Chances are, right now, you have at least one notification on one of your many devices vying for your attention. It’s a fact of today’s business life—you’re connected with the people that make your fleet successful.
Shouldn’t the same go for your trucks? Hino Trucks certainly thinks so: The OEM has mapped a course to expand awareness of its commitment to fleet support through turning data into dollars saved. The cornerstone of this commitment is INSIGHT, Hino’s fully integrated connectivity platform, which is featured on its 2017 model year vehicle lineup with an one-year of built-in service.
“INSIGHT Telematics, powered by Telogis, gives fleet managers actionable feedback in pursuit of optimal fleet efficiency,” explained Adrian Ratza, Hino Trucks’ marketing manager. “INSIGHT remote diagnostics and case management will enable service techs to assess any issues much more quickly, while streamlining the communication process between the dealer and their customer, which directly translates to less downtime.”
Ratza went on to say that the challenges faced by a medium-duty fleet do not lie in the technology itself, but in how the fleet manager uses the data streaming off the trucks.
It’s all about data management—a user who is able to properly segment the data has a powerful tool at his or her disposal to optimize fleet efficiency. The INSIGHT platform offers segmented reporting tailored to the fleet manager’s operational concerns.
The telematics box transmits the information from the truck to the INSIGHT Diagnostic Center and fleet manager. The notification (email, text, phone call) to the fleet manager lists the severity and suggested action:
- Get to a dealer immediately, with a HinoWatch number;
- get to the dealer in the next five days; or
- get to the dealer within the next seven days.
At the diagnostic center, a case is created automatically. It contains engine parameters at the time of the fault. The center can assign the case to the dealer or the customer can select a dealer in their email alert.
“Downtime reduction will be quickly evident to the customer as immediate communication to the dealer will allow a dealer to be able to assess the repair needed and determine the best course of action for his or her customer prior to the customer bringing the vehicle into their dealership,” Ratza said. “Uncertainty around what type of repair is needed can create downtime as not all repairs require an immediate trip to the dealership. INSIGHT removes that uncertainty.”
A fleet manager will receive alerts throughout every step of the repair process, and he or she can also log in to the case management portal to review status. One of the steps of the process is approval—when the fleet manager will be able to review and approve repairs directly through the portal.
Hino Trucks knows that data-driven technology solutions can be intimidating for fleet managers who have their eyes focused squarely on the fleet’s bottom line. To demystify the technology and dig into the data details, Ratza said that education is the key.
“We have launched an extensive training to our dealer network. Armed with this knowledge of INSIGHT, it will be incumbent on Hino Trucks support staff, our dealer network, and our partners, Telogis and Decisiv, to ensure that fleets are educated,” he said. “This education will inevitably lead to greater adoption and remove skepticism as owners and fleet managers see the real value of what INSIGHT can provide them.”
