No longer simply used to provide basic information on vehicles, telematics software is now essential to maintaining a predictive maintenance schedule for fleets. Movolytics explains more.
While many fleets aim for predictive maintenance, for smaller businesses with limited resources and personnel, staying on top of a disciplined schedule can be a challenge. This is where the latest telematics solutions come in. Instead of simply providing information on the location of the vehicles, the most advanced solutions provide detailed data and analytics on vehicle health, and factors that contribute to it, such as driving behaviour.
Some solutions, such as Movolytics, that draw information directly from the engine management system, are able to provide real-time data on the vehicle’s status. By presenting this information on intuitive dashboards, fleet managers can access a holistic view of the status of their vehicles. If an issue with the engine, for example, is identifi ed, the system can send an alert to the fleet manager and the driver, with details of the problem and advice on how to proceed – whether the vehicle is safe to drive to the nearest garage or if the engine should be stopped immediately.
The detailed data the system presents also enables more intelligent proactive maintenance and easier management of planned maintenance schedules. By recording driving behaviour across key areas such as fuel consumption, braking, speeding and idling, it paints a detailed picture of the activity of each driver that contributes to wear of their vehicles. Idling, for example, can be costly not only in terms of fuel consumption, but also when it comes to the wear on engine components, and harsh braking can take its toll on brake pads, reducing the lifespan of these vital components.
It’s all about data
Analysing this data helps operators identify vehicles that are at risk and which would benefit from more regular maintenance. The visual dashboard makes comparing vehicle and driver performance simple, so that any anomalies are easy to spot.
If one vehicle is constantly consuming excess fuel, for instance, it might stem from poor driving behaviour or indicate an actual fault in the vehicle, which would require urgent attention. By drawing on this information, the fleet manager can educate drivers and ensure the ‘at risk’ vehicles have more frequent maintenance schedules.
In the workshop, the information from the fleet management system can help speed up maintenance and repairs. As the data from the fleet management systems is stored in the cloud and can be accessed remotely, fleet managers can easily share backdated data of the vehicle’s performance with the maintenance team, to help them identify the problem and its causes.
Looking at the data, engineers can recognise patterns that contribute to wear, enabling them to help fleet managers find the optimal management cycle to prolong fleet life. Additionally, telematics can also help workshop managers optimise daily schedules and provide better customer service. When the fleet manager is alerted to a fault by their telematics system, they can quote the fault when booking the vehicle in for repairs. As the fault has already been identified, to an extent at least, the workshop manager will have a better idea of how long the repair will take and can allocate time accordingly.
It is easy to see how the information fleet management systems provide about a vehicle can benefit both fleets and workshops, and the systems are set to contribute even more to the way vehicle health is managed in the future.
