How telematics can support fleets

If you work in fleet management you’ll no doubt have heard the word ‘telematics’, you may even already have the technology installed in your vehicles but do you fully understand all of the different ways it can support your fleet? 

What data can you get from telematics?

A sophisticated telematics system will not only give you basic vehicle tracking information, it will give you the benefit of driver behaviour information. 

The data available from telematics includes:
●    Mileage
●    Location
●    Speed
●    Harsh braking, cornering and accelerating 
●    Engine idling 
●    Fuel consumption or range 
●    Seat belt use
●    Vehicle faults 

How can you use telematics data?

When all of this data is fed into software and turned into reports and league tables of your best and worst performing drivers you can take steps to improve the safety and efficiency of your fleet. 

You can use telematics data to:

●    Make sure you don’t exceed any mileage restrictions if you hire or lease your vehicles.
●    See which ICE vehicles can be replaced by EV/hybrid vehicles based on usage patterns.
●    Identify when vehicles need servicing and plan downtime when it’s least disruptive. 
●    Record the private vs. business mileage split on company cars for HMRC reporting.
●    Ensure vehicles aren’t doing private mileage if they are solely for business use.

●    Recover stolen vehicles by providing police with the vehicle location. 
●    Allocate work to the nearest driver. 
●    Keep customers informed about a delivery, collection or appointment time.
●    Link to routing/scheduling software so the best routes can be taken and congestion avoided.
●    Plan en-route charging for electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles so drivers don’t use the most expensive charging stations or have to deviate miles from their route. 

●    Monitor employees' driving time and remind or schedule breaks as needed.
●    Support loan workers. 
●    Identify under-utilised vehicles which could potentially be removed from fleet 
●    Dispute fraudulent insurance claims by proving a vehicle's location during the alleged incident.
●    Identify which drivers are speeding and/or braking, cornering and accelerating harshly and require further training, which could be e-learning or on-the-road training or a combined approach. 

●    Develop a driver reward scheme to incentivise drivers to drive safely and fuel efficiently. 
●    Investigate the circumstances surrounding an incident. 
●    Identify which vehicles spend a high proportion of time idling and take steps to reduce this. 
●    Improve the range of electric vehicles by analysing which vehicles are significantly below the official figures and seeing if driver training is required.
●    Ensure drivers are wearing seatbelts. 

What are the cost savings from telematics?

If you’re able to make use of the data in all the ways outlined above then you could reduce your fleet costs considerably. 

Reducing fuel consumption alone by tackling engine idling and ensuring drivers take the most efficient routes and drive in an eco friendly manner typically brings a 10-15% fuel saving. 

You may also find that your insurer gives you a reduction in your insurance premium. This might be an upfront discount when you fit the technology or more likely a reduction at renewal time when you can demonstrate that your incidents have reduced. 

If you decide to install dashcams too and link these to your telematics the benefits could be even greater as you’ll get a deeper understanding of driver behaviour and incidents. 

Remember that there are some ‘hidden’ cost saving benefits from telematics too. Making sure your fleet is compliant and you meet your duty of care obligations helps protect your company’s reputation and could avoid an expensive court case. 

There’s also the potential for reduced wear and tear on the vehicles and less vehicle off road time. 

More importantly, you’re helping to keep drivers safe behind the wheel. 

How Reflex can help you with telematics?

At Reflex Vehicle Hire, we have long recognised the benefits of telematics. Our vehicles are equipped with this technology as part of our Safety as Standard promise. 

This means that you have the benefits of telematics without being tied into a long-term contract with a telematics provider or the cost of installing the technology. 

As part of our Safety as Standard promise our vehicles are also equipped with Flexicam forward facing dashcams and all of our commercial vehicles have speed limiters.

Having led the way in vehicle safety, we are also now supporting companies as they transition to electric vehicles through our EV:IE (Electric Vehicle Information Exchange) programme. 

We use telematics data to provide advice and insight on which vehicles you can immediately switch from fossil fuel to zero emission alternatives, as well as supporting your long-term planning.