Overcoming today’s challenges in fleet telematics

By Isaac Otto, ConMet’s Digital Product Manager

In recent years, onboard telematics has helped the commercial vehicle industry tackle a lot of today’s most pressing issues, including safety concerns and operational inefficiencies. But managing these solutions, which are designed to increase the visibility into your fleet and improve the management of your assets, come with their own unique set of challenges.

Identifying critical challenges of onboard telematics

While asset visibility solutions have come a long way, many of today’s telematics options are incomplete and disjointed. To have a comprehensive picture of a single tractor-trailer, fleets may need several different sources for sensors, requiring multiple gateways on multiple networks. Then they must adopt various dashboards to access the data supplied by the sensors.

Another challenge of this already complex system is the data itself. Telematics service providers are experts in creating a data rich environment but are limited on component-specific knowledge required to comprehensively interpret vehicle performance and maintenance needs. For this reason, TSPs are seeking collaborations across the industry with experts in each major vehicle area.

Finding a complete telematics solution

A true partner should be more than someone who sells you a gadget to monitor asset location or component condition. They should be positioned to supply you with the equipment, expertise, and actionable insights across the entire tractor-trailer system. Viewing telematics through this holistic lens is the key to driving more efficient and effective fleet management.

What does this approach to telematics look like in a practical context? It starts with industry expertise. Developing a comprehensive monitoring system requires in-depth technical know-how of the components being monitored, but also how they work within the entire ecosystem of the tractor-trailer. Combining this knowledge with leading-edge data science creates a complete solution with actionable intelligence, empowering fleets to take the appropriate steps to increase asset utilization, maximize uptime, and improve total cost of ownership.

Vehicle Area Network provides fully integrated platform

Built on the foundation of known reliability and many years of trust in the market, ConMet has formed a digital business unit dedicated to solving problems of the commercial vehicle industry. At the center of this digital business unit is a flexible Vehicle Area Network – a single telematics system across a tractor-trailer with integrated sensors and data analytics that are agnostic and therefore compatible with fleet telematics systems from major telematics service providers.

By leveraging decades of industry knowledge, engineering expertise, and performance data, ConMet has been utilizing machine learning to develop an array of proprietary algorithms to unearth potential anomalies that would otherwise go undetected. These data algorithms are further advanced through collaboration with major telematics platforms like Phillips Connect, Goodyear, Road Ready and Fleet Complete, and these partnerships reduce the number of dashboards required for effective fleet management.

Expanding beyond Preset Plus® SmartHub connectivity

The Preset Plus® SmartHub was released in March 2020, the first connected health monitoring system integrated into a hub assembly, generating actionable intelligence for fleets on the condition of hubs, tires, and brakes. Now, applying the same methods of interpreting data to validate events and data patterns, ConMet is gearing up to release the next generation of digital services.

Staying true to ConMet’s vision of a holistic approach to fleet management, the newest products address a variety of fleet concerns, including safety, compliance, and asset management. In addition to the SmartHub, ConMet digital products and services include air line pressure monitoring, tire pressure monitoring, axle load monitoring, GPS location, geofencing, and utilization reporting. Together, these services provide fleets with actionable data in near-real time, enhancing pre- and post-trip inspections and providing vital on-route information. Through a single, connected Vehicle Area Network, fleets are able to take action on safety and maintenance needs before a vehicle ends up on the side of the road, offline, or damaged beyond repair.

These capabilities are just the beginning of the powerful data that can be harnessed through ConMet’s Vehicle Area Network. Soon, even more features will become available, like automatic tire inflation, stud tension monitoring, cargo temperature monitoring, cargo shock monitoring, and inventory tracking. As telematics technology continues to evolve, ConMet is poised to stay on the cutting edge of intelligence and data science in the commercial vehicle industry. Ultimately, ConMet’s vision to provide a holistic view of unmatched, actionable intelligence will allow fleets to make better, more precise decisions and drastically improve their operations.

To learn more about ConMet’s digital services, visit conmet.com/digital.

About ConMet

ConMet, a division of Amsted Industries, is a leading global supplier of wheel hubs, aluminum castings, and structural plastics to original equipment manufacturers and aftermarket channels in the commercial vehicle industry. Founded in 1964, ConMet innovation has been critical in designing, engineering, and manufacturing revolutionary technologies for trucks and trailers. Today, ConMet products are standard equipment on most heavy-duty vehicles in North America and have a growing footprint worldwide.

ConMet is committed to creating products and services that align with critical customer needs. The development of more efficient products, processes, and technology that transform the way customers run and maintain their vehicles is central to ConMet’s vision.