I like the name of one of the American Transportation Research Institute’s (ATRI's) latest reports—From Data to Decisions: Trucking’s Use of Telematics Data to Improve Performance.
What I like about it is the tying together of data and decision-making. Today, fleets have a wealth of data at their fingertips, but data alone is not the answer. Fleet managers should analyze the data based on their own goals and objectives and on the unique operating parameters of their operation. ATRI points out, and we all know, that telematics can tell fleets everything they want to know about a vehicle’s location, but that is only one small piece of the data available to fleets today.
Studies have shown that fuel efficiency can be improved by leveraging telematics data. By analyzing information on things like speeding, hard braking, and idling, fleets can improve their average miles per gallon (MPG) number. Data can also allow fleets to look at things like empty miles, which impact revenue per mile.
Savvy fleets are going beyond telematics data and are integrating Driver Vehicle Inspection Reports (DVIRs) with their telematics data, according to the ATRI report. Back in 2016, we released a Confidence Report on Truck Maintenance. We found that fleets could see a fuel economy improvement of 5% when their trucks were well-maintained. Some fleets are integrating information on all service events to give them an even broader view of how each of their trucks is performing. Fleets that are not doing this are not getting a complete picture of how the vehicle is performing.
If you are not integrating the various data streams you are capturing, you are missing out on opportunities to improve your freight efficiency. Safety, maintenance, and efficiency are all tied together. Having all the data in one place and then analyzing that data in light of your fleet’s specific goals will help you improve your MPG regardless of what your average MPG is today.
And with diesel hovering around $6 a gallon, even a half percent improvement in fuel economy can pay big dividends.
