Webinar: Telematics is a continuous process, not a single decision

“Telematics is not a silver bullet”, says Wayne Fee. In a Fleet Europe webinar, the Head of Global Sales at MiX Telematics reveals how a sustained approach can yield success. A case study by Carl Hanson, Group Fleet Director at Wincanton, offers evidence. 

“Telematics is both exciting and challenging”, says Steven Schoefs, Editor in Chief at Fleet Europe, by way of introduction to the webinar. “Exciting, because it promises greater safety and more efficiency. And challenging, because implementation can be complex”. 

Tangible benefits

A quick definition of telematics reads as follows: it’s the collection of vehicle and driver data which is then used to analyse vehicle performance, driver behaviour, crash data, etc. 

In his presentation, Mr Fee pointed to some tangible benefits a successful telematics policy can generate:

• An average fuel saving of 10%;
• Accident reduction by up to 70%;
• Better compliance with road safety strategies;
• Reduced asset theft and abuse.

Driver buy-in

Mr Fee delved deeper into the reasons why fleets need a comprehensive telematics policy and identified the essential elements of such a policy. Perhaps the most crucial element is: achieving ‘driver buy-in’. 

Drivers are often resistant to the introduction of telematics policy, which they see as a questioning of their professional capabilities, and an intrusion into their personal space. 

But, Mr Fee revealed, by focusing on transparency and offering incentives, this resistance can be overcome, hearts and minds can be won over, and positive results can be achieved in a matter of weeks, rather than months. 

Safety angle

Following Mr Fee’s talk, Mr Hanson presented a case study of telematics introduction at Wincanton, with a fleet of some 7,500 vehicles one of the biggest in the UK. 

He gave an overview of the challenges, and of the methods and tools used to overcome them, stressing the importance of the safety angle as the winning argument to get stakeholders and drivers on board.  

In the Q&A session closing the webinar, both Mr Fee and Mr Hanson agreed that for telematics to be successful, fleets should not see it as a single decision, but a continuous process. 

Watch the entire webinar, which includes greater detail and more data on the topic of telematics implementation: