It’s easy to tune out the massive amount of truck telematics coming at you and focus on what you know from years of experience, but turning a blind eye to diesel engine data can cost you in the short- and long-term. The piston-pumping heart of your rolling iron deserves as much attention as your own productivity and efficiency loving heart. Alerts generated from diesel filtration telematics systems like Fleetguard Filtration Intelligence Technology (FleetguardFIT™) offer indicators that there might be a problem with the engine.
“At a high level, FleetguardFIT™ solution is a real-time remote monitoring solution, where we provide the pulse of the diesel engine consumables and the oil quality in real time,” explained Shantanu Nadgir, Global Business Development Manager – FleetguardFIT Digital Business, Cummins Filtration Inc. “Think of it like taking your temperature with a thermometer. It tells you that you have a fever, which means you might go see a doctor. We’re not replacing seeing the doctor with the FleetguardFIT system, but we are providing filtration data analysis that you need to pull the vehicle in and have it serviced to understand what’s going on.”
Data streaming off of filtration telematics systems like FleetguardFIT can offer a window into your engine’s vitals. The FleetguardFIT system monitors stage-one and stage-two fuel filters, lube filter, air filter, and engine oil quality on diesel / natural gas engine equipment–and not just Cummins engines. Nadgir noted that the system can be fitted to a multitude of engine makes and models, both on- and off-highway.
The ROI benefits of filtration telematics are two fold. First, there’s the extension and optimization of the filtration and oil life. It’s important to note that this doesn’t replace a tried-and-true oil analysis schedule and collaborating with your engine manufacturer, but it does supplement it. Going back to Nadgir’s doctor visit analogy, it can alert you if there’s a problem with your oil and the engine needs a check up.
“We are able to look inside the filter, inside the oil and alert the customer so they can take action to change their filters and engine oil when needed rather than a prescribed service control,” he explained, noting that this often leads to reduced downtime. “Especially in this current time where everyone is hauling loads from different locations, and with a shortage of trucks on the market, it’s beneficial for the customer to service when needed rather than creating an additional downtime to service the filters and oil.
Then there’s anomaly detection that can alert you to fuel dilution, coolant leaks and more.
“With a solution like FleetguardFIT, we are able to alert the customer so they can service the engine oil and try and fix the root cause of why the fuel deletion occurred or the coolant leak occurred in the first place,” Nadgir said. “We know the presence of these elements in the engine once or twice is not going to damage the engine, but if it keeps happening over and over again, it’s going to create an engine damage or a catastrophic failure. With the FleetguardFIT detection mechanism, customers are able to keep their engine in excellent working condition and know when they need to take action in order to avoid even a small amount of engine damage, which would allow them to use the engine for years without any issues.”
The engine is a vital component to truck operation. You don’t want to wait until you feel a pain in your chest to find out what’s going on. And diesel engine costs for unplanned maintenance can be high enough to give you a figurative heart attack.
