Fleet Management News & Business Info | Commercial Carrier Journal
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68 COMMERCIAL CARRIER JOURNAL | MAY 2015 EQUIPMENT: CONNECTED ENGINES things enabled by telematics." Fleets already are noticing the dramatic leaps from what has been enabled so far, and they are eager for more, Cook says. "We're going to improve on solutions to current problems, solve previously unsolvable problems and pres- ent solutions for issues they don't know they have," he says. Engaged on every level OEMs logically began vehicle connectivity with 'high-dollar" components, Cook says, but his colleague at Navistar – vice president and general manager Mike Cerilli – says that soon will change. "We are currently monitoring over 4,000 diagnostic trouble codes on our vehicles, rang- ing from engine to brakes to the chassis," Cerilli says. "We will continue to expand reading codes from the vehicle system as they become available." Like Baney, Cerilli feels strongly that once the "predictability" of these added compo- nents' lives are added to the telematics equation, a whole new world will open up for fleets and drivers. "We're talking about an entirely new type of vehicle intelligence that is in its technical infancy," Cerilli says. "Long term, the sky is the limit. Eventually, connected components will cover the entire eco- system of the vehicle architecture, and those systems will monitor not only failures. Advancements in vehicle intelligence will create warnings for future failures and a much more robust warning system for required maintenance." Volvo's Remote Diagnostics already is a fully integrated telemat- ics system, although it certainly will evolve over time, Deedy says. The service currently identifies necessary parts and provides repair instructions to technicians before the truck arrives for service. Deedy says Volvo envisions Remote Diagnostics enabling a more predictive and sophisticated approach to maintenance by identifying when to replace components before they fail and establishing maintenance schedules based on duty cycles rather than miles or hours. One problem that still is being worked out is managing the flow of data as more components become connected. "We don't want to overload our customers with data," Deedy says. "Volvo will monitor components through Remote Diagnostics only when doing so is of value to fleets." Recent industry moves to double the capacity of the J1939 vehicle data bus have set the stage for the coming telematics boom. "We're looking closely at control module capac- ity now," Baney says. "That's vital with all of the coming newly connected components. That's happening now and will really mature over the next 12 months or so." The big pull-through Once those pieces are in place on the vehicles, Baney predicts that the pull-through from fleets and dealers will accelerate the pace of telematics acceptance and value. "Very soon, fleets will have real and usable fuel economy numbers for individual trucks – not just fleetwide averages," he says. "That's going to transform the way fleets order vehicles." Fleets might move from one nationwide vehicle spec to two or three different specs based on the geographical areas where their vehicles operate. "The data may tell you that you can do away with full aerodynamic pack- ages in one operating area because those trucks have an average speed of only 52 mph," Baney says. "We already have large fleets talking to us about this." Fleets also are likely to move to real-world maintenance schedules based entirely on telematics data from individual trucks. "Mainte- nance will become super-fine-tuned," Baney says. "PM schedules will disappear because the truck will tell you when a component is ready for replacement." Dealers also will win in this scenario. If fleets choose to share their data with dealers, then dealers will know when a truck operating in their area needs a replacement part, such as a new water pump. This will be a huge opportunity for aggressive dealers, Baney says. "They'll be able to send a notice to the fleet," he says. "If they're a 24/7 operation, they'll be able to offer, say, a 20 percent discount for the work while guaranteeing both parts availability and a reserved bay slot that coincides with the driver's mandated rest period. For me, that's when the real pull-through will begin, and fleets will begin to fundamentally understand the power that telematics systems offer." Navistar's OnCommand Connection allows information from the truck to be accessed by all telematics providers. Detroit's Virtual Technician On Board Di- agnostic System communicates with the company's Integrated Detroit Powertrain.