4 Things Your Fleet Telematics Provider Won’t Tell You

4 Things Your Fleet Telematics Provider Won't Tell You | FuelzAlthough telematics can play an important role in managing your fleet, there are many things that your provider won’t tell you. You need to be in the know about your fleet at all times, especially when looking at things such as truck maintenance and fuel card services, so it’s important to know what your telematics provider may be hiding from you.

1. Compatibility Issues with Telematics Systems

Telematics systems are not the “plug-and-play” systems that they may appear to be. They require a careful implementation, and often present many problems when you first try to explore them. For example, some hardware will be incompatible with various truck models, and owners need to precisely configure their telematics system to retrieve the data they require. Although the results will be worth it, telematics can be a drain on time and money initially, all of which could be spent on something better.

2. Fleet Managers Don’t Know What Data is Important

Although a wealth of telematics data is impressive, it can be a little overwhelming if you don’t know what you’re looking for. Vendor support and well-designed telematics systems should be able to help you organize the data into manageable and relevant chunks. However, knowing what data is important to you often comes with time and experience, and is likely to change based on future analytics.

3. “Real-Time” Data Can Be Overwhelming

Businesses love to throw around the term “real time” because it implies that things are instantaneous and efficient. Although this is true, real-time telematics data can be overwhelming and alarming for fleet managers to keep track of.

For example, if you set up your telematics system to alert you when a driver is speeding or idling, you may find yourself being bombarded with alerts when drivers make minor mistakes. If a driver’s engine is idling, do you really want to be notified (in real time) about it? However, some systems are smart enough to determine when these things are serious and genuine, leaving you with fewer, but more important, real-time alerts.

4. Fleet Drivers Don’t Like Their Privacy Being Invaded

Generally speaking, drivers don’t like to feel as if “Big Brother” is watching them, regardless of whether they drive carefully or not. Although many have come to accept telematics tracking for their trucks, some are now being monitored via GPS on their smartphones, which raises the 1984 question all over again. If there’s one thing that you don’t want to do, it’s damage your fleet’s confidence and morale!

Telematics can feel unpredictable, but your fleet fuel card services don’t have to be! At Fuelz, we’re dedicated to helping fleet managers stay informed about industry leading fuel solutions and services. Contact us today to see how a fleet fuel card can start saving your bottom line!