The promises—and perils—of AI for fleet maintenance and management

AI is remaking industry after industry, and fleet management is no exception. This is mostly positive news because AI is already improving—sometimes dramatically so—countless corporate and government fleets. But AI is not without its potential pitfalls. Here are five things that fleet and maintenance managers should know about AI.

AI delivers real maintenance cost savings. Imagine knowing the condition of every key mechanical part and system in every one of your vehicles, regardless of make and model. Add to this knowing every vehicle’s standard maintenance schedule. With this knowledge, you can then determine when it’s best to schedule a maintenance procedure, whether according to the OEM’s schedule, before, or after.

This is the power of AI, allowing you to schedule maintenance based on the actual—rather than theoretical—condition of your vehicles, thereby extending the life of your assets. But it gets even better: By analyzing data from vehicle sensors, telematics, and past maintenance records, AI can identify patterns and predict potential failures.

With this “crystal ball,” you can schedule maintenance that prevents problems from occurring in the first place or before they become more significant and expensive. For instance, it’s much easier, faster, and cheaper to repair a belt that’s slipping than one that has broken and, as a result, caused other collateral damage.
 
For example, at my company, we’ve seen fleets experience as much as a 25% reduction in maintenance costs and a 30% reduction in downtime due to AI-anchored predictive maintenance programs.

AI’s value extends beyond maintenance. AI is no one-trick pony. Beyond its ability to make fleet maintenance more efficient and less costly, its powers can be applied in other ways. 

• Route optimization: Proper routing is essential for managing fuel consumption, minimizing wear and tear on your vehicles, and ensuring your drivers arrive on time at their destinations. AI-driven route optimization monitors traffic patterns, weather conditions, and delivery requirements, adapting as conditions change throughout the day.
• Driver safety: Driver behavior is another area where AI can add significant value. It can help identify anomalies, such as drivers who regularly travel outside their predetermined geographic areas or those who consistently exceed the speed limit by a certain margin. Conversations with these drivers, backed by data, can help prevent such issues from recurring. Just as AI can predict maintenance needs, it can also indicate which of your drivers are more apt to have a collision, allowing you to offer them additional training.
• Vehicle cycling and selection: By absorbing and analyzing voluminous data points, AI-enhanced systems can help you determine when it’s best to cycle a vehicle out of your fleet so that you reap the maximum benefits from its usage and its sale. 
• AI can also guide you to the best replacement. For instance, assume you’re cycling out a Ford F-150. Should you replace it with the exact vehicle? AI can help answer that question by comparing your F-150’s real-world usage data against other F-150s in your fleet as well as those in other fleets like yours. AI could, for instance, recommend that the less expensive Ford Maverick would suit your fleet just as well, if not better.

The right people make AI even smarter. AI is only as smart as the data it has access to. (Recall the adage: Garbage in, garbage out.) That’s why popular AI agents that scrape the internet often return incomplete and erroneous information. It’s no surprise, given the volume of “garbage” on the internet.

At my company, OEM-certified technicians feed their wealth of maintenance knowledge into our AI platform. This helps train the model and makes it smarter. Additionally, these experienced pros review what AI recommends, providing an extra level of quality control. Be wary of AI solutions that haven’t been properly trained for the task at hand. On the surface, they may initially impress you, but it won’t take long before they unwittingly steer you down the wrong road.

Reaping the full benefits of AI typically requires partnering with a fleet management company (FMC). Look for one with the depth of expertise, experience, and technical know-how to shape AI solutions that will lead you to a more efficient, less costly fleet. Attempting to build an AI platform in-house isn’t practical for most fleet owners. Plus, your solution wouldn’t benefit from the voluminous data that most FMCs have access to. 

Keep in mind that many are still unsure about the technology. As you consider deploying AI-powered solutions, don’t lose sight of the fact that many people are intimidated by it, while still others are suspicious of it. Some will worry that your company’s use of AI will mean all their data will soon be for sale on the dark web.

With plenty of such AI hysterics available online, recognize that you may need to educate some drivers and other colleagues about just what data is being collected and analyzed by AI—and why. This is not to suggest that more reasonable worries about AI data security are unfounded. They’re not, especially if an FMC is involved. Let’s turn to that issue.

Be certain your data is in the best hands. When working with an FMC, it is essential to ask direct questions to ensure your data is being properly managed and protected. Here are some sample questions to pose to your FMC:

• Are you encrypting our data to shield us from data breaches?
• Are your systems regularly reviewed for all relevant updates?
• Do you stress-test your systems?
• How are your employees trained on data management and security?
• How do you secure the physical spaces where our servers sit?

Under the right circumstances and supervision, AI can assist with cutting a fleet’s maintenance costs and more. The question is no longer whether AI will transform fleet management; it already has. The question now is how quickly organizations can implement these technologies to capture their substantial benefits. It’s not without its shortcomings, though, so it’s best to unleash its powers under watchful—human—eyes.