Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/476554
2 0 1 5 V 1 | BULLDOG | 7 Y ou are out in the middle of the JULWW\7H[DVRLOƄHOGV the nearest maintenance shop is four hours of rough terrain away and your operators are so urgently focused on running cable down a fracking hole, they don't notice the truck's engine warning light come on. By the time you get a frantic message from an operator saying, "uh, we think something is wrong," it's too late. Not only does your operation shut down, but all the other companies involved in the drilling operation have to shut down, too. It's a frustrating and costly situation. That scenario played out more than once for Glen Moore, maintenance director at CDK Perforating in Houston, Texas, before he discovered telematics, a technology he calls a game changer for his wireline service company. With Mack's GuardDog Connect telematics solution, he can remotely diagnose a mechanical problem and determine the solution before a breakdown occurs. "Instead of hollering at a trucker to read me the error code, I know what's going on with the truck before the operator does. I love that!" As Moore discovered, there's a lot to love about today's telematics. The early days of using technology to route and locate trucks seem almost quaint compared with the high-tech innovations possible in today's trucking world. From real-time diagnostics to fuel economy monitoring to driver safety alerts, WRGD\pVWHOHPDWLFVJLYHƅHHWVDOPRVWWRWDOWUDQVSDUHQF\LQWRHDFK vehicle's operation, a fact that can pay big dividends to the bottom OLQHLQWHUPVRISURGXFWLYLW\DQGSURƄWDELOLW\1RVXUSULVHWKHQWKDW ƅHHWDZDUHQHVVDERXWWKHYDOXHRIWHOHPDWLFVKDVH[SORGHG "Fleets now are beginning to understand telematics in terms of total connected vehicle services, the importance of monitoring and the vehicle data they can get that allows them to better manage their assets," says David Pardue, vice president of business GHYHORSPHQWIRU0DFN7UXFNV+HFRPSDUHVƅHHWpVDZDUHQHVVRI the importance of telematics to a hockey stick curve where the initial slow period suddenly takes a sharp upturn. Trucking is not an industry that jumps on trends, says Sandeep Kar, global director – commercial vehicle research for Frost & Sullivan. But it's a different story when a technology is proven to UHGXFHDƅHHWpVRSHUDWLQJH[SHQVHq7HOHPDWLFVDGRSWLRQKDVEHHQ VWHDGLO\LQFUHDVLQJVLQFH,ƄUVWVWDUWHGWUDFNLQJLWLQrKHVD\V In fact, a recent forecast from Frost & Sullivan predicts that by SHUFHQWRIKHDY\GXW\WUXFNVLQWKH86DQG&DQDGDZLOO have telematics hardware installed and will access telematics on a monthly subscription basis. Mack's telematics strategy recognizes this trend and expands on it. According to Pardue, Mack partners with key telematics solutions providers, who use the real-time vehicle data provided through Mack ® GuardDog ® &RQQHFWWRSURYLGHƅHHWVZLWK LQIRUPDWLRQWRLPSURYHSURGXFWLYLW\VDIHW\DQGSURƄWDELOLW\q7KLVLV far more than simply monitoring engine parameters," Pardue says. .DUSRLQWVWRWKHPDQ\ZD\VWHOHPDWLFVGHOLYHUYDOXHWRƅHHW managers, from fuel cost reductions to driver cost reductions, from HTXLSPHQWFRVWUHGXFWLRQVWRHIƄFLHQF\LPSURYHPHQWVDQGIURP EDFNRIƄFHDXWRPDWLRQWRORFDWLRQEDVHGWUDFNLQJ,WpVQRVXUSULVH .DUVD\VWKDWSHUFHQWRIƅHHWVZKRVWDUWXVLQJWHOHPDWLFV continue, according to a Frost & Sullivan study. "People renewed