Conversations that connect to trucking solutions
Understanding the latest truck technology and how data can be used to better your fleet practices is difficult. Here’s my trick: I talk with a lot of people who know way more about it than I do. Have enough of those conversations and some of that expertise tends to rub off on you. You start
The three reasons you should be using VMRS
The Vehicle Maintenance Report Standards (VMRS) was established by the Technology & Maintenance Council of American Trucking Associations (ATA) back in 1970. It created a standardized method for recording truck service information, and it comes in three flavors: Three-digit codes provide a high level view into an issue, such as which system is affected. Six-digit
Geotab for Small Business program launched
Geotab is launching Geotab for Small Business, a new offering specifically designed to support small businesses who may own and operate only a few vehicles. With Geotab for Small Business, small business owners will receive access to Geotab’s telematics platform as well as direct support services. The company says Geotab for Small Business is designed
How to capture the right data during truck service
There’s a common saying when talking about capturing truck data: Junk data in, junk solutions out. When you’re making equipment decisions, whether it’s when to buy a new truck, when to do the next PM or when to stock your next round of tires, you can’t just guess–you need to use data to ensure you’re
Trimble answers today’s top video telematics questions
Adoption of both outward- and inward-facing cameras for video telematics continues to roll large. As more cameras make their way into more trucks, more questions and use cases arise as fleet managers are given unprecedented visibility into the operation of their trucks. To find out how fleets are leveraging the latest in video telematics and
The problem of unassigned drive time and what NFI Industries did about it
When you start tracking everything, you start to notice gaps. One of the unforeseen challenges of trucking’s ELD mandate was the problem of unassigned drive time–instances of the truck moving without a driver logged. Maybe it was at a service station, maybe a fuel depot, maybe a delivery location. Either way, it’s the carrier’s responsibility
Samsara releases Fleet Benchmarks Report
Samsara has released the Fleet Benchmarks Report, a new report that the company says leverages Samsara’s dataset to help its fleet customers better understand fleet performance, identify areas for improvement and set informed goals. The company says the Fleet Benchmarks Report can help fleets: Understand key performance metrics with contextualized, actionable data: See how your
Three preventative maintenance tips to keep your trucks rolling
Any mechanic who works in fleet maintenance will tell you that preventative maintenance will save you time and money. Managers who run a well-maintained fleet have trucks that break down less and save fuel. However, many fleet managers still come up short when it comes to fleet maintenance. As a mobile mechanic, I have worked
Predictive truck maintenance: What it is and how to trust it
The truck data that has been amassing over the years from all of the connected trucks on the road has made predictive truck maintenance based on probabilities is a near reality. But it’s not enough to just predict the event — you want to be able to act on it. What if you could catch
Mitchell 1 Manager SE TruckEdition now includes online reports
The latest release of the Mitchell 1 Manager SE TruckEdition truck shop management software adds the capability to access select shop reports from the cloud. This feature allows users to view reports to check shop activity, in-progress status and performance remotely, wherever an internet browser is available to use. Mitchell 1 says its most popular
How to take advantage of truck data integrations
With so many data points streaming off of trucks, integrating that data to minimize your number of dashboards and maximize your data usage is key, but not something you want to do alone. The data integration process starts with talking with all of your equipment and service providers to bring them to the integration table,
Trailer telematics and the ‘smart’ trailer evolution
Trailers are in a unique position. No, I don’t mean behind the tractor (hey-O!). I’m talking about the current phase of the trailer telematics evolution. While trailer telematics has mostly revolved around GPS location tracking (and that’s still important), the amount of data that trailer components are generating—from wheel ends and tires to lighting and
