In February this year, the government deregulated the telecommunications industry allowing free market forces to permeate a playing field once the sole domain of Telkom, MTN, Cell C and Vodacom. Because fleet management systems (FM) are essentially built on wireless communications networks, this deregulation has directly impacted on how new FM systems will work.
FleetWatch asked Comtech MD, Brian Edmonds, for his thoughts on what fleet managers can expect in this 'brave new digital world' and what new technology can offer in the way of real value to the commercial truck fleet.
Edmonds is quick off the mark when he says that what will be new is much more focus from fleet owners on systems integration. "I'd say that in the bigger fleets, more than 50% want integration," he says.
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Brian
Edmonds believes
that leveraging new technologies and legislative changes
in the ICT industry to add value to fleet management
systems is THE key to success for system providers |
What this means, in reality, is for fleet management system developers to standardise their systems as much as possible so they can interface cost effectively with enterprise management systems with the minimum of customisation.
"Our challenge in the initial stages of selling our systems to fleet operators is to demonstrate integration in real terms as quickly as possible," says Edmonds. "It's about proving the information we deliver adds value and is accurate."
This can become a costly and time consuming exercise, explains Edmonds, a common problem being the non-open nature of the source code of many management systems. To deliver effective solutions means service providers have to really get to grips with the individual problems facing respective transport operators. Getting to this point means creating a dialogue where the operator expresses his needs in a way that enables the developers to come up with meaningful solutions. It also requires in the developers an ability to match new technologies with those needs.
General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) is the new protocol for the wireless transmission of data from vehicle to office and it has reduced the cost of doing this considerably. Explains Edmonds: "In less than a year, what used to cost R50 (for 2megabytes of data) now costs R2. On paper it looks great but there are new considerations like having to pay a middleman upfront for that data package. The pressing issue for us now is how to best make use of cheaper data transfer."
Edmonds runs through a set of deliverables that fleet managers are hungry for: "GPRS now makes it possible to scan and transmit images of delivery notes as well as video streaming. It is possible now to integrate point of delivery systems with on-board-computers (OBC) and black boxes.
"Radio Frequency (RF) tagging is another application that will assist in automating the billing process for logistics companies especially those with big contracts. We can create wireless communication between horse and trailer that sends messages regarding the status of cargo to the control room immediately, not just about cargo but other vehicle related information like tyre pressure monitoring. The question that remains though is: How will this data be used once it reaches the back
office?
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A
Comtech staff
member monitors, maps and reports on fleet vehicles using
Beaver Track, Comtech’s highend GSM/GPRS fleet
management system |
How indeed! Having processes and personnel in place at the office to take advantage of this 'enhanced intelligence' requires more software development and personnel training. It requires a dedicated approach to managing both truck and load information via technology and skilled personnel to leverage that information so that tangible benefits are realised.
"The development of CANbus technology in new trucks has created a common platform for OEs which enables fleet managers to plug in and extract information about all the vital aspects regarding vehicle fitness. Fleet management systems will have to integrate with CANbus units to give those high-end fleet managers a comprehensive picture regarding their vehicles' status," predicts Edmonds. "Integration of fleet management systems with CANbus technology will play a huge role in the future of logistics management."
