Telematics, Data Analytics Make for Safer Roads

Q: How does Geotab connect telematics to businesses, making roads safer?

A: Geotab is the largest telematics company in the world. We are a B2B company focused on business fleets, with over 3 million connected vehicles on the road. One of our most important strategic goals is road safety, starting with driver safety. Trucks and large vehicles are dangerous if they are not properly managed. Geotab provides all necessary tools for drivers and fleet managers to ensure that vehicles are being operated in the safest way possible.

We ensure safety in many different ways but mainly focus on helping operators be immersed in their work and flag any major distractions or issues in real time. When drivers make a mistake or are speeding, the vehicle warns them immediately. In addition, Geotab provides several solutions that take into account harsh braking, aggressive driving and other measurable variables, enabling fleet managers to train operations for safe driving.

Q: How does Geotab’s telematics improve fuel consumption and profitability for Latin American clients?

A: Latin American fleets face an interesting challenge due to the region’s geography and specific conditions. For instance, Monterrey, Mexico City, Lima or Sao Paulo are large, complex cities, which makes delivering products or providing logistics services expensive. Margins are very tight in Latin America, so smart fleet management and efficiencies make a difference. GeoTab helps companies from the beginning, analyzing how many vehicles a company actually needs to optimize costs.

Predictive maintenance also plays an important role in reducing costs. Accidents are very expensive too, which is why Geotab focuses on safety. Finally, fuel is expensive and we work on comprehensive programs with fleets to reduce their fuel costs and increase their sustainability. Our data helps companies to cut emissions and meet their decarbonization goals.

Q: Why should OEMs partner with Geotab to offer integrated solutions?

A: For OEMs, the challenge is that each has its own connected vehicle strategy but most company fleets are composed of vehicles from different brands. For example, some large Latin American fleets, with 5,000 vehicles, probably use 10 different brands due to the different characteristics they need from vehicles.

To carry out a connected vehicle strategy, OEMs need a platform like Geotab to integrate their data with that of their competitors. Fleet managers need the data translated into one single language to use it. People in Latin America do not have time to run multiple telematics platforms for the same fleet; they need one single platform. Geotab processes data from all OEMs and provides the best solution for customers.

Q: How does Geotab help smaller companies to improve their operations and become cost-effective?

A: Globally, Geotab has a great presence among SMEs but we provide many different features and sometimes SMEs do not really require all of them. While our solutions do work for fleets of any size, they usually benefit larger fleets the most. Latin America is home to some of the world’s largest fleets.

Geotab’s solutions improve the entire logistics operations of companies, lowering costs and making deliveries faster, safer and more sustainable. Some Latin American companies have been recognized as the most efficient in the world, with the best operations and practices regarding safety, supply, fuel consumption and sustainability. These companies achieve excellent fleet operations by leveraging data.

Q: What are the particular challenges of running a technology company in the Latin American context?

A: Technology adoption in Latin America is interesting. When companies in the region invest in tech solutions, they usually shine. The challenge in Latin America is that several old-fashioned companies look at telematics as a cost rather than a cost-saving strategy. The region has many old, poorly run fleets. These companies are trying to save as much as they can but are not open to technological solutions. However, this trend is slowly shifting in the right direction, with more data-oriented decision-making and openness to technology.

Q: How does GeoTab leverage its 3 million connected vehicles?

A: Having millions of connected vehicles enables Geotab to scale up. For example, we can help a Latin American last-mile delivery company with 1,500 vehicles using Geotab’s experience with 100 other similar fleets doing the same thing in similar cities. We can provide market intelligence, allowing the company to analyze their safety, fuel consumption and route efficiency. Geotab can create global standards and understand in which aspects a company is working well and in which it can improve. Our global footprint allows us to understand the different markets and learn the keys for success in each of them.

Q: How can telematics integrate into other software to help companies take advantage of data at different levels?

A: Large companies running transportation management software often run many operations using SAP, Oracle or Microsoft software. Sometimes, all the data from fleet operations sits unused in the fleet management program. If this data is shared with the rest of the company, it can be used to make better decisions. For example, if driver behavior data is shared with the human resources department, it can develop several metrics for drivers.

Geotab has over 100 data scientists working directly with customers through boot camps and training sessions. We want clients to learn to leverage data. In the near future, companies will demand data points to share with different software and data will no longer sit in isolation. In addition, old-fashioned companies will notice they are losing money and will start incorporating telematics and tech solutions into their operations.

Geotab provides telematics hardware solutions through IoT devices, advancing security, connecting commercial vehicles and providing web-based analytics for smart fleet management.