Heavy Duty Trucking, October 2019

to is the fragmentation of telematics services and the expense of paying subscription fees for multiple modems on the truck which creates challenges when multiple interfaces dont work together or cascading expenses Volvo Trucks uses one embedded telematics system for the whole truck and customers see the value of a system that is streamlined and integrated As more and more data is being exchanged across different telematics providers to different offices inside fleets OEMs and dealers the need for some sort of basic level of connection and integration is obvious And this experts say will likely be the next advance in telematics technology As we move beyond ELDs and fleets start to fine tune their data were going to see a whole host of providers in the telematics field Bruttell explains Like with anything else youre not going to have one provider be the best at everything The OEMs and dealers will have the best maintenance information and powertrain upgrades Fleets will have a favorite provider for asset tracking route optimization back office documentation safety and driver modification And the need to be able to integrate all the information from these experts in their respective fields will be vital for fleets Trimbles Williams adds We are already seeing the evolution of telematics systems with advanced telematics solutions integrating with multiple third party in cab and back office systems including downloadable apps consumer grade hardware and others Advanced telematics systems not only integrate third party applications but they also provide a means for a streamlined flow of data improving load visibility for multiple individuals including drivers fleets shippers and consignees This supports the broader industry trend around data democratization Williams says HDT OCTOBER 2019 62 WWW TRUCKINGINFO COM at responding to issues Robb Nixon Rush Care vice president aftermarket sales says this is where telematics has brought new efficiencies to fleets Thanks to telematics once theres a problem with a vehicle we work that problem in a way thats never been possible before he says This includes routing a vehicle into our own shop or a repair facility outside of our network We can search e commerce sites across the web to find parts if one is unavailable and track the repair process from start to finish These processes have been so efficient that weve seen dwell time in dealerships cut in half and uptime double for some of our fleet customers Another adoption inhibitor Deedy points TELEMATICS WILL TELEMATICS TRANSFORM TRAILERS TOO Given all the signals coming off a connected truck today relaying data to managers hundreds or even thousands of miles away bridging the gap between a tractor and a trailer has been a tough connection to make Trailers are no stranger to telematics says Gerry Mead executive director of innovation for Phillips Industries and previously a longtime fleet maintenance executive Early trailer telematics adopters took advantage of GPS tracking navigation and routing systems for better fleet management Todays developing telematics systems give trucking operations a wide selection of intelligence on the performance compliance safety and status of their fleet assets and drivers Still Mead says that out of the roughly 6 million trailers on the road in the United States today only about 2 million of them are connected The advent of the ELD mandate is starting to change that he says So is the passage of the Food Safety Act which has driven the need for more refrigerated trailers with telematics systems to help monitor and maintain cold chain integrity More capabilities are coming he says The emerging system data for items such as brakes lights and tires on trailers are items high on the list he says The next generation of trailer telematics will be capable of acting as a stand alone system as well as a complementary one when coupled to a tractor Sanjiv Khurana general manager digital vehicle solutions Daimler Trucks North America is piloting trailer telematics with a few of its trucks to better integrate not only information about the truck but also about the trailer We see the truck architecture itself evolving to allow greater access to our customers and include some features now on cars such as improved in cab displays or virtual assistants Future trailer telematics will offer all sorts of new operational dynamics for fleets Mead thinks to the point that a trailer and the cargo it is carrying could become the de facto decision maker for a truck on the highway with capabilities ranging from autonomous rerouting to avoid congestion or accidents to vehicle speed control to complete transparency of a shipment to the consumer level Its not a long distance but the final 53 feet on a tractor trailer will be the frontier that finally enables a truly transparent logistics network when trailer telematics arrive Rush Truck Centers modern call center uses a host of products services systems and dealerships all over the country to troubleshoot problems on the road PHOTO RUSH TRUCK CENTER I still dont think we all really see whats possible yet with this technology Cyndy Hunter Rush Truck Centers