Equipment Technology: Telematics, Part II
T ECHNOLOGY
by Tom Jackson
Advanced telematics
Making the case for moving into full-featured systems from third party providers
W
hen the Association for Equipment Management Professionals new telematics standard goes into effect in October (see the June 2010 issue of Equipment World), data collection will start getting a whole lot easier. That’s when it will be possible for fleet managers to collect the four most important pieces of data from manufacturers that participate in the standard – regardless of the brand of machine or telematics device – and download it into almost any fleet management program. The four data sets in the new standard include: • cumulative operating hours or • cumulative miles • cumulative fuel burned • current location So if you can get this data rolled into the fleet management program of your choice, does that eliminate the need to standardize your fleet with just one brand of telematics device? The answer depends on what you want to accomplish. “It is not really one size fits all. The deci-
sion to deploy a single or multiple fleet management solution depends on the needs you have across your entire fleet and how well specific technology options can be applied to each of those needs,” says Rob Painter, Trimble’s business area manager for heavy and highway solutions. “You shouldn’t be getting a telematics system just for the heck of it,” says Tony Nicoletti, director of sales, DPL America. “Know what you really want to get out of the system, and what your measurable return will be before you invest in the technology.” You should be able to run the numbers ahead of time and determine how you can benefit from the data and how quickly the system will pay for itself, he says. Beyond the basics The four data types standardized in the AEMP protocols cover a lot of what many equipment managers need. But that’s still just the basics, and telematics programs can offer you a whole lot more. Or to look