Telematics data: a great starting point for fleet safety
You’ve adopted a lot of tech in your fleet. Chances are you’ve implemented an ELD because it’s mandatory. Maybe you’ve added telematics and safety cameras to the mix. It’s a lot to manage—onboarding drivers with all this new tech and rolling it out across your fleet. In the back of your mind, you know all this data could be used better—you’re just not sure how.
As a trucking tech company that’s grown alongside professionals like you, we’ve got some insights on how to start managing all this technology today. These tips are straightforward, and they serve to improve fleet safety with telematics data. They will also help you get a grip on that firehose of data, so you can boost fleet safety with data. Here are five tips to improve fleet safety with telematics data.
Choose the right data
Yes, there is such a thing as irrelevant data—something you’ve probably discovered. GPS coordinates with no context, engine on/off cycles in isolation, or granular speed readings that tell you nothing.
Go back to your goals. What are you trying to achieve? Higher fuel economy? Better driver retention?
Then find the metrics that tell that story. Maybe it’s the frequency of critical events like hard braking and turns. Reducing those could lead to better safety and higher fuel efficiency. If drivers aren’t sticking around, look at the number of HOS violations, which can suggest stress or dissatisfaction with scheduling if they happen regularly.
Be proactive, not reactive
To be proactive, you need real-time data for fleet safety. That means safety monitoring tools that alert you—and drivers—when driving practices are unsafe. Hard brake? Alert! Speeding? Alert!
ISAAC’s platform not only offers real-time alerts of risky driving maneuvers but also attaches corresponding footage to the alert when ISAAC InView cameras are installed. That instant feedback is priceless. Talk about simple fleet safety strategies. With ISAAC’s real-time alerts and the ISAAC InRealTime portal, you can expect a significant reduction in Critical Events—some have reported up to 80%.
But having data is just the start. It’s crucial to manage that data effectively to make it work for you. Start by focusing on a few key metrics—like harsh braking and speeding—then use that data to coach drivers and improve behavior. This careful management of data reduces the risk of it being used against your fleet in the event of legal proceedings, helping to safeguard your operations and reputation.
“I believe coaching drivers and helping them improve is key to a safer fleet. I was once a driver before dashcams and ELDs, and I’m convinced this technology would’ve made me a safer driver through video coaching.
If I ever went back on the road, I’d want all the cameras, including driver-facing ones. They protect me and my fleet, especially with driving distractions, keeping everyone accountable.”
Melanie Simard, VP Safety & Compliance, Technical Support
Communicate effectively
You can have great data-driven initiatives, but if your team doesn’t understand them, they’ll fall flat. A simple way to clear communication in fleets: hold regular meetings where you share your data insights with all involved parties. That means everyone, from your operations team, to fleet managers, to trainers, and your drivers, of course.
Make sure they know the WHY of the ongoing initiatives. What are you tracking for? What are your goals? Review monthly performance, and use the data to tell the story of where you were, where you are, and where you’re headed.
Show your team in tangible terms how these insights can help make the fleet safer, reduce incidents, and cut down on driver idle time. In other words, show them how these initiatives help them put in more efficient miles and spend more time with their loved ones. Clear communication gets your drivers to buy into the new technology you’re presenting to them.
Keep an open mind toward technology
Keeping an eye out for the latest trends in technology is a must for continuous improvement and to remain competitive in the market.
Good news: At ISAAC, we’re not simply trend-hopping, but are invested in implementing features that trucking fleets can really use.
This article is about choosing the right data to give you fleet data safety tips. To take things up a notch, you could ideally find patterns in that data that would better inform your day-to-day decisions.
There’s a tool that can do all that for you: ISAAC Analytics, our AI-powered BI platform. It can serve as easy fleet safety tech for fleets, as it identifies trends and patterns from the millions of data points the ISAAC platform records from each of your trucks to provide actionable insights.
For example, one of the dashboards takes two years of historical data and shows which drivers have risky driving behavior. Armed with this list, you can coach them individually. You can also see trends in HOS violations, enabling you to manage safety and compliance proactively. This is data-driven fleet compliance in action. Dashboards like these are a great way to see if your initiatives for better compliance and safety are working.
BI [ISAAC Analytics] dashboards gave us clarity. By compounding all the data we were collecting from the cab, we finally saw the true impact of the program.
Corey Cox, SVP of Innovation, Tandet Group of Companies
Take control of your fleet safety with data
Using telematics data to improve fleet safety is no longer optional, it’s a must. By focusing on the right data, taking a proactive approach, communicating clearly with your team, and staying open to new technology, you can make a real difference.
The tools are already at your fingertips, and the impact on your fleet’s safety and performance can be significant. Don’t wait for problems to arise—use your data to prevent them. Your drivers, your fleet, and your business will be better off for it.