FE polled its panel of telematics industry experts for a rundown of what fleet managers need to be asking potential trailer telematics providers. Be sure to add a few of these to your list of questions when you’re shopping around.
- How long has the supplier been in the business of providing trailer-tracking solutions? Make sure you aren’t one their first five customers.
- Ask for multiple customer references. Make sure you talk to more than just one customer reference.
- Does the supplier offer different service plans? You want a plan that will meet your specific needs, whether you want your data integrated into your TMS or you want full use of the supplier’s user interface.
- How often does the supplier update their user interface software? Suppliers should update at least once a quarter to ensure their service is keeping pace with the ever-changing industry, and offering customers every advantage available.
- Does the supplier have open APIs to integrate this information into my system or other third-party systems?
- Can you provide me with documentation on how your company secures my data?
- What third-party companies does your system integrate with from both a hardware and software standpoint?
- What type of system do you use to power the device when the trailer is not plugged into the tractor? If it’s a battery, what type of maintenance do I need to provide?
- How long it takes to install the solutions and what is this cost?
- Does the solution provide enough updates per day to support accurate decision making?
- Does the solution provide the right sensors to support my use cases?
Click here to read our in-depth story on trailer telematics.
