Get FinancingWhat Is Telematics?
If you’ve heard or read the term “telematics” lately and wondered what the heck it means, you’re not alone. This increasingly common buzzword in the trucking and heavy equipment industries shows up in a variety of contexts, and with good reason—telematics systems perform a great many functions and are useful to everyone from equipment operators and maintenance technicians to fleet managers, rental companies, and more.
“Telematics” is a broad term that refers to various interconnected components and software installed on agriculture and construction equipment, as well as trucks and other types of heavy equipment. These systems are designed to increase the productivity, lower the cost of ownership, extend the lifespan, and generally keep track of your equipment.
Under The Hood
Typical components of a telematics system include sensors such as accelerometers and gyroscopes, communications technologies such as Global Positioning System (GPS) and cellular, as well as cameras, touch screens, stroke-sensing hydraulic cylinders, and more. Capabilities vary by the telematics system vendor and product; however, most examples of the technology include wireless communications, performance-monitoring features, and maintenance reminders. Depending on the sophistication of the telematics offering, additional features may include hours of operation logs, odometer readings, fuel consumption tracking, diagnostics reports, anti-theft systems, and remote monitoring via web-connected devices. Some forms of telematics even enable remote or automated control of equipped machines. Some telematics systems are installed at the factory, while others are designed to be installed as aftermarket upgrades.
The Expert’s Take
To get a few concrete examples of how telematics can benefit your day-to-day interactions with your equipment, we spoke to Alain Eav, Founder and CEO of telematics provider RoviTracker (www.rovitracker.com). According to Eav, daily run time and GPS location are two of the most useful telematics metrics, which can be massive time and resource savers for your organization. “I have met with many companies who send their mechanics to multiple job sites just to write down the engine hours of each piece of equipment then return and compare with their white board to determine service needs.”
Although telematics systems can benefit any equipment owner or user, rental firms have the most to gain. “For rental firms, equipment can bounce around all over the place, and it does not get treated very well.” In addition to runtime hours, Eav highlights other metrics including tilt, hard brake, stops, turns, and fuel percentage, as being just as vital to determining how renters are handling the equipment. “Whether its light industrial or heavy iron, they do not do well laying on its side, depleted of fuel, etc. Being able to get an alert that the machine has flipped on its side lets the rental firm get someone to that equipment before oil and other fluids leak to places that they should not be.” Eav also points out that telematics can make damage claims significantly more transparent for all parties involved.
The Bottom Line
RoviTracker’s technology is capable of collecting a variety of data, such as GPS location, engine run times, battery voltage, PSI, fluid levels, temperature, solar chargers, video, motion, and more. Operators and owners can access that data in real time to determine how much equipment is being used, how much fuel it is burning, and whether the equipment is being misused. According to Eav, “What’s out of sight and out of mind eats at the bottom line.” When equipment isn’t closely monitored, it ultimately costs you, either in time, money, or resources wasted. Eav calculates that RoviTracker been able to save its customers 3 to 5 percent per year in fuel costs alone. The company’s telematics offering can also save labor costs; performing an instant GPS location query, for instance, can replace half a dozen phone calls between a secretary, dispatcher, service tech, owner, and a client to determine this information.
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