Integrated service solutions improve maintenance decision-making

Ongoing advancements in telematics have provided fleets with the ability to collect increasingly more data from vehicles. Simultaneously, integrated solutions are offering a means of using that information to make more effective vehicle maintenance decisions.

“There’s a lot of information coming from telematics systems,” says Kurt Wyman, vice president, sales and general manager, North America at telematics software-as-a-service provider Teletrac Navman. “The key with so much data is to be selective.”

Vehicle telematics data available to fleets can be viewed in three distinct areas, Wyman relates, and each can help improve and manage fleet maintenance. Driver behavior information on engine speed and braking, for example, could point to wear and tear that causes the need for maintenance. Location information can pinpoint nearby service facilities, and data on fluid levels, temperatures, fuel usage, and fault codes can all be indicators of when to perform maintenance or that repairs are needed.

“We’re finding that customers want to limit the vehicle data they receive to things that are leading indicators,” Wyman states. “With today’s telematics technology, we can leverage artificial intelligence to make that information even more actionable.

“Fault codes that create a maintenance requirement, for instance, can be related to performance so fleets know why an issue is happening,” Wyman adds. “With real-time alerts based on severity, you can avoid equipment failures that are costly to repair, and beyond those costs cause a loss of customer satisfaction. We even had one customer who realized a 30 percent drop in maintenance costs by using telematics data to plan routine service more efficiently.”

Telematics platforms can also add value when they are integrated with fleet maintenance management software, something Wyman says is easier to accomplish than ever before.

“In the past, telematics systems and maintenance software integrations were point-to-point with hard-wired connections that also had to be maintained,” he explains. “Now we can use a REST API to pull data from vehicle telematics systems, organize it quickly with AI tools, and send it to maintenance management systems.”

For Bruce Stockton of Stockton Solutions, who serves as an advisor to the maintenance operations at several well-known fleets, vehicle telematics systems are especially valuable when they use data and fault codes to categorize and prioritize repairs.

“Telematics let the truck tell us when there’s a problem and pick which faults need to be acted on by a fleet maintenance organization immediately,” he says. “For example, we consider anything to do with the aftertreatment system critical.”

Systems from engine manufacturers that notify a fleet’s maintenance team when a fault code is activated can also identify the severity level, Stockton explains further. Aftertreatment issues given high priority, such as an SCR system that’s not functioning, DEF that’s not being dosed correctly, or a plugged DPF, can also trigger the system to send suggestions to remedy the problem. Options might also include having the driver stop immediately or be directed to a service facility.

“Trucks are also now smart enough to tell fleet managers when and how to service them,” Stockton says. “That’s a big change from relying on past service and repair data and experience for preventive maintenance. At the same time, advanced telematics systems and a host of sensors enable us to identify problems before they happen. That leads to predictive maintenance practices because we know when to bring a truck in and address an issue.

“Traditionally, fleets have used maintenance management software to schedule services based on fixed intervals,” Stockton adds. “But with the latest on-board technology and through connectivity with cloud-based networks, even routine maintenance schedules can be powered by remote diagnostics and predictive data analytics.”

Most OEMs, Stockton notes, use the telematics systems on their vehicles to provide fleets with remote diagnostics services and to capture data they can use to research and develop better products. As those solutions continue to advance, and with the growing number of third-party telematics systems on the market, there’s an opportunity to use integrations with fleet maintenance software that will improve the quality of data fleets receive.

Stockton expects to increasingly revisit maintenance strategies as communication between telematics systems and maintenance software grows and improves.

“We’re not yet as proactive as we can be about enabling those integrations, and not sure it will lead to fully automated solutions,” he says. “However, we are starting to see the value that connected vehicles and management systems can have in improving vehicle efficiency, and shop and technician productivity.”