Know Your Data and What It Can Do for You

At Geotab Connect 2023, data was king. It wasn't simply a hot topic on the speaking session list, but a part of the technology and vehicles on the showroom floor. Data was brought into networking conversations; it was part of the questions and part of the speculation. It seemed to be a fitting representation of how it can feel these days with data information pouring in: exciting but probably overwhelming at the same time. However, while the data we can collect seems limitless, the ways we collect it, organize it, and utilize it are easily within reach. 

Once upon a time, fleet managers were largely in the dark when it came to how their vehicles were being used. You had to rely on manual methods of tracking, such as paper logs and anecdotal reports from drivers, to gain a sense of how vehicles were performing. As you're well aware, this was time-consuming, prone to errors, and often resulted in a limited understanding of what was really happening on the road.

But all that changed with the advent of telematics technology. Telematics devices now provide real-time data on vehicle performance, usage, and driving behavior, giving fleet managers a wealth of information to work with. This data can be used to track things like fuel consumption, vehicle speed, and idling time. With all this information available at your fingertips, fleet managers can now gain a more complete and accurate picture of their operations and make informed decisions to improve efficiency, safety, and profitability.

But despite the many benefits of telematics data, it's easy to feel intimidated by the sheer amount of information available. You may worry about making sense of all the data, or that you won't be able to act on it in a meaningful way. However, with the right tools and techniques, anyone can make sense of the data coming in and use it to their advantage.

One of the best ways to avoid feeling overwhelmed by telematics data is to utilize dashboards. Your dashboard provides a visual representation of that data, allowing you to quickly see the information that is most relevant to you. Having all of your information organized in front of you can help monitor your data in real-time, customize it to show the information that is most important to you, and gain insights into your operations that you might not have seen otherwise.

At the end of the day, a key part to making the most of telematics data is to focus on the metrics that are most important to your organization. This could include things like fuel consumption, vehicle speed, idle time, and driving behavior. By focusing on the metrics that work with your fleet needs, you can reduce the amount of data that you need to process and analyze, making it easier to make sense of the information.

By the end of the conference, I'd come to the not-so-surprising conclusion that data is a powerful tool we should never feel overwhelmed by. Platforms that collect, analyze, and organize that data for fleets haven't maxed out their potential. Expect them to evolve to better suit a fleet manager's needs. Technology is rapidly improving and accessing, as well as knowing what to do with that data, should only become easier. So I say this: don't be intimidated by the sheer amount of information available; embrace telematics technology and use it to your advantage on the road.

As Jean Pilon-Bignell, Public Sector Vice President for Geotab, told me the first day at Geotab Connect, "It's like a decision support system more than anything...step one is just collecting data."