2017: WHAT’S IN STORE FOR TELEMATICS?

       Teletrac Navman - at the forefront of telematics technology for more than 25 years – offer their market predictions for the year ahead for telemetry, from driver retention and legislative changes to the evolution of connected vehicles.

Peter Millichap, Director of UK Marketing at Teletrac Navman, looks at what’s on the horizon for the next 12 months.

Changes in legislation

“Emissions have become a key part of vehicle tax, with legislative changes coming into effect in April 2017, meaning that only 100 per cent electric cars will be exempt from road tax – every other vehicle will be charged at a tiered first-year rate based on carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions.

“Also, NICE (The National Institute for Health and Care excellence) is advocating a smoother driving style for fleets to help reduce pollution generated by diesel vehicles in and around urban areas. The increased numbers of diesel vehicles and the subsequent emissions have created a number of health concerns, so anything that the various health organisations and transport businesses can do to reduce emissions is going to be beneficial.

“Fleet managers can play their part by using their telematics systems to monitor and reduce emissions where possible, to help save on fuel whilst being more environmentally-friendly and to help influence decisions on which vehicles they purchase for their fleet.”

Evolution of connected vehicles

“Moving forward, more people will recognise that telematics is used for more than its stand-alone tracking functionality. With the changing complexities in the industry, solutions will become more integrated and provide add-on functionality and differentiation in the industry.

“From a business perspective, innovations such as connected vehicles are proving to be invaluable as fleet managers can monitor the progress of a delivery, the health of the vehicle itself and the performance of the driver from the depot thanks to the in-cab telemetry.

“Providing far more data for drivers and transport managers than ever before, connected commercial vehicles can share data on when the vehicle needs to go in for repairs or maintenance and the overall health and condition of the vehicle – and driver – but in 2017 you can expect to see and hear a lot more about the development and enhancement of in-cab cameras.

“For example, integrated dash cams enable fleet managers, police and insurers to monitor the footage from any accidents in order to analyse what happened, who was at fault and what action could and should be taken. Footage can also be used to help drivers learn from their mistakes out on the road, reducing the risk of accidents, and in training sessions for other drivers.”

Drivers and data

“In the past, telematics has been all about the vehicle, moving forward, it’s much more about driver interaction. Delivering clear and accurate data to drivers out on the road will play a huge part of telematics this year.

“Mobile Enterprise Management (MEM) has become invaluable in recent years, and will continue to play an important role in 2017. The technology is providing drivers with the information that was previously only available to fleet managers in the office, now, drivers have all the information they need at their fingertips.

“Giving drivers this useful data in a concise manner will help them to increase productivity, simplify administrative processes and improve their driving style.”

Driver retention

“One of the biggest issues affecting the transport industry as a whole is driver retention.

The Freight Transport Association have identified a major concern about the acquisition of young drivers and encouraged those in the business to look for new ways to entice a new generation of drivers over the coming years.

“Telematics can play a key role in helping with driver retention in terms of driver wellbeing and the day-to-day running of the company. Having a technology driven culture that simplifies business process and focuses investment on driver training will put businesses in a strong position and appeal to potential drivers in a very competitive environment.”

Looking forward to 2017…and beyond

“We are now in a time when businesses really understand that to expand and evolve, they have to embrace technology and think about the future.

“We look forward to the exciting – and challenging – year ahead for the industry.”

About Teletrac Navman:

Teletrac Navman is a multinational telematics company leveraging 25 years of experience to help fleets boost revenue and lower operating costs. We equip businesses with advanced data tools for location tracking, fuel monitoring, reporting, safety and compliance, all via one powerful, user-friendly platform.

We're devoted to providing accurate and precise data secured by the strongest protection and controls. These tools and methods improve business’ bottom line and help them stay competitive. Teletrac Navman currently tracks nearly 500,000 vehicles owned by over 40,000 organisations on six continents, making us one of the world's largest fleet management providers.

Teletrac Navman’s ever-evolving fleet management technologies offer a unique combination of features, functionality, compliance and workflow solutions paired with unparalleled platform reliability.