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FUTURE OF FLEET | TELEMATICS
THINKING OUTSIDE THE BLACK BOX
Raj Singh I managing director I Crystal Ball
I saw the future in 2015. We were a black box tracking service provider, like our competitors, however I could see that integrating cameras with telematics was the way forward. We were the first telematics service provider in the UK – and possibly the world – to make that integration and launch SmartCam as a data-rich solution in late 2016.
Initially, this forward-facing 3G solution won many awards and has subsequently evolved into a 4G device with Bluetooth, WiFi and forward and cabin- or rear-facing video camera technology.
Only recently have competitors followed, however many still don’t offer an integrated solution like SmartCam. Just having a black box and a dashcam isn’t an effective solution. As a result, the functionality is limited.
The importance of cameras in vehicles is increasingly obvious and insurers have woken up to the value of having them. There are huge benefits in mitigating liability so dashcams will continue to play a bigger role in this area in the future. Meanwhile, our clients who have embraced SmartCam have seen a reduction in claims because cameras categorically improve driver behaviour. The driver fully understands that the camera is continuously recording them and generating video events of harsh driving and it sends those videos to our cloud portal.
Alongside the new hardware, we’ve developed a driver App for smartphones, which brings added functionality for the user. One key aspect of the App is vehicle checklists. Businesses are asking drivers to perform daily checks to ensure that the vehicle they are driving is roadworthy. More and more businesses want to complete these checks to ensure the vehicles are safe, because they’ve got a duty of care.
One of the capabilities we will be integrating into the App in 2022 is job scheduling and route optimisation. If a driver has 10 or more jobs to do, someone has to plan their route and work out the most efficient journey as possible. More jobs means more invoices, more sales and more profitability.
Our system works out the best routes, but also takes into account traffic conditions wherever possible. Ultimately, you can put all the postcodes into the system and it will create an optimal order in which to do them – and work out the most efficient route to take between jobs. This route optimisation feature is a must for the service and courier industry and will be on the market and available to customers in Q1 2022.
Another change that the industry is seeing is a shift to electric vehicles, but many businesses will still rely on petrol, diesel and hybrid technology in the short-term. Regardless of the powertrain, vehicles will still require cameras to monitor driver behaviour. In addition, with the price of petrol and diesel steadily increasing, fleets will be more interested in technology such as ours. Essentially, it pays for businesses to reduce outgoings such as fuel, so it is in the interests of the company to ensure people are driving economically – plus it also reduces wear and tear on the vehicle.
The future of fleet will be challenging for all businesses when you take into account factors such as rising fuel costs, recovery from the pandemic and EV adoption. One way we can help is through solutions that limit the impact of these issues.
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