A fleet telematics system enables a commercial vehicle fleet to share information with its central office, such as a dispatching office. Usually, a fleet telematics system is comprised of a stationary fleet communication system and a mobile vehicle system.
On-site vehicle fleet maintenance is the process of regularly servicing, inspecting, and performing preventive maintenance on motor vehicles to ensure they are in a safe and reliable working condition. It involves keeping a record of all services and repairs for each vehicle, ensuring that all parts meet relevant safety standards, and updating the records if any new or updated parts are installed.
Telematics technology provides a powerful tool for on-site vehicle fleet maintenance. Telematics systems can provide users with detailed information about the performance of individual vehicles and their components and provide real-time alerts when anomalies are detected, or preventive maintenance is needed. This allows fleet operators to avoid problems before they occur and reduce the need for costly repairs or replacements.
In addition to improving preventive maintenance, telematics systems can also help reduce overall vehicle downtime. By using sophisticated analytics and machine learning algorithms, these systems can detect patterns of wear and tear in individual components that can be used to predict when a repair is needed before it becomes critical.
DTC stands for Diagnostic Trouble Code, a code that helps identify when something is malfunctioning in a vehicle or heavy equipment. Malfunction Indicator Lamps (MILs) can signal an issue, but DTCs serve to identify what and where the problem is.
Some fleet management telematic systems provide both fleet managers and drivers with real-time updates on fuel consumption and miles traveled at any given time. Fleet telematics management systems can also provide predictive data based on past records to save even more on fuel efficiency.
Fleet management telematics capture all kinds of data points, including how a vehicle is running, when it was last serviced, and when scheduled maintenance is coming up.
Geofencing helps fleet managers understand exactly where vehicles are and can send alerts when a vehicle is off course or in an undesignated area. Geofencing involves creating a virtual perimeter for entire geographical areas.
With on-site dashcams, fleet managers can see exactly where and how drivers are operating and have video evidence in the case of an incident. Having dashcams or surveillance cameras on-site where vehicles are parked can protect expensive equipment from vandalism or theft.
Dashcam footage can also help keep insurance rates down. With recorded and saved road activity, fleet managers can provide direct evidence to the insurance company when an accident occurs instead of relying on eyewitnesses or police camera footage. This helps to protect drivers from being wrongfully accused of instigating accidents with reckless driving.
Of course, as we mentioned, dashcam footage helps minimize on-site theft. Not only are vehicles liable to theft, but cargo is as well. Cargo theft affects fleets everywhere, and fleet management systems that include dashcam technology can help keep drivers, vehicles, and the general public safe. High-risk situations like human trafficking or drug trafficking coupled with corruption at points in the supply chain can damage cargo, which means transport security is absolutely critical.
Telematics and dashcam technology has come an extremely long way over the past few years to help fleet managers protect and optimize their fleet operations. Security functions like DTC alert, data, mileage tracking, service records tracking, and geofencing provide immense amounts of valuable information to keep fleets running smoothly.
Rastrac’s asset and fleet tracking software, powered by GPS, can be customized to track the data points that are most valuable to your fleet management system. Our devices work with almost all third-party systems, so you can easily integrate our tracking equipment with your current fleet management system.
Learn more about how Rastrac can help your fleet on-site with our telematics technology.