Fleet Management News & Business Info | Commercial Carrier Journal
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/573961
COMMERCIAL CARRIER JOURNAL | SEPTEMBER 2015 69 T elematics and vehicles have a close relationship. You might call it a marriage of expediency. Manufacturers of trucks, trailers, engines and major compo- nents want real-world visibility of their product performance. They also want to build customer loyalty by using real-time information to maximize the availability and utilization of assets. Companies that develop wireless technologies – or more specifically, telematics systems – share these same goals. They also want additional tools to sell to fleets for them to optimize performance of drivers and assets. The two sides already have teamed up to deliver remote diagnostics services that help eliminate prevent- able equipment failures and expedite repairs. As their relationships deepen, the number of "connected vehicle" tech- nologies will continue to expand. One project already underway would allow electronic control units to be adjusted and reprogrammed remotely. This capability already exists with reefer units, but trucks soon will be linked to servers that can change engine parameters such as maximum speed or to update software to maxi- mize fuel economy and performance in specific geographic areas. As busy as OEMs are with connected vehicle technology, telematics compa- OEMs are going to have to open their kimonos to three or four telematics providers. – Dan Speicher, chief technology ocer, Omnitracs Telematics in the driver's seat of connected vehicles BY AARON HUFF