Fleet telematics systems are essential data-gathering tools for businesses with large vehicle fleets. These systems can gather critical information on vehicle health and driver behavior, helping to streamline fleet management, maintenance, and daily operations.
Right now, many businesses are expanding the capabilities of these systems with new IoT fleet tracking tools. These systems can significantly improve the data gathering and tracking capabilities of telematics.
However, integrating IoT technology into existing telematics systems can be challenging, and new devices may mean new security vulnerabilities.
How IoT Integrates With Fleet Telematics
These tools allow businesses to tap directly into the data-gathering sensors most cars already come with.
For example, instead of a simple on-or-off tire pressure indicator, vehicle telematics can provide a fleet manager with real-time pressure numbers for every tire in the fleet.
Because pressure can have a significant impact on tire lifespan ” and because small leaks aren’t always immediately apparent ” these numbers can enable preventive maintenance that keeps vehicles on the road for as long as possible.
Other essential data may come from a vehicle’s engine control unit (ECU) or sensors in the evaporative emissions system.
This information can provide a few essential benefits by creating a clearer picture of vehicle health and driver behavior. For modern fleet management, data plays a critical role in extending the lifespan of vehicles to minimize downtime and maintenance costs.
Businesses typically use IoT to make these systems more efficient and integrate telematics data into the business‘s overall data network.
Some IoT sensors may also extend the telematics system ” battery gas gauges, for example, can track vehicle battery health, providing information that vehicles may not track by default.
The IoT integration process isn’t always straightforward, however, and integrating IoT devices with legacy telematics technology can be difficult.
These are five of the most common pitfalls that fleet owners face when integrating IoT technology, and how they can be avoided.
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1. Overabundance of Data
Some fleet vehicle owners, when integrating IoT, aim to do everything at once and maximize the amount of data they capture. This approach can work too well ” providing the business with more information than it can process. Key insights go uncovered and the system may not even gather the data that vehicle owners truly need.
The cost of transferring that data using cellular networks can also quickly become a problem.
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When designing an IoT integration, it’s better to identify specific growth areas and KPIs that may be improved. This information will help the business to develop a strategy for collecting and analyzing specific types of vehicle data, making it more likely that they will find the insights they need to optimize vehicle management.
2. Interoperability
Telematics systems and data networks rely on heterogeneous equipment ” sensors, smart technology, and vehicle hardware ” that may not be interoperable by default. An effective IoT and telematics solution needs to bring these tools together.
As a result, fleet owners sometimes gather vehicle data by relying on third-party apps or devices that interpret ODB readings from CAN. These apps can increase the telematics system’s latency and reduce the quality of service compared to a solution that directly reports vehicle information.
Solutions that integrate directly with a vehicle can provide better results when latency needs to be avoided.
3. Data and Operational Silos
Some large businesses intentionally or accidentally silo off their IoT operations from the rest of their business. As a result, the implementation and management of IoT technology and gathered data can happen without much team communication. This can make the integration of new IoT technology much more challenging and may limit the insights the business could uncover.
Ideally, the IoT team should be in close communication with other departments, especially those responsible for managing vehicle operations, scheduling, and maintenance. Similarly, the IoT team should also be involved in outside professional organizations that can help them learn more about the current IoT landscape.
4. Cybersecurity Vulnerabilities
Telematics systems are complex and expansive, typically involving physical hardware, radio systems, software, and human agents. Adding IoT devices to these systems can further increase their complexity and expose the system to more security threats that fleet owners will need to anticipate.
Effective IoT security practices will help businesses protect their devices and the telematics data they collect. Network segmentation, digital update signing, over-the-air software and firmware updates, and third-party audits are all common techniques that businesses use to defend vehicle telematics systems.
Physical security will also be important. Protecting vehicles from theft will ensure unauthorized third parties don’t have direct access to telematics hardware.
5. No Scaling Roadmap
Sourcing and deploying IoT equipment at scale can be challenging, especially for businesses with large vehicle fleets that want to minimize downtime and disruption.
The implementation of IoT fleet tracking needs to be planned carefully ” otherwise, the project may disrupt normal business function or join the 70% of IIoT projects that never leave the proof-of-concept stage.
Typically, it’s best to begin small with a pilot project that aims to improve a specific KPI or uncover a particular insight. One business, for example, may use IoT to improve the availability of fleet location data. Starting with a few vehicles and tracking the availability of location data business-wide can provide the business with information on how well the solution works, potential installation challenges, and opportunity areas.
Planning how and when to scale up from this pilot project will help the business minimize downtime and ensure the IoT system can integrate properly with legacy telematics systems.
Strategies for Successful Integration of IoT Fleet Tracking
IoT integration can be a powerful tool for businesses that need to track vehicle fleets.
However, integrating new IoT technology with existing vehicle systems can be a challenge. It’s not unusual for businesses to collect more data than they need, struggle with compatibility issues, and silo off IoT operations from the rest of the business.
The right practices can help ensure that IoT integration goes smoothly, and beginning small and planning to scale up can keep IoT projects focused. Effective cybersecurity practices can protect IoT data, and the right culture and organization keep IoT operations integrated with the rest of the business, minimizing the risk of IoT data silos.
