Fleet managers face many challenges in trying to optimize operations. Sometimes, just considering the variety of solutions available in the marketplace can seem as complicated as the challenges themselves.
Different telematics providers offer different solutions. In a recent interview with Fleet Management Weekly, EnVue Telematics President Randy Read offered his thoughts on why companies need a broader perspective on what the market offers and the solution that works best for their situation.
The good news is that advances in technology and data analysis have given fleet managers more effective options than ever to solve challenges. Fleet Management Weekly offers a look at some of the options in their interview with Randy Read.
Telematics Choices For Fleet Managers
Some products have emerged in recent years as among the best options for fleet managers, depending on the issue they face. They include the following telematics solutions.
GeoTab
GeoTab is a global leader in telematics. The company specializes in creating global positioning systems for fleets that are used by businesses both large and small. Telematics solutions from GeoTab help businesses better manage drivers and vehicles by using real-time and historical trip data. This includes managing issues such as the best rate of speed, idle time and monitoring engines to stay ahead of scheduled maintenance. Geotab systems also can provide real-time coaching to drivers.
Samsara
Samsara for Fleets is a division of Samsara, a company that specializes in industrial applications for the Internet of Things (IoT). This includes wireless products that give fleet managers visibility into their operations over the internet. They also have a centralized, real-time view of the fleet’s assets. This gives fleet managers the ability – through a gateway device on the truck – to see not only the location of each asset but also reading on such issues as battery voltage, fuel efficiency and engine speed. There are many specialty products as well. They include gauges that can track the temperature inside trucks that are transporting food.
Azuga
Azuga also offers telematics fleet tracking solutions that include GPS and vehicle diagnostics. The company focuses on benefits for drivers and not having telematics “characterized as Big Brother.” Azuga offers rewards to drivers who do well and collects data from every action involving the truck. They use this data to make businesses more efficient, drivers safer and improve the commercial transportation industry as a whole.
J.J. Keller & Associates
J.J. Keller specializes in supporting fleet managers in keeping their operation and assets in compliance with complex and ever-changing government rules and regulations. This includes issues such as Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) compliance, the use of an Electronic Logging Device (ELD) by drivers, truck driver safety, vehicle inspections and required vehicle maintenance.
Offering a Broader Perspective
Knowing which of the above solutions is best for your situation can seem daunting. In his Fleet Management Weekly interview, Randy Read discussed why working with companies like EnVue that represent so many different products on the market can give fleet managers a “broader perspective.”
EnVue focuses on “wanting to understand your business and helping you select the appropriate product,” Read said. “You go to the competitors in our business and they’re offering you their solution. And those solutions are good, but they don’t have this perspective and the best practices experience that EnVue has.” He said this perspective is what supports EnVue in “helping select the right product for the right company at the right time.”
