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How to Choose Telematics for Fleet Management

The telematics industry is constantly growing. By using the popular Global Positioning Systems and On-Board Diagnostics units to track driver behavior, the fleet manager is able to use telematics to fulfill most business needs.

In this resource about telematics, we are going to highlight the benefits and motivations for using telematics, as well as how to go about choosing the best solution for your fleet.

Fleet management motivators for telematics
The list of motivators for telematics is very long and it mainly includes functions that assist with fraud prevention, diagnostics and dispatching. It’s always useful for fleet managers to keep in mind that you can only measure something if you manage it correctly.

By all intents and purposes it does seem that telematics offers the fleet manager a strong measuring tool, but is telematics feasible and how does the fleet manager warrant the cost? And how does the fleet manager go about choosing the right telematics company?

How to choose the best telematics partner for fleet management
The telematics provider that the fleet manager chooses is the most important part of the process. This is because in order to have the right start for a telematics program, the fleet manager needs to choose a telematics company that is reputable and is capable of meeting the fleet’s needs. There are quite a few attributes that a good telematics provider should have, here is a list of what to look out for when shopping for a reliable telematics provider: 
Consolidation capabilities:the telematics capabilities must include being able to check and report on five different systems in order to analyse the telematics data without errors.
Their network: In order for the telematics network to work in favour of the fleet, it must have enough coverage.
Easy installation: How easy is it for the fleet’s drivers to use the system and do the fleet vehicles have to be taken off the road whilst the devices are being hardwired?
All-in-one solution: The fleet manager needs to assess all the telematics solutions needed for the company and find a telematics provider that has all the services available.
Back-up support: It is very important for the fleet manager to be able to call someone if they need support for the telematics device.

How to warrant the cost of telematics for fleet management
A fleet’s spending will show various return of investments across different areas. By using the correct telematics system, a fleet manager can display savings in the following areas, dependant on the current operational efficacy:

• Maintaining the fleet’s vehicles
• Insurance discounts
• Reduced penalties
• Fuel usage
• Fraud for fuel mitigation
• Work flow and dispatch management
• Tracking of working hours

It’s important for the fleet manager to decide on the most valid factors to use when selecting a fleet management telematics provider. Once the telematics system is installed and has been used for a while, the fleet manager can then use these factors to assess if the desired results have been achieved for the fleet.

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