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The Journey from Tracking to Telematics

- Tuesday, May 01, 2018

What is Telematics? An Overview
At its simplest form, telematics started off as a vehicle tracking system, a dot on the map with location reporting, and only possible at the time because of GPS, the Global Positioning System first launched in 1960 by the U.S. Navy. Who would have thought that those first five satellites orbiting the earth would set in motion technology so sophisticated that today we can detect harsh braking, report on CO2 emissions, and provide the information for autonomous vehicles?

When vehicle tracking was first introduced to company vehicles it was viewed with a great deal of skepticism and suspicion. The idea that a company could track its employees while they were out driving for work was not well received. Was it just a case of keeping an eye on them? Was Big Brother really watching and waiting? Well, at first, I suppose this wasn’t really that far from the truth, as all the tracking technology could do at this point was just give a location and a time for the vehicle during a timeframe. You could pull off reports to show journey history and that was pretty much it. Unsurprisingly, drivers didn’t really want tracking in their vehicles as it was seen as an unwanted spy rather than the protecting driver safety feature that it has now become.

What Do Telematics Offer Today?

Today vehicle telematics are very sophisticated systems, being deployed within company fleets to help improve road safety, reduce and control vehicle emissions, as well as improve and drive efficiency. Our roads are heavily congested with different types of traffic including public transport and pedestrian, just getting around safely and assessing the risks is a big part of today’s systems. The first risk that needs to be addressed are the drivers themselves, and this is an area telematics plays an increasingly important part.

Driver behavior and driving style can be assessed through telematics, reporting in real time on events that include speeding, harsh braking, and accelerating. If it is seen that the driver is a potential risk, then the company can take steps to re-educate the driver and change bad habits. Prior to telematics this risk may only have been picked up after an accident had occurred.

Fuelling events can also be detected, allowing you to see how often this occurs and to see if there is a correlation with driver style. This will help to work out if they are driving in an efficient way, taking the most economical routes. This information helps companies decide which routes to plan and in what order, making the journeys more fuel efficient and as a result reducing the vehicles’ CO2 and NOX emissions.

With Velocitor Solutions’ V-Track fleet management, companies can reduce the risks associated with vehicle investment, improve efficiency and productivity, and reduce overall transportation and staff costs, while providing 100% compliance with government legislation. This powerful tool is able to support fleet managers, operators, and drivers by providing the following features and benefits:

  • Real time vehicle tracking
  • Driver behavior and profiling
  • Notification and alert system
  • Geofencing
  • Vehicle and driver scorecards
  • Route analysis and optimization
  • Advanced reporting
  • FMCSA certified electronic driver logs

Looking for more ways to protect your assets, improve customer service, optimize productivity, and lower costs? Learn more about V-Track here.