Technology will make fleets smarter about maintenance

Dec. 9, 2016
Challenges and opportunities.

The ongoing advent of highly advanced vehicle systems continues to add to the complexity of the maintenance challenge for fleets. This trend, however, also presents opportunities to use technology to transform maintenance today and in the future.

“Diagnostics, analytics and reporting capabilities – along with configurable systems that allow fleets to take action based on accurate and comprehensive data – will all continue to transform maintenance operations, programs and management practices,” says Sid Nair, senior director, transportation and compliance, Teletrac Navman (www.teletracnavman.com), a global leader in GPS tracking and fleet management solutions. “There is an ongoing change from a diagnostic to a prognostic approach because we can now normalize data to get past understanding what’s happening and to predict accurately what will happen.”

With analytics becoming increasingly integral to fleet maintenance management systems, actionable data is key, he notes. “Capabilities like interactive dashboards – complemented by configurable reports that provide a detailed view of a fleet’s performance metrics, such as engine hours, idle time, mileage and fuel use – enable the ability to track and manage vehicle maintenance.”

EDGE ANALYTICS

Lloyd Palum, chief technology officer, Vnomics Corp., says a combination of onboard computing power and the use of edge analytics – a technology that goes beyond telematics – will help change maintenance practices in the future. 

Vnomics (www.vnomicscorp.com) focuses on machine learning – a method of combining statistical data, real-time analysis and algorithms to find patterns in data and deliver instant recommendations – to provide advanced analytics solutions that enable fleets to improve driver and vehicle performance.

“In the simplest of terms, if a truck is being driven in the most fuel-efficient manner possible – including managing engine speed, employing proper shifting and reducing idling, then there is less wear on the engine and drivetrain, and less strain on the vehicle overall,” he explains. “Modeling fuel use for each truck, route, load and driver not only has fuel-saving implications, it can also lead to fuel optimization practices that will yield future maintenance benefits.”

Mapping and monitoring fuel use and changes to it over time can provide insights into potential maintenance issues, he adds. If use fuel economy is used as a performance indicator, fuel optimization becomes a key element in predictive and proactive maintenance, and in avoiding repairs.

“By employing edge analytics to model efficiency, we can create the basis for identifying trucks that need attention. That information can also be used to predict the optimum lifecycle of engines and to adjust preventive maintenance schedules.”

MAINTENANCE MANAGEMENT

Connected workflow applications, along with the growing number of integrations between solution providers, will also enhance and transform maintenance management.

As an example, the Decisiv Service Relationship Management (SRM) platform integrates data from Teletrac Navman telematics systems to help automate management of preventive maintenance alerts. The companies are also exploring how to integrate data on failures identified during vehicle inspections. 

“The fault code data from a telematics device enables the entire service supply ecosystem of fleets, dealers, manufacturers, breakdown centers and outside providers to know the severity of the problem, the location of the asset and other pertinent information, such as a recommended repair plan,” says Michael Riemer, vice president, product and channel marketing, Decisiv (decisiv.com), a leading provider of SRM) solutions for commercial assets. “The results of this integration – along with electronic communication of estimates, approvals, documentation and other information – include faster triage, less downtime, fewer breakdowns and more successful fix-it-right the first time repair events.”

Using electronic Driver Vehicle Inspection Reports as part of a closed-loop service event management process will yield benefits, he says. “By integrating that data you will know exactly what problems a driver discovered during an inspection and capture those as pending operations until they are corrected. Necessary repairs will no longer fall through the cracks or be stuck in paper piles, and well-maintained trucks are less likely to break down or lead to violations.”

ROI

As the trucking industry continues to leverage data to drive maintenance efficiency, OEMs have opportunities to help fleets improve uptime, including analyzing data to adjust scheduled maintenance intervals and provide insight into diagnostic fault codes, Decisiv’s Riemer says. With this information, fleets will be able to reduce unscheduled repairs and maximize the service life of trucks and components.

“The return on investment in all of this activity will be a continued reduction in costs and downtime,” adds Teletrac Navman’s Nair. “How the industry uses data to develop new capabilities will transform maintenance in the future.”

About the Author

David A. Kolman | Contributor - Fleet Maintenance