Telematics are defined as the technology behind sending, receiving, and processing information over a telecommunications network. While this may not seem like an entirely new concept, it has been around for a lot longer than most people realize. In fact, the term \u201ctelematics\u201d was first coined in 1978. Yet, it wasn\u2019t until at least 10 years later that a major effort was made to use telematics in advanced transportation applications.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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The GPS technology that is vital to telematics only became\navailable to civilians in the United States in 1983. Why? Because the U.S.\ngovernment had a strong hold on it. There was a concerted effort to keep\nforeign hands from accessing vital national assets. As such, for national\nsecurity reasons, the US military scrambled the GPS signal, making it too\ninaccurate to be reliable to use. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Fortunately, that action was short lived. In 2000, then\nPresident Bill Clinton gave authorized the military to turn off the GPS\ninterference signal and make GPS more responsive for complete civil and\ncommercial use. This action paved the way for accurate, consumer-grade mobile\nsatellite navigation to become the norm. Without that big step, telematics\nwouldn\u2019t be what it is today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But what is the point of this exposition? To paint a picture\nof how new this technology actually is to a lot of people, including many truck\ndrivers. Sure, everyone has already become comfortable with GPS being a part of\neveryday life even though it\u2019s only been usable by regular folks for 20 years,\nbut that isn\u2019t the full story. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Commercial motor vehicle telematics as we know them today\nare relatively new. Yet because fewer people have interacted with it or have\ntruly been given the opportunity to understand it, they are hesitant when it\ncomes time to implement it within their workplace. This is especially true for\ntruck drivers operating newfangled equipment they may not fully understand.\nGetting buy-in from front-line operators is critical, but not always easy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
When truckers first start, they may have some hesitancy\nabout using these technologies, but it is up to the fleets themselves to quell\nany misconceptions truck drivers have with using such technologies. Only\nthrough education and preparation can you ensure your truck drivers are ready\nto roll on day one with advanced telematics technologies. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Why Are Truckers Apprehensive?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Look at it from the same perspective a truck driver looks at\nit from. The most dominant stigma surrounding telematics seems to be that\ntruckers feel it is akin to an \u201ceye in the sky\u201d spy watching every move they\nmake. Consider it something like a \u201cbig brother\u201d situation. Put simply, truck\ndrivers feel like vehicle telematics systems are only put in place to spy on\nthem and somehow control their behavior. In a sense, they are right, but not in\nthe negative connotation that assumption provides. <\/p>\n\n\n\n As vehicle telematics have developed, it is not unreasonable\nfor truck drivers to feel that way. This is especially true considering that\ntelematics technologies are often combined with video. Just consider for a moment\nhow much video surveillance has become ubiquitous in every-day life. It is easy\nto see how individuals can equate a telematics system with a spyglass. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Another common misconception around telematics systems is\nthat they are used as a means for punishment. While the data provided by\ntelematics can certainly be used for coaching sessions, overall, these\ntechnologies are completely benign from a disciplinary perspective. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The Importance of Truck Driver Buy-In<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n While fleet management are the ones who makes the decisions on what kind and when a telematics system is adopted, it is the front-line truck drivers who are most impacted by these changes. They are the ones who will use the technology every day. They will quickly discover the bugs and the quirks which, depending on their severity, can significantly impact their everyday job. <\/p>\n\n\n\n [wp_ad_camp_2] <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n How well a fleet manager gets buy-in from their operators\nwill determine how successful the rollout of a new technology is. If truck\ndrivers understand the purpose of the technology, they will be more apt to\nadopt it with as little fuss as possible. This also means the company in\nquestion will do a better job retaining truck drivers and not needlessly\nturning them off to a potentially helpful technology.<\/p>\n\n\n\n An upside of having truck driver buy-in is that your fleet\nwill have more productive and safer fleet drivers who are more likely to be\nloyal and work hard for you. You won\u2019t have to buy them off with fancy\nbenefits, either. <\/p>\n\n\n\n There are so many ancillary benefits to securing truck driver\nbuy-in to your new telematics adoption, but let\u2019s jump into how you can get\nthat buy-in so you can see those benefits for your entire trucking company as a\nwhole. There is a technique. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Top Tips for Telematics Buy-In<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The most important thing to ensuring your people understand\nthe technology you purchase. You may think everything is self-explanatory, but\nit is critical you build effective and easily understood processes around these\nnew technologies. Once you make a purchase, your team will delve deep into the\ntech, but will they fully understand how it works without direction?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Knowing which features your telematics system has, what\nthese features do and how to properly utilize them is critical if you want your\ndrivers to trust both you and the technology you invest in. If you are\nknowledgeable and can answer every single question your drivers might have for\nyou about the system, they will feel much more comfortable that it is the\ncorrect decision for them and for the company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n One of the keys to ensuring your people are comfortable with\na new adoption is to involve your truck drivers from the very beginning. Make\nsure you do not implement a new system before you have informed your front-line\npeople that you intend to do so. You also need to ensure you set up proper\nbenchmarking so that you can utilize the data in an effective manner. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Just remember, you will receive backlash if you install a\nprogram without a plan to do so, or without notifying your people ahead of\ntime. If that happens, you will find the data is hardly worth the headache\nyou\u2019ll have after trying to shoehorn your people onto the bandwagon. Make sure\nyou talk to your people about their needs and find out what is important to\nthem when driving. Remember, they are the ones who will be on the road every\nday. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Finally, you want to make sure you go into great detail\nabout how implementing this technology will benefit your company. If your truck\ndrivers understand that these systems will help you improve your bottom line\nand make their lives easier, they will have a much easier time buying into it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n There is Much to Gain<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Fleet managers must become good at selling the benefits of\nnew technologies. Often when companies look at whether to install telematics,\nthey look at it from the perspective of what the business can gain from it.\nThere\u2019s nothing wrong with that of course, but drivers and other employees may\nsometimes not really see how such a system will have a positive impact on their\nlives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When the trucking company succeeds, everyone succeeds, and\nthis message must be reinforced throughout the implementation process. When\naccidents are reduced, costs are reduced, safety is improved, and truck drivers\nhave more satisfaction in the job they do. The more a company can grow and gain\nrevenue, the more front-line workers benefit. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Truck drivers also struggle with the constant needs of\ncompliance paperwork. Telematics systems reduce these hassles and provide a\nlevel of automation that lets truck drivers and fleet managers focus on their\njobs. Operators will feel better about routing, scheduling, claims and even\ndriving infractions. Telematics can vindicate truck drivers who otherwise did\nnothing wrong during an incident. <\/p>\n\n\n\n If you let your drivers know that you are in it to make\ntheir lives better as well, they will feel better about allowing telematics to\ncome into their work life and will be more likely to work alongside you to\nensure the system works as efficiently as it possibly can to reap the benefits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Remember, when you consider implementing a telematics system at your trucking company, make sure you treat your truck drivers as the true stakeholders they are. They will be the ones using the system every day and be most impacted by it. Ensure you are transparent in how it works and how your employees utilize it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n [wp_ad_camp_2] <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n When truck drivers have a trusting relationship with their\nmotor carriers, loyalty, engagement, trust, and commitment all go up by leaps\nand bounds. This will make your drivers happy, your fleet managers happy, and\nyour customers happy. In that scenario, everyone wins. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"