Teletrac Navman, a connected mobility platform for industries that manage vehicle and equipment assets, recently shared the results of its annual industry survey.
The 2024 Telematics Survey (TS24), released in March of this year, sheds light on the industry’s latest trends and challenges, as well as the viewpoints of global operational leaders on topics including safety, AI adoption, alternative energy and 2024’s biggest obstacles for fleets.
To produce the report, Teletrac Navman took data from more than 500 global fleet businesses.
Key takeaways from the report include:
Overall, the annual report focuses on three main areas: sustainability, safety, and efficiency.
Sustainability
In the report, 65% of fleets said they feel environmental pressure to transition to alternative energy.
Many of those surveyed are operating a multi-energy fleet or are about to begin their transition while still experiencing a lack of awareness and readily available, trustworthy guidance.
“Fleets of all sizes and scales are already planning and navigating their transition, but we know there simply isn’t enough credible information out there to help simplify what is a complex move for any business. Alternative energy is still such a new concept for many fleet operators and the process of switching can feel overwhelming,” says Alain Samaha, global president & CEO of Teletrac Navman.
When seeking guidance on transitioning fleets to electric or alternative energy, a quarter of respondents (25%) prefer advice from experts, and 15% said they would opt for dedicated training courses.
While the switch to alternative energy keeps rising on fleet operators’ agendas and a quarter of TS24 respondents (25%) name tackling rising fuel costs as a key motivation, challenges still remain.
The frequency of emerging new technologies, high purchase cost of alternative energy vehicles and limited public charging points available have been identified as the top obstacles for businesses on their way to decarbonization.
In an interesting highlight, nearly three quarters (72%) of respondents state that ongoing cost pressures will likely delay their transition to EV or alternative energy vehicles.
Over half (56%) do not believe the UK government will go ahead with their planned ban on fossil fuels.
In the U.S., 46% doubt the government will go ahead with the planned ban on fossil fuels – outnumbered by Australia and New Zealand where 69% express doubts.
Also, survey respondents, when asked how soon regional operators expect more than half of their fleets to be powered by alternative fuels, the majority of U.S. respondents state they envision this to take up to two years, while the UK expect up to three years, Australia and New Zealand to be over five years.
Safety and Wellbeing
Driver safety remains a top priority for fleets, with half of the businesses surveyed currently monitoring and measuring driver behavior and 30% of respondents planning on investing in driver well-being technology this year.
Over two thirds of TS24 respondents (73%) have seen fewer accidents on the job since adopting telematics solutions, and 73% are actively rewarding drivers for better performance.
TS24 also found 71% of respondents have seen improved driver performance through driver rewards programs.
Teletrac Navman says that incentivizing drivers has become crucial for retention, especially in the face of economic challenges such as Brexit and the cost-of-living crisis.
The company states this data also aligns with the industry’s focus on driver well-being and a rising interest in recognition and rewards programs to retain and support drivers.
More than half of the businesses surveyed (62%) recognize the cost-of-living crisis’ impact on their drivers’ mental health, and Teletrac Navman says it has seen a 110% increase year-on-year in driver appreciation activities, a 54% increase in adopting reward programs, and a 52% increase in the promotion to senior driver.
“A post-Covid perspective, coupled with a generational transformation in the workforce is driving a quest for a better work-life balance and a need for organizations to resonate with their employees’ values,” Samaha said.
Samaha continued,”Fleet operators find themselves on the front line of this evolution, with an increasingly mobile workforce and the imperative to nurture talent, all while maintaining productivity and profitability in a notoriously razor thin margin market.”
Rising fuel costs are considered in driver behavior management as well, with a 33% increase in businesses implementing new driver behavior programs in an effort to navigate rising fuel costs since last year.
“The last 12 months have come with their own set of challenges for fleets, and rising insurance and fuel costs have been a leading concern for operators globally,” says Samaha. “This in turn has led to an even higher emphasis on safety, prompting operators to prioritize safe processes and behavior to manage costs effectively as well as look after staff well-being.”
Teletrac Navman’s summary of the overall report states that, “Prioritizing the right technology investments to support driver wellbeing is a non-negotiable for 2024, and utilizing telematics data for cultivating a safe driving ethos is something that fleet managements must maximize to retain and attract talent.”
Efficiency and Streamlining
The survey of fleet operators also found businesses are working towards keeping up with the latest technologies in order to achieve streamlined operations.
With the top costs for fleets listed as fuel, followed by equipment and vehicle maintenance and purchase, almost all TS24 respondents (96%) say they have made measurable savings by implementing telematics, across admin time savings, fuel savings and overall cost savings.
Results from the industry-wide survey also indicated that asset visibility, meeting compliance regulations and more efficient routing and dispatching are the top three benefits operators have seen since implementing telematics solutions.
Despite the widespread adoption of telematics solutions (98%), less than half of businesses (43%) feel they are using these tools to their full potential.
“Businesses are facing many different challenges now, with the ‘great resignation’ leading to the higher turnover of people and therefore the need for more frequent training and handovers. Furthermore, technological advancements may require deeper training, and the varying needs of different departments can result in underuse across the diverse features of platforms,” said Samaha.
A list of interesting findings from the survey also revealed that, “Asset visibility ranks as the number one benefit of telematics solutions for Australia, New Zealand and the UK, while U.S. respondents list the environmental benefits as their top advantage, aligning with increased pressure for sustainable practices across supply chains.”
While AI technology is beginning to grow in prevalence the market is increasingly recognizing the possibilities of data-led and machine learning applications, with 47% of TS24 respondents currently leveraging AI solutions.
Specifically, the report states that 62% of respondents in the UK and U.S. are currently using AI-operated solutions to manage their fleets.
“Businesses are slowly but surely embracing new technologies, and there is an anticipation of increased availability of advanced AI tech in the near future, enabling more sophisticated applications and vehicle and driver monitoring,” Samaha added.
According to the report, for fleets, “Staying ahead of the curve will ultimately mean exploring effective streamlining options such as downsizing fleet size, adopting alternative energy vehicles to address escalating fuel costs, and integrating AI solutions.”
Lift & Access is part of the Catalyst Communications Network publication family.
