using, where your trailers are, whether your vehicles are in good condition, and much more.

Regardless of the solution you choose for your fleet, telematics help your drivers stay safe on the road. Fleet managers can keep an eye on their drivers by checking the safety scores of each individual vehicle, which consider the hours driven and operating conditions. These metrics help fleet managers identify problematic driving behaviours before they become a major liability for the company.

Telematics offer solutions to fleet managers and drivers.

Where Video Telematics is Heading

Telematics is a rapidly expanding market that promises to reach $3,556 million in global sales by 2026, according to reports. The automotive sector is being pushed ahead by the advent of 5G, electrical engineering, vehicle technology, and AI as automobiles become part of the IoT family.

According to Berg Insight, the number of active video telematics systems in North America reached a staggering 2.1 million units in 2020. The active installed base is expected to reach more than 4.4 million units in North America by 2025, growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 16.2 percent.

This new study identifies key insights into the video telematics market. It found that cameras are being integrated into commercial vehicle systems at increasing rates to provide a variety of video-based solutions and are becoming a priority in the transportation sector as such.

With such extreme growth, it is all but certain that telematics and the future of fleet management will go hand in hand.

Why The Adoption of Telematics Will Make or Break Fleets In 2022

Without a doubt, telematics is an essential integration for your operations. It helps you take actionable steps to improve your company’s performance and remain prepared for anything that comes ahead.

With the amount of data collected through telematics, fleet managers can easily identify trends surrounding their vehicles, drivers and assets, and make informed decisions about their company’s future. Moving forward, businesses will define a successful new year with the decision to either adopt or delay the integration of this technology.

How GoFleet Is Leading the Way

With the rapid evolution and adoption of telematics solutions, it can be hard to keep track of what changes are being made. So far this year, there have been some big changes in telematics—and they’re all happening right now.

GoFleet is leading the way in this technology and its shifts, offering new ways in which to take advantage of what telematics has to offer.

Zenducam, one of GoFleet’s most renowned products, has changed the telematics game, allowing businesses to effectively monitor their fleets and related operations.

The innovative dash camera offers features such as the real-time transmission of video, live GPS location, insights on driver behaviour and much more. Zenducam allows fleet managers to readily access data and leverage it to bolster their fleet’s performance while keeping driver and asset safety top of mind.

Solving Problems Through Expertise and Excellence

GoFleet leads the way in ongoing innovation and is helping solve some of the commercial trucking industry’s biggest pain points in the process.

Issues such as staffing shortages, safety and compliance can be daunting, but easily navigated through GoFleet’s revolutionary approach to fleet management.

With the increasing demand for more efficient, smarter, and safer fleets than ever before, GoFleet is positioning businesses to take advantage of the telematics evolution.

GoFleet helps measure, monitor, and manage drivers and vehicles, whether you have one vehicle or hundreds. We guarantee peace of mind by taking on the more tedious operational tasks while you improve your company’s performance.

Our advanced telematics systems are scaled to the needs of your business, delivering only the best quality and performance while following all compliance standards. This way, your business can proceed with clear and achievable goals in mind while we provide curated integrated telematics data to provide advanced support for all your fleet’s needs.

GoFleet’s products and approach to success are a trademark of its efficacy as a solution to fleet management, and ultimately revolve around the priority of customer care. Assisting customers in navigating this ground-breaking technology, GoFleet has established itself as an expert in telematics and is readily accessible to its customers for post-sales support.

By leveraging these cutting-edge solutions, companies will be able to monitor their fleet’s activity more effectively than ever before—and put together comprehensive plans for its future success. GoFleet continues to pave the way for automated fleet management, and plays a pivotal role in defining what it means to be successful in 2022.

What Happens If You’re Not ELD Compliant

December 16th, 2019 is an important date for many commercial fleet organizations as it marks the day that commercial drivers are required to install and fully understand how to use ELDs within their vehicles, unless an AOBRD was in use prior to December 18, 2017. But, if an automatic onboarding recording device was in use prior to December 18, 2017, drivers will have an extended deadline of June 21, 2021, to become ELD compliant. 

While there was a soft enforcement period which graced drivers with not having ELD violations affect their CSA scores, full enforcement will be in effect shortly. 

What Being ELD Compliant Means 

Being ELD compliant means that a commercial fleet which meets the criteria in relation to the ELD mandate must have the ELD recording device. As well, it’s worth noting that the electronic logging device must be self-certified, and in Canada, the devices must be third-party certified. Meaning, work-rest cycles will be obeyed as service compliance and fatigue management is at the core of this. 

Apart from having the proper device, being ELD compliant also means that the drivers who are operating commercial motor vehicles must also know how to use the device. Specifically, how to provide authorized safety officials supporting documents or information regarding their travels. 

 

“As an industry we are committed to improving road safety. Today’s announcement is a big step in the right direction and initiates the countdown toward the elimination of paper logbooks as a legal compliance option. The Canadian introduction of third-party certification of ELD devices will also ensure that the non-compliant operators in our sector cannot find workarounds to hours of service compliance in an electronic monitoring environment.”

–David Carruth, Chairperson, Ontario Trucking Association.

Common Violations 

As the deadline to be compliant with electronic logging devices quickly approaches, it’s critical to understand that the regulation will be strictly enforced. Among the many infractions a driver could receive, below are the four most common, and possibility the most detrimental to drivers or fleets. 

Affect CSA Score 

For carriers, the Compliance, Safety, Accountability (CSA) program helps to hold motorists accountable for their role in road safety. The program looks to monitor unsafe driving, vehicle maintenance as well as driver fitness with hopes to encourage fleets to operate in a safe manner. While there are many factors that make up your CSA score, it’s important to remember that once ELD compliance is in effect, failing to meet standards can lower your score. With severity ranging depending on the ELD infraction, fleets can’t risk it as low CSA scores can result in more roadside inspections as well as interfere with best-paying load or good business opportunities. Additionally, depending on the violation, drivers may be placed out-of-service until they are compliant. 

Some violations that are known to typically be weighted more heavily in terms of severity are listed below;

  • No record of duty status 
  • Using an incomplete or wrong method to record HOS (Hours Of Service) 
  • ELD screen unable to be viewed from outside of the vehicle 
  • Using a device that is not registered with the FMCSA (Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration)

Out Of Service 

If a driver is found to not have the proper ELD device for their commercial vehicle, it is possible, and likely that they will be placed out-of-service for at least 10 hours based on OOSC (Out-Of-Service criteria). While this typically occurs if a driver creates false reports or uses unauthorized ELD or ABORDs, being OOS can be detrimental. Not only are drivers unable to work for a lengthy period of time, or until they are compliant, but being out-of-service directly correlates to lost revenue as no work is completed. 

Penalties fines 

As one can assume, violations will have penalties and fines associated with them. Depending on the severity of the violation, the fine received can be thousands of dollars, translating into wasted finances that could be used to better the fleet. On average, the North American Trucking Association found that the average fine associated with failure to comply was $2,867, with the highest recorded fine being $13,680. 

Towing costs 

In addition to penalties and fines, fleets can see additional expenses adding up if they are not ELD compliant. One major expense to highlight is the cost of towing non-exempt vehicles if the driver is placed out-of-service. Depending on the location of the vehicle, the tow can cost hundreds. 

With the repercussions of not being ELD compliant looming over some fleets, it’s crucial for businesses to begin anticipating their transition to the new device. As discussed, overlooking such an important change can greatly impact the success of the fleet. 

 

GoFleet Promo Offer Free Go Device and Harness with ELD Solution

With the deadline for ELD compliancy quickly approaching, be sure to take advantage of our GoFleet Promotion that can save you hundreds today!