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PSA Group and TomTom Telematics have recently announced that the award-winning TomTom WEBFLEET fleet management solution will be available for all connected Peugeot, Citroën, and DS fleet vehicles.

As of next quarter, the service will become accessible in France, Spain, Belgium and the Netherlands.

Optimised fleet management

WEBFLEET enables fleet managers to make better business decisions. It helps to save fuel as well as localise vehicle positions and improves car maintenance planning. Within the collaboration between PSA Group and TomTom Telematics, the WEBFLEET platform will use the data sent by the manufacturer-fitted telematics units of Peugeot, Citroën and DS cars. This kind of alliance with a car manufacturer is a first for TomTom Telematics.

“We see an increasing number of vehicles entering the market with pre-installed mobile connectivity. Our WEBFLEET platform can provide a valuable service to the owners and users of those vehicles. Customers with Peugeot, Citroën and DS connected vehicles will now have easier access to Europe’s leading fleet management platform to help improve fleet efficiency, customer services and overall business performance,” said Thomas Schmidt, Managing Director at TomTom Telematics. “This initiative extends the relationship with PSA Group, after announcing the TomTom powered PSA infotainment platform¹ earlier this year.”

 

Brigitte Courtehoux, Head of the Connected Services and New Mobility Solutions business unit of PSA Group, added: “Our ambition is to provide customers with fully-connected vehicle fleets as part of our “Connect Fleet Management” program as well as a value-added service from market-leading partners. This innovative proposal allows customers to select services that best fit their company’s needs, helping to save time and money with an easy solution designed to significantly reduce the total cost of ownership. Collaborations like with TomTom Telematics enable us to provide a top-quality reliable service throughout Europe. In this way, PSA Group is furthering its strategy as a mobility provider."

 

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¹ This platform includes automotive-grade digital maps, TomTom’s award winning navigation software “NavKit” and its market leading live Traffic service.

 

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ACK Transport, based in Wollaston Northamptonshire, is using a unique mobile app from routeMASTER for remote monitoring of its general haulage fleet.

As a long-time customer of AGM, ACK Transport is eligible to add the recently upgraded app free of charge to its existing routeMASTER fleet control system. Vehicle progress can be pin-pointed in real time and access to the routeMASTER vehicle tracking and analysis system is possible from literally any location.

Managing Director Andrew Kevan has quickly taken to the new application: “We use the system to keep a check on vehicle locations and that’s handy when, for example, customers need to know an accurate ETA. It’s a good management tool which not only lets us monitor the vehicles but also enables us to check time sheets remotely. The app is easy to download and really simple to use. Always having my mobile to hand means I can access a host of fleet information from the minute I get up to last thing at night!”

 

ACK Transport runs an extensive curtainsider fleet and provides a nationwide general haulage service, including building products and electrical goods transport.

“With so many vehicles on the road and with multi drop delivery points,” adds Andrew” it’s also important to keep vehicle idling to a minimum. The routeMASTER system allows us to monitor each tractor for any excessive idling, which helps to keep fuel bills down and ticks a box for the environment. The cloud-based software has, for a while, played a key role in the efficient running of our fleet. This new app just makes it a little easier.”

 

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According to a new research report from the analyst firm Berg Insight, the number of insurance telematics policies in force on the European market reached 5.3 million in Q4-2015 and 6.3m in North America. 

In Europe, annual growth rate (CAGR) is predicted to be 37.2 percent, with the number of policies expected to reach 25.8 million by 2020. In North America, the number of insurance telematics policies in force by 2020 is expected to grow at a CAGR of 45.8 percent to reach 42.1 million in 2020.

The European insurance telematics market is largely dominated by hardwired aftermarket black boxes while self-install OBD devices instead represent the vast majority of all active policies in North America. Several major US providers of UBI have recently shifted to solutions based on smartphones. Berg Insight now expects a rapid increase in the uptake of solutions based on smartphones and also embedded OEM telematics systems in all markets in the upcoming years.

The insurance telematics value chain spans multiple industries. Insurers with notable presence in the insurance telematics market include Progressive, UnipolSai, State Farm, Allstate, Generali, Allianz, Intact and Insure The Box.

 

Renowned telematics suppliers active in the insurance field for example include Octo Telematics, Vodafone Automotive and LexisNexis Risk Solutions. Intelligent Mechatronic Systems, Cambridge Mobile Telematics, Modus, Baseline Telematics, DriveFactor and The Floow are also notable players on the market. Automotive OEMs are increasingly taking an active part in the ecosystem. Examples include General Motors, Ford, Renault-Nissan, BMW, Daimler and Fiat. In addition, mobile operators such as Vodafone, Telefónica, Verizon and Sprint are offering insurance telematics solutions, commonly working with telematics partners.

The insurance telematics market is currently in a phase of strong growth in both North America and Europe. “Canada, the US and Italy in particular have seen a significant increase in the use of telematics-based auto insurance during 2015”, said Jonas Wennermark, IoT/M2M Analyst at Berg Insight.

He adds that the UK is also one of the front-runners and that uptake is expected to increase in a number of additional countries in the coming years. Telematics-based insurance has already been introduced in a number of European countries including Spain, Austria, France, Switzerland, Germany, Denmark, Belgium and the Netherlands.

Differentiated telematics offerings are predicted for a broader range of segments, and insurers are increasingly expected to embrace usage-based pricing as well as claims-related insurance telematics and various value-added services. In North America, smartphone based solutions are growing rapidly whereas Europe still largely favours device-based solutions. “We are also seeing a growing involvement from OEMs. Progressive and OnStar are about to launch what might become the first major PHYD offer using OEM data. There are also recent attempts to share OEM data through intermediaries such as Verisk and the Floow”, concluded Mr. Wennerma

 

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Wireless charging advancements by global technology leader Laird have the industry poised for significant growth as major automotive and mobile device manufacturers look to incorporate Laird’s technology into the daily lives of drivers and passengers.

Laird engineers have created the next generation of wireless chargers, which Guido Dornbusch, Laird’s Vice President of Product Management for Connected Vehicle Solutions, said “are highly efficient” and “have virtually no extra losses compared to cable connectors.”

[quote float="left"]“By integrating NFC, wireless charging technology also can be combined with authentication, which opens up many more possibilities for use in the connected car,”[/quote] Laird is the leading global provider of end-to-end automotive connectivity services with solutions including antenna coupling and telematics control units as well as smart device integration products such as wireless charging.

Dornbusch says Laird’s latest white paper titled “Removing Wires, Increasing Performance: Wireless Charging – An Automotive Expectation,” illustrates how Laird is incorporating wireless charging technology into several European and American automobiles. The white paper also talks about the future of wireless charging, the struggle to find a common industry standard, and Near Field Communication (NFC).

“By integrating NFC, wireless charging technology also can be combined with authentication, which opens up many more possibilities for use in the connected car,” Dornbusch explained. “Some examples are using smartphones as a key, especially helpful for car sharing applications, or automated payment processes.”

Earlier this month Laird announced plans to expand its connected vehicle research, development, and engineering operations. Earlier this year the company opened a new facility in Brazil and acquired Germany based automotive electronics supplier Novero. In 2014 the company also opened a new manufacturing site in Shanghai China.

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At the inaugural Field Service Summit held in Oxford last month Field Service News and Greenroad co-hosted a series of five 30 minute roundtables on Fleet Management. With Chatham house rules in place to allow the participants to speak freely about both positive and negative experiences of fleet management, these sessions provided fascinating insight for all of those who took part.

Here we share with you three of the key points of discussion from across the day.

Who is responsible for fleet management?

One of the most crucial factors for understanding how field service companies manage their fleet operations is to understand where fleet management fits within the organisational structure of a company.

During the day there were a number of different alternatives brought up as to who is responsible for fleet management.

Perhaps unsurprisingly it was amongst larger organisations that we saw the role of a dedicated fleet manager, however, even when a fleet manager is in place, their role doesn’t necessarily involve the implementation of telematics or routing and tracking solutions. Often these more strategic elements ,that are designed to yield business improvement, sat within the field service division. Whilst the fleet manager role is more logistical, responsible for the upkeep and maintenance of the fleet.

Interestingly, for a number of companies fleet management as a discipline sat alongside the health and safety department, which seemed to be a general starting point for many companies when it comes to rolling out an initial telematics solution.

As one participant commented: “For us it’s more about managing the health and safety side, health and safety in the UK is now getting to a point where it is actually tying us up to a certain degree.

We are dedicating a significant amount of time to dealing with health and safety legislation in work.”

Another option that was utilised by some companies was to completely outsource their fleet management requirements as part of the lease arrangement for their vehicles. In fact as telematics becomes more and more embedded by vehicle manufacturers in the not too distant future it may be that such arrangements become more common.

Meanwhile, for those smaller companies with more manageable fleets, the responsibility for fleet management sat firmly with the field service management team.

What was clear however, was if companies are to get the most out of their telematics solution, which currently many companies admit they are not doing, then the field service management team must have some input and control over the decisions made around fleet management and telematics.

It is also clear that the use of telematics is now becoming far more encompassing than simple vehicle tracking.

As another participant commented “We introduced telematics about two/three years ago now and for the same reason – health and safety and that really was the driver, but there are so many other benefits that can be driven from it."

Other comments around the ownership of fleet management and the drivers behind implementing a telematics solution included:

“The ownership of managing the vehicles is all down to our fleet department in terms of health and safety. Telematics and fuel consumption is in our [field service] space.”

“Through risk assessment we make sure our service engineers are doing everything correctly, and we send them on advanced driving training courses, to ensure we comply with health and safety regulations and procedures.”

This last point is something that Ryan Davison, Enterprise Sales Manager, Greenroad, believes is becoming more and more prevalent. He explained:

“We are starting to get approached a lot more now about the health and safety and environmental factors of fleet management.”

“Whereas traditionally telematics has always been logistical and operational, we are starting to see a lot more around a duty of care compliance side of things.”

“Companies are coming to us now and saying effectively we’ve got our telematics system running on the operational side but we are looking for something independent of that, that will take care of our R.O.I. that will look into duty of care that will make sure our drivers are behaving responsibly on the roads.”

“What we are looking at now is finding the synergy between fleet management and performance and health and safety and where you can transfer that data. Data is abundant at the moment and any telematics system can produce an enormous amount of data, but it’s how you interpret and manage that internally that is the key. Handing somebody 20/30 spread sheets in their inbox is not going to create any value for your organisation.”

Data, Data Everywhere:

Indeed, one of the common themes of the day was how to harness the amount of data that a telematics system could produce and how to effectively utilise that data.

The consensus was that it was important to be able to access that data in an easy to manage visual manner, with configurable dashboards being high on the wish list for most companies.

In general most companies now see the value of data available to them.However, there is also a clear fear of drowning in data if it is not possible to access it in a meaningful fashion.

Also as more and more providers are developing APIs for open integration the flow of data is becoming increasingly seamless.

What was also interesting was that there seemed to be a dual use for data, highlighted throughout the day’s conversations.

Firstly, it became apparent telematics data is used as a day-to-day management tool, but it is also used secondly as a strategic tool to help push a business forward.

This concept was neatly summed up by one particular participant who said:

“There are two main elements. There is the data that provides the behavioural stuff and we are a fortunate position where there are sixteen area managers and they are directly responsible for the field engineers and their behaviour and being able to send data around whether their engineers are driving too fast, or braking too hard etc. is something that they can use as a tool to deal with these issues as line management.”

“But from an organisational perspective the big win is the data that outlines the utilisation of our equipment.”

“We have a big fleet and before, whilst this information was there it was in paper format so wasn’t easy to access. But now it is easier to access and it can inform our decisions on whether to buy or rent new assets, whether we can move things around the country and so on.”

Driver behaviour and fleet management

It is however, the first of these uses, feeding data back to the field engineers that was discussed the most across the day’s sessions. And gamification played a significant role in how a number of companies utilised their telematics data to improve their engineers driving standards.

As one participant commented” Nobody wants to be the worst driver in the fleet, whether it is a fleet of 5 or a fleet or 500.”

And gamification tools can actively encourage improvements . Indeed, there was almost universal acceptance that gamification could be used as a tool to improve driver behaviour across  an entire mobile workforce.

However, the first battle, which is quite a common one it seems, is getting the field engineers to accept a telematics solution in the first place.

All too often we heard similar stories from the delegates – namely that of push-back from unions and engineers. “Definitely there is a kind of resentment.” Commented one participant.

“It comes down to trust, they believe that you just don’t trust them and then it becomes an issue. The mind-set is ‘if your putting something in it’s because you don’t trust how I do something.’ And then you get the push-back against it.” another delegate commented.

“It can then become a vicious circle where the company says if your not doing anything wrong there is nothing to be concerned about, whilst the engineers say if I’m not doing anything wrong why do you need to track me.”

However, it does seem to be a problem that often heals itself over time following implementation.

“Eventually they saw it wasn’t being used as they expected it to be and now it is accepted” another delegate replied before adding “some of the guys are even asking for print outs from the system so they can see their own performance.”

Yet getting that initial acceptance can still be a tricky balancing act as Davison explained further.

“The two sides of the scale are encouragement and enforcement.”

“To begin with you can take the approach of explaining this is for your own benefit and what those benefits are, but with those who are persistently driving badly then it is a case of falling back on policy and saying to that engineer ‘we need to take you off the road and explore training before we can get you back on.’”

In terms of driver behaviour, data can also play a crucial role in streamlining training strategies as Davison added “Whereas traditionally people might have used programs such as AA drive tech, Institute of Advanced Motoring or VOSPA for generic training what we are seeing now is people are using the data more cleverly.”

“Applied driving techniques is a good example, what they will do is work with us in partnership and use our data to avoid taking a scatter gun approach, but rather focus the training on areas  that it is needed.”

“So each individual driver will have their own risk profile and therefore we can assess how effective is that training been in improving them and reducing the risk they pose on the road."

 

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TomTom Telematics has announced the launch of  WEBFLEET for Sales Cloud, an app that integrates TomTom’s WEBFLEET telematics platform with Salesforce, making it easier for sales staff to use the CRM system on the road. It will also enable companies to manage their sales forces more efficiently and empower them to connect with customers, partners and employees in a whole new way.  The app is available on the Salesforce AppExchange marketplace.

The integration between WEBFLEET and Salesforce helps to reduce cost and administration time through automatic trip reporting and simplified appointment management. Businesses and drivers are also provided with greater insight into driving performance.

“Companies are looking to transform the way they connect with customers, partners and employees to thrive in the age of the customer,” said Ryan Ellis, VP, Product Management, AppExchange, Salesforce.

“By leveraging the power of the Salesforce App Cloud and integrating real-time telematics data with Sales Cloud, TomTom Telematics provides customers with exciting new opportunities to improve business performance through connected car technologies.”

Taco van der Leij, VP Marketing at TomTom Telematics added: “Integrating WEBFLEET with Salesforce is a natural extension of our Logbook application, which automates mileage registration for expense claims. Both help to make business administration easier for staff on the road, providing them with tools to improve their sales performance. Furthermore, by combining telematics and CRM, sales managers can gain visibility and insight into performance in the field.”

WEBFLEET for Sales Cloud allows office staff to assign client appointments in the Salesforce calendar to the employee’s TomTom Pro Driver terminal. Dashboards allow trip data to be compared with opportunities, leads and closed deals to analyse the effectiveness of each sales representative.

 

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Geotab, the Canadian telematics platform provider, has won the North American Product Leadership award in Frost & Sullivan’s 2016 Best Practices Awards.

Frost & Sullivan presents the Product Leadership award to the company it considers has developed a product with innovative features and functionality to gain rapid acceptance in the market. Geotab was recognised both for innovative fleet management telematics solutions and for the partnership-based model that has helped its fast growth.  The company now has 500,000 vehicles in 70 countries using its platform, and over 900m data points are collected daily.

“Geotab’s hardware engineering and software development success has made it a one-stop fleet management solution provider, while most competitors specialise in one or the other,” said Frost & Sullivan Senior Analyst Krishna Chaithanya. “Due to its ability to offer customers technologically superior services compared to other telematics companies in North America, Geotab has witnessed remarkable earnings growth. Company revenue stood at $76 million in 2015, up from $59 million in 2014. The company estimated that its 2016 revenue would exceed $105 million.”

The Geotab GO7 is a small form-factor GPS plug-and-play vehicle tracking device able to integrate with a vehicle’s on-board diagnostics port.  The scalable MyGeotab platform and powerful tracking algorithms allow fleet managers to track vehicles in real time and provide actionable alerts to drivers. Customers gain an in-depth understanding of fleet movement, equipment health, stoppages and routing problems to ensure optimal time management and consumer satisfaction.

The real-time integrated fleet management capabilities in the Geotab platform may not seem cutting-edge in Europe, where operators have benefited from this level of functionality for several years now,  but it does appear to be a relatively recent development in the North American market, and the feedback capabilities of Geotab’s GO TALK impressed Frost & Sullivan.

It acknowledged that one of the key benefits of the Geotab solution is the company's input-output expander (IOX) technology, which allows businesses to easily expand their fleet management capabilities for specific needs such as satellite tracking, driver ID, hours of service, camera systems, and temperature monitoring.

Geotab has made its data open for easy integration with customers’ IT systems and third-party apps. “Importantly, Geotab’s competence in data engineering and solution development results in competitively priced products that offer in-depth information about productivity, safety, efficiency, and compliance” noted Chaithanya. “It supports advanced safety management for drivers and fleets, more constructive fuel management, constant monitoring of vehicle engine health, and strict reinforcement of safety guidelines.”

 

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Masternaut, a leading provider of fleet telematics and vehicle tracking services, has launched a maintenance module for Masternaut Connect, giving fleet managers the ability to adopt a proactive approach to vehicle maintenance.

Masternaut Maintenance is based on Masternaut’s patented non-intrusive CANbus technology to collect vehicle data. This provides automatic and real-time information on servicing and vehicle faults on cars and commercial vehicles. It can save time and improve operations for fleet managers by helping to proactively plan fleet maintenance operations, and gives an instant overview of a fleet’s condition, improving vehicle availability.

 

We wanted to offer a maintenance tool kit that gives an immediate overview of fleet compliance, with quick access to information and something that can help them save time and money through efficiency gains"        -Steve Towe, Masternaut

 

The Masternaut Maintenance dashboard provides users with a top down look of their fleet, highlighting the percentage of vehicles that are fully operational, the number of vehicles that need servicing now or in future, and the number of vehicles with faults. This enables fleet managers to reduce vehicle turnover and improve vehicle lifetime, with improved maintenance also helping to reduce fuel consumption.

This information helps fleet managers to keep vehicles and employees safe and ensures a high level of fleet compliance. Masternaut Maintenance keeps a complete record of service and fault history for each vehicle which can reduce breakdowns and improve safety on the road.

Steve Towe, Chief Commercial Office and UK Managing Director, Masternaut, commented “Masternaut Maintenance has been launched with our customers and partners in mind, and provides a deeper level of diagnostic solutions than available on the market today, which only identify engine and transmission related failures. We wanted to offer a maintenance tool kit that gives an immediate overview of fleet compliance, with quick access to information and something that can help them save time and money through efficiency gains. This will help fleet managers become more proactive when it comes to fleet maintenance operations, offering improved planning and vehicle turnaround time.”

Alex Rothwell, Chief Technology Officer, Masternaut adds: “Our patented non-intrusive technology combined with Masternaut Connect is already providing our fleet customers and partners with the in latest telematics innovations, such as improved driver behaviour and fuel reduction. Masternaut Maintenance takes or our offering one step ahead to help strengthen and improve the services that we offer to European fleets, by  giving instant information on vehicle faults and servicing status."

 

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Road transport specialist Pentalver is saving more than £50,000 a year by improving driver behaviour across its 107-strong Cannock truck fleet.

Following the introduction of a performance improvement programme underpinned by WEBFLEET, a Software-as-a-Service solution for businesses to increase fleet efficiency, the company has seen fuel efficiency soar from an average of 8.5 mpg to 9.6 mpg per vehicle.

OptiDrive 360, a key component of WEBFLEET, scores drivers on a range of performance indicators from fuel consumption, speeding and idling to driving events, gear shifting and constant speed.

Pentalver has incentivised improvement with drivers receiving a quarterly bonus if they hit agreed performance targets.

“WEBFLEET has given us the tools to introduce the bonus scheme and has empowered our drivers to optimise their mpg by giving them real-time feedback and advice,” said Nick Matthews, Pentalver, General Manager.

 

 “Idling time, in particular, has been cut dramatically since we introduced the initiative and we have been able to offer driving training support for those employees that have most needed it.”

Pentalver has also integrated WEBFLEET with container transport management system TOPS, enabling more accurate job planning, scheduling and customer service with full fleet and journey time visibility.

Pentalver’s investment in WEBFLEET was supported by TomTom Telematics partner, Auto Electrical Services (AES).

 

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