Let’s Explore is back, this year examining the role of ‘Data Performance’ in fleet management, and beyond, at Mercedes-Benz World on September 12.
As the countdown begins to a wealth of fascinating insights from key speakers and industry experts (apply for your place now) our latest two part blog considers the far-reaching role telematics data can play.
It is fair to say that the term ‘big data’ if often misused, and invariably overused. When applied to the world of fleet management however, it is very befitting.
Taking telematics as an example, SaaS solutions such as Webfleet will process millions of data probes along with hundreds of thousands of messages and GPS positions every single working day.
Complex data sets are reported back to fleet managers in simple, meaningful, reports, enabling them to drive company-wide efficiency and productivity gains, safety improvements and cost savings.
As the technology has evolved, alongside heightened levels of business connectivity, the opportunities to harness fleet data in ever more bespoke and innovative ways have soared.
Across this two part guide, we’ll take a look at some of the more surprising, and lesser known ways of using ‘big’ telematics data to boost the business bottom line.
Cracking down on fuel misuse
Fuel and driver management solutions that overlay fuel card transaction data with vehicle location, fuel consumption, driver behaviour and vehicle maintenance information can hold the key to greater levels of transparency and simplified fuel management.
Not only can this combination of data streams enable better control over expenditure by improving mpg visibility, it can also help companies identify unauthorised fuel purchases or incidents of miss-use.
Fleet managers, for example, can be immediately alerted should the location of a card transaction and vehicle fail to correspond.
Logistics specialist Corporate Solutions is a good example of a company that has integrated fuel card data with telematics. Instead of checking thousands of individual fuel card transactions manually every year, the company now receives fuel card exception reports. These highlight, at a glance, if there is an anomaly that might indicate fraudulent card use.
Smarter mobility decisions
The evolution of smart mobility is leading to telematics insights on vehicle mileage and usage being utilised by employees to help them allocate ‘mobility budgets’ – monthly allowances set by employers – on the most appropriate and cost-effective modes of transport.
This might be their company car, use of car-sharing scheme, public transport or even an electric bike. The concept of the mobility allowance, it seems, is a growing one, particularly in countries such as Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. Consequently, the role of telematics in mobility solutions is likely to escalate.
STAY TUNED FOR THE SECOND PART OF THIS BLOG COMING SOON! AND BE SURE TO BOOK YOUR PLACE FOR LET’S EXPLORE.