30 years ago, the idea of transmitting the location of a vehicle seemed impossible. If you told someone that you could tell where a driver was headed or know the current position, they wouild think you have some kind of super power. That is because 30 years ago, there was no Telematics.

Since the Internet came into existence, we have seen an explosion of technological advancement. Now we have mobile phones and personal computers that are both being utilized to make business transactions and data storage more convenient. Add to that the GPS (Global Positioning System) and you have the birth of  Telematics. This piece of information technology involves transmitting computerized data about vehicles using the internet.

What is Telematics?

Though it encompasses a very broad subject, this article will focus on Vehicle Telematics. Basically, the technology known as Telematics allows employers to monitor where drivers and their vehicles go every moment of the day. It stores vehicle data like the engine performance, fuel consumption and even something as specific as when the driver revs up the engine while driving. Daily routes and their stops can be reported thus making productivity measurements possible.

But how does it work?

It all starts with the GPS vehicle Tracking System that came from the combined technologies of mobile telecommunications, Internet, GPS and personal computing. A more sophisticated version of the GPS vehicle tracking is now available and it is called the Vehicle Telematics.

The vehicle is fitted  with a GPS Location Tracking Device. It is hardwired into the vehicle – specifically connected to the ignition and battery. This makes it possible for the device to monitor the engine performance to measure that performance at any given time. It is also connected to the antennae so it can transmit the information back to the employer’s systems back in the office.

In the past, transmitting  information was done via SMS (Short Message Service) through a programed mobile phone. This turned out to be costly and could be quite tedious. The improved Automatic Vehicle Location or AVL means the Telematics technology can be programmed to transmit information at regular time intervals or via a “trigger act”. This trigger act can be the ignition switch or changing of gears – depending on the specific configuration of the software. It makes tracking more convenient for both the monitoring office and the driver.

The user software part of the Telematics technology receives the information from the driver and vehicle. It can be installed on the employer’s local computer network and downloaded via the Internet. Because of this, viewing fleet activity in real time or browsing the historical performance is made possible. This process is made easier through the faster connections offered by broadband providers.

Benefits of Telematics

The benefit that Telematics confers on a business is primarily productivity improvement. Some employees were hesitant about this technology because privacy is something they did not want to compromise. However, the creators have tackled this before it was implemented to respect driver rights. This must be explained by management or the Telematics provider prior to implementation.
With the new AVL, the benefits of Telematics can go beyond the mere tracking of the company fleet. With this device, the driver can coordinate with the monitoring office to help calculate a faster route ensuring more productive journeys and les time spent stuck in traffic. This is possible via the digital map that can be downloaded by the monitoring office. With that, savings can be generated on time and fuel. And since the driver’s energy is not wasted on traffic, they are more conditioned to rev up their customer service rather than their engines thus improving client satisfaction.

Types of Vehicle Telematics

If you looking for operational improvements and overall organizational function, deploying Vehicle Telematics is the best option for you to maximize your fleet’s potential. If you find its benefits something that you can utilize, then it is time for you to find out which type of Telematics might suit.

Vehicle Tracking. The main use of this as the name suggests, is tracking your fleet. There is a GPS locator and GPRS modem installed in the vehicle. The GPS tracking software is installed on the company’s computers.

HGV Trailer Tracking. This type of device is specifically to track the position and movements of the trailer – not the vehicle it is attached to. The data from the trailer can be transmitted through either a satellite or a mobile communication network. Similar to Vehicle tracking, data can be accessed via software installed in the monitoring office.

GPS Satellite Navigation. This device uses a GPS and electronic mapping technology to create efficient route plans and allow easy navigation.

Fuel Saving Telematics. This is a more sophisticated device that helps companies monitor vehicle engines to improve on fuel savings. The engine’s diagnostics are now accessible for analysis. This tool alerts the driver if they are driving inefficiently (e.g. revving up or over-speeding, etc.)

Mobile Data. This makes use of wireless data communication that utilizes radio waves to make information accessible to a field based employee/driver.