With drivers, trucks and trailers linked by sensors collecting and transmitting data, mobile devices are the smart hub for the smart truck that can give transportation businesses greater control across the board.
Automated trucking fleet solutions are available on a number of commercial mobile devices, with minimal installations required. Some software can be deployed right out of the box, while others are designed for extensive customization for different applications and user roles.
While free navigation software can provide basic routing features, it lacks the deeper capabilities of purpose-built software. Such solutions typically provide essential safe driving information — such as maximum heights for bridges and road restrictions regarding hazardous loads. An out-of-the-box offering can help smaller firms and owner/operators create an effective IT infrastructure with minimal effort.
By tapping the power of telematics, trucking companies will be able to take advantage of data analytics from mobile devices within the vehicle as a competitive differentiator.
Information to manage the fleet better — down to the individual driver and truck level — is at everyone’s fingertips. Managers can make decisions based on the availability of assets that include a driver’s working hours as well as truck and load locations.
Digital precision produces operational benefits that may not have been considered before. Using fleet telematics, dispatchers can be more disciplined. Both the driver and dispatcher have access to the same information about the driver’s HOS, and they can both see if it makes sense to accept a load. Drivers can avoid getting routed to a load but running out of time on the way, for instance, or running out of time before a delivery is made.
ELD systems that interact with dispatching systems can also populate load data such as shipper numbers and bill-of-lading (BOL) information to save drivers' time.
In addition to a full set of fleet management and telematics solutions, fleets can deploy sensors that track truck movements, inventories, temperatures and performance — all in real time — and which are integrated with cloud capabilities and an Internet of Things (IoT) management platform.
These solutions are designed to provide real-time information to the driver as well as the fleet owner. For example, sensors in trailers can help alert both the driver and the fleet owner to temperature changes, avoiding damage to perishable items.
Private truck fleets, including merchandising trucks for food and beverage manufacturers, construction vehicles, municipal service vehicles and retail fulfillment, can also benefit from connectivity. Fleet telematics and IoT connectivity can boost asset utilization and customer satisfaction through improved service, as fleet management and other workflows converge and interact in a single device.
With mobile devices, drivers can connect with load matching services such as the Omnitracs Sylectus Alliance Network to claim loads to improve utilization rates dramatically. The load matching services pair available space with available loads. Truckers who use load matching apps report they increased from four loaded trips a week to five, boosting earnings and receiving payments more quickly.
With hours of service and location data readily available, drivers can communicate with dispatchers better and reduce time spent on the phone. If a customer calls about a load, the dispatcher can access the truck's location via the online portal without having to call the driver, and then inform the customer of the driver's location and status for on-time delivery.
