When do you use a Geotab GO fleet tracking device and when a GO RUGGED? The answer is actually pretty simple. If your fleet has heavy equipment, yellow iron, farm machinery, powered trailers and assets, or you are installing telematics devices where they will be exposed to outdoor elements, you need GO RUGGED.
If you are not using a ruggedized telematics device for these types of applications or harsh environments, you may not get the most from your telematics investment.
Reports can be found under the various tabs on the left-side menu in MyGeotab. MyGeotab is a web-based fleet management software that is available to all Geotab customers under any feature package: Base, Pro, and ProPlus. See all your vehicle and driver information in one place and use it to make quicker, better-informed decisions for your business.
Each report is found under the data it pertains to i.e. the Vehicles Report is found under the Vehicles tab. The Exceptions Report is found under the Rules and Groups tab; the Customer Visits Report is found under Zones and Messages. Wherever there is an options or view button, a report can be run.
With the current unfavourable economic climate in South Africa and recent fuel price increase leaving consumers panicked, businesses will have to be more vigilant than ever in saving fuel costs.
Technology and big data is pivotal in optimising the efficiency of business operations whilst enabling them to remain economically competitive. Data and insight into operations greatly assists in reducing kilometres travelled and the corresponding fuel usage. Fuel usage has become an integral feature that our customers are not only interested in, but rely on. Fuel remains one of the largest expenses for fleets.
One measurable method that helps drive fast fuel savings is to implement a GPS fleet management solution, also known as telematics. This post discusses some strategies for increasing fuel efficiency and will review fuel tracking basics in MyGeotab.
Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems prevent organizations from working in silos by facilitating the flow of real-time information across departments, so businesses can make data-driven decisions and manage performance – live. The MyGeotab software has integrated with an ERP system to create a batching plant control solution. This solution can automate core business processes, assist in maintaining regulatory compliance and ensure optimal fleet utilization.
Geotab’s Open Platform Fleet Management Solution has integrated with the Mobileye Advanced Driver System to bring driving schools and their learners a safer, more comprehensive learning experience.
Policies are important in a workplace as it helps reinforce and clarify the standards expected of employees and help employers manage staff more effectively as it defines what is acceptable and unacceptable in the workplace.
Processes provide a blueprint for the business, stating who’s responsible for each step and how and when they should complete it.
The Geotab universal harness is a multi-connector kit including a T-harness and twelve different mounting adapters for use in most light-duty and medium-duty vehicles.
Geotab Africa has partnered with Advanced Fire Suppression Technologies to create a new and exciting solution to one of the most threatening risks in the mining and construction industry, fire. Advanced Fire Suppression Technologies is the market leader in fire fighting equipment. With 17 years of firefighting experience, Advanced Fire Suppression Technologies is an authorized distributor of the global premium brands from Tyco Fire Protection Products.
When considering a technology investment for your business, it’s important to analyze the potential benefits of the project. Two types of benefits should be considered in the decision-making process: tangible and intangible benefits. In this article, we provide some information to help you make the right technology decision.
Diagnostic or nondiagnostic GPS tracking. Which one is better? You may have heard about the benefits of each. This post sets the record straight on why you need true engine diagnostics.
Most (if not all) vehicles today, provide a wealth of data via the diagnostic port. This can aid in effective fleet management, especially if you have the means to read this data live.
Maximize the richness of telematics data by effortlessly tapping into the vehicle’s data bus, and simultaneously optimizing installation time, by choosing the right harness for your GO device.
From 2011, any person who receives a travel allowance is required to present a logbook to the South African Revenue Service (SARS) before any travel tax claim can be processed.
Imagine doing your logbook manually. This can take up a substantial amount of time to backtrack and record trips accurately. The date, opening and closing odometer readings, destination, reason for the visit and whether it was business or private travel, had to be recorded in trip logbooks.
Geotab Assist gives the Geotab Technicians the ability to capture installation and job card information quickly and easily. It can scan South African license disks, SIM card and product barcodes.
A SIM card might seem like an insignificant part of the hardware that works with your unit, but it plays one of the most crucial roles in ensuring your data gets through to you.
TELEMATICS is a method of monitoring an asset (car, truck, heavy equipment, or even ship) by using GPS and onboard diagnostics to record movements on a computerized map. Learn the answer to “What is telematics?” and read how it’s used in this blog post.
What Is Telematics? Technical Overview
Imagine a highly intelligent computer in your vehicle that is able to report on nearly every detail — from speed and idling, to fuel use, low tire pressure, and more. This information can mean saving on maintenance costs by better monitoring vehicles or improving fuel efficiency by learning more about driving habits. All of this describes the universe of telematics, also known as GPS fleet tracking.
To track assets, information from the vehicle is recorded via a small, telematics device — also called a black box — that plugs into the OBD II or CAN-BUS port. A SIM card and modem in the device enables communication on the cellular network.
There are several key components of a telematics device:
In addition to the hardware, the algorithm used for GPS logging is another critical factor because it impacts the quality and accuracy of the data. Read more about curve logging here.
See Also: Telematics Glossary: 60+ Terms to Know
How Telematics Works
Data collected by the telematics device, like the GPS position and speed of the vehicle, and the g-force measured by the built-in accelerometer, are sent in a packaged format to a data center. The data then gets decoded.
A vast amount of data can be collected via the telematics device and other connected hardware or sensors, such as position, speed, trip distance/time, idling, harsh braking and driving, seat belt, fuel consumption, vehicle faults, battery voltage, and other engine data.
In the case of Geotab, this information is stored in the cloud and brought into a fleet management software system, accessible from a desktop computer or a mobile device like a smartphone or tablet. Using the software, users are able to view and export reports and gain business intelligence such as the top 10 drivers with the highest number of speeding incidents or vehicles that are due for scheduled maintenance.
Telematics data is sent from the vehicle to a fleet management software portal.
Open Platform Telematics
As technology has evolved, telematics has moved from a closed system to open platform. An open platform telematics system is capable of integrating with other types of hardware accessories, software, and mobile apps to provide added insight into business operations.
The variety of applications for telematics includes integrations with dispatching and mobile forms, to driver cameras, salt and sand spreader trackers, weather alerts, and electronic logging (ELDs) for recording Hours of Service in trucking. See the infographic below for an overview of how businesses use telematics.
Click to view image larger.
The growing number of use applications has led to the increased adoption of commercial telematics as reported by Market Research Reports Search Engine, which values the global commercial telematics market at over $14 billion (2016).
The Origins of Telematics
The term “telematics” comes from a blend of telecommunication and informatics sciences. These two sciences formally merged back in the 1960s, when the U.S. Department of Defense developed GPS systems to track U.S. asset movements and improve communication on the battlefield. Telematics consists of three interdependent breakthroughs of modern technology from this research and development: Internet, GPS, and machine-to-machine communication (M2M).
Combining telecommunications and information processing, telematics was later used to refer to automation in vehicles. Wireless safety communications, GPS navigation, integrated hands-free cell phones, and automatic driving assistance systems are all components covered by vehicle telematics.
The Benefits of Telematics
Any type of small business to large corporation, nonprofit organization and government agency operating vehicles or other assets can benefit from telematics.
Industries using telematics and fleet tracking technology (sample list):
Learn more about these specific applications for telematics on our fleet management solutions page.
Telematics in Fleet Management
Telematics has become a crucial technology for fleet management. Telematics supports these five core areas:
Insurance telematics is also gaining in popularity, in which the safety data is shared with a fleet’s insurance company with the goal of lowering premiums, if they can prove safe driving habits. Essentially, telematics can help insurance companies better pinpoint levels of risk. (While not all insurance agencies are offering this telematics-based insurance, it’s worth discussing with your provider if you’re not self-insured.)
Also gaining in popularity is the ability to increase vehicle security by integrating identification sensors into vehicles. This allows fleets to authenticate a driver’s identity before they can start the vehicle.
The Future of Telematics and Fleet Tracking
The future of telematics is likely to achieve the unimaginable. Whether driving your personal vehicle or managing a fleet, constant communication with nearby vehicles is already achievable through telematics.
Exciting areas of innovation related to telematics include:
GPS tracking systems will continue to become better integrated with other operational systems and will continue to improve while M2M technology expands. The emergence of the Internet of Things (IoT), making technology possible for smart homes and smart communities, are great examples of the rapid evolution happening in this space.
Author: Craig Michael, RMA Production Assistant – Geotab Inc
Download our industry-specific brochures:
Construction Vertical Brochure| Courier and Delivery Vertical Brochure | Field Sales & Services Vertical Brochure | Food and Beverage Vertical Brochure | Government Vertical Brochure | Mobility Transport Vertical Brochure | Oil Gas & Mining Vertical Brochure | Police and First Responder Vertical Brochure | Towing Vertical Brochure | Transportation and logistic Vertical Brochure | Utilities Vertical Brochure