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How the integration of smart solutions can help fleet managers avoid ‘data overload’

The many responsibilities of fleet managers all ladder up to a few major priorities, one of them being increased efficiency. But, fleet managers face a variety of challenges that can get in the way of successfully reaching their goals of efficient operations. 

After conducting hundreds of conversations with fleet managers about the struggles they face regularly, Pitstop, a partner on the Roadz Ecosystem, analyzed the responses and compiled their findings to share what stood out most commonly. In a recent blog post, they’ve highlighted these top three challenges fleet managers are facing today:

1. Minimizing operational costs
2. Managing data overload
3. Maintaining uptime 

While certainly overwhelming, these challenges drive opportunity and make way for solution providers to deliver innovation that helps lighten the load for fleet managers. In this post, we’re taking a deeper dive into one of Pitstop’s highlighted challenges: managing data overload. 

The challenge of managing ‘data overload’

Data can be an extremely powerful resource. The problem is that it’s infinite and humans aren’t meant to successfully process infinite amounts of information. The shift to ‘connected’ vehicles has led to the accumulation of so much data that fleet managers can struggle to sift through it all and identify what actually matters to them. Rather than using the collected data effectively, fleet managers find themselves paralyzed with information, unable to see through the volume and take what they need to inform and address the challenges and needs unique to their fleet. 

How integrated data can generate useful insights for fleets

On top of the volume of data being generated by connected vehicles, fleets are often stuck working within siloed environments. They have different solutions to address their different challenges, but those solutions aren’t always well-integrated. That leaves fleet managers hopping from dashboard to dashboard, or system to system in search of helpful information. Connectivity of integrated solutions provides fleets with improved visibility into their operations and clarity around the data collected. When large amounts of data are integrated across their solutions, fleet managers are empowered to:

• More effectively generate actionable insights
• Foster better decision-making
• Decrease operating costs
• Increase their ROI  

It’s helpful to find solution providers that integrate with other platforms, so you can get a connected and holistic view of your fleet vehicles’ statuses and become a more strategic decision-maker, rather than drowning in stats from siloed systems. 

A connected ecosystem, such as the partner community Roadz has built, gives fleets access to pre-integrated smart solutions like Pitstop, which allows for vehicle data sharing across disparate solutions and platforms. To avoid the challenge of ‘data overload’, fleet managers need an integrated platform that enables them to effectively address its data duplication and overload head-on so they can successfully reach their efficiency goals.

More About Pitstop
Pitstop offers predictive fleet maintenance solutions that enable fleets to take advantage of insights on the health of their vehicles, predictions of equipment failure and overall cost savings. To read the full article from Pipstop on the top challenges fleet managers face and how to overcome them, click here.

Awareness training can help protect fleets from staged accidents

There is certainly no shortage of safety concerns among fleet managers, as driver safety is among their top priorities. There’s always risk on the road and the responsibility to keep drivers protected comes with real pressure. What makes matters even more challenging is the threat of staged accidents and fraudulent claims.

In a blog post from Roadz Marketplace partner Infinit-I Workforce Solutions, they cover the unfortunate prevalence of staged accidents like t-bone and sideswipe scams, the actors involved and how fleets can protect themselves from becoming a victim.

Infinit-I suggests that these staged accidents may be the consequence of increased verdicts awarding $1 million or more in lawsuits. In a report called Understanding the Impact of Nuclear Verdicts on the Trucking Industry, from the American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI), they cite that these larger payouts have increased 1,054% since 2011, a trend encouraging to fraudsters and daunting to fleets.

According to Infinit-I, “These scams often involve entire teams, including medical and legal personnel working with fake victims and fake witnesses to defraud trucking companies and insurance companies.” 

When you consider the level of coordination and involvement that can go into these scams, it can be difficult for fleets to feel like they stand a chance. However, Infinit-I provides steps that can be taken to help protect fleets from the dangers of staged accidents. These include the use of dash cams, on-scene picture taking and above all, training. Providing comprehensive training around staged incidents can help drivers remain aware of fraudsters on the road and prepare for the possibilities.

Staged accidents threaten the lives of commercial fleet drivers and other innocent victims. Roadz partners with top training solution providers like Infinit-I to help fleet managers mitigate risk and keep drivers safe on the road. 

Infinit-I Workforce Solutions provides fleets with a cloud-based learning management system, an intuitive platform that’s easy to use, track progress and compile reports. To read the full blog post from Infinit-I on the issue of staged accidents and how fleets can protect themselves, click below. 

A unified fleet management environment enables the advantages of EV adoption 

There isn’t a more popular topic in the automotive industry right now than electric vehicles (EVs). As the world focuses its attention on climate and sustainability issues, the markets are closely following suit. According to a forecast from Boston Consulting Group, it’s expected that battery-powered EVs will amount to 20% of global sales by 2025 and 59% in 2035.

For fleet managers, beyond the already intense demands they face on a daily basis, they’re now feeling the pressure to respond to climate issues and manage the strain of rising fuel costs. While EVs seem like an obvious solution, some fleet managers need more convincing. 

On the topic, Brightmile, a safety and sustainability telematics solution provider within the Roadz ecosystem, recently published a guest article from ESG leader Simon King. He discusses the competitive advantage for fleets to incorporate EVs and dispels misconceptions preventing actual adoption. 

King states that “a truly effective sustainability strategy can drive business performance if fully integrated into a business strategy.” While that’s a helpful insight, the problem of EV adoption, according to King, comes down to a lack of understanding among fleets. He illustrates with the common example of ‘range anxiety’, a nickname for the concerns some people have over how far EVs can actually travel before they need charging. What many may not realize is that today most EVs can operate for more than 250 miles at a time. And when you couple EVs with smart solutions like Brightmile that improve driver behavior, vehicles can go even farther. 

Beyond a lack of understanding, we also know there are other barriers fleet managers face. We understand the challenge of adding multiple services required to operate EVs such as charging solutions and battery telematics. We also recognize the challenge to integrate systems that support hybrid fleets utilizing both EVs and ICE vehicles.

The good news is that Roadz is addressing these challenges head on, expanding our ecosystem to play a central role in boosting EV adoption among fleets. The Roadz Marketplace offers fleets a simple way to successfully incorporate EVs by enabling an integrated and unified fleet management environment. 

Through a connected ecosystem of smart solutions like Brightmile, we can remove the barriers of adoption and broaden the opportunities for fleets to evolve and become more sustainable, competitive and profitable.

Brightmile is a driver safety and sustainability platform that reduces fleet collision rates and operational costs. To read the full article from Brightmile on sustainability and the role of EVs for fleets, click below.

In today’s commercial fleet world, fleet managers have access to more vehicle and operational data than ever before. While this data has certainly proven its innovative value in areas like diagnostics, driver management and route optimization, fleet managers have also reached a point where the volume of incoming information can feel like a burden to manage.

As many fleet vehicles on the road are now ‘connected,’ McKinsey & Company has reported that the average connected vehicle generates about 25 gigabytes of data every hour. That’s a lot of information to process and try to generate effective insights.

In a recent article written by Pitstop, a predictive maintenance solution provider among the Roadz ecosystem, the company’s CEO Shiva Bhardwaj shared his thoughts on this concept of ‘data overload’ and where it comes from. The good news is, we’re providing a resolution for the challenge.

As Bhardwaj states in his article, “A fleet must increase its focus on predictive maintenance and be able to create data visualizations that tell a clear story of effectiveness and efficiency.”

Rather than becoming overwhelmed by ‘data overload’, fleet managers can use accessible information to their advantage. When apps used by a fleet are connected in an ecosystem with a unified interface, fleet managers become empowered by their solutions. Suddenly data is integrated across different platforms and instead of manually parsing data app by app, fleet managers are able to see a more holistic and connected view of their fleets. This gives them the power to take incoming data and turn it into actionable insights.

A clear story for fleets can be made possible with ecosystems like the Roadz Marketplace. Together with powerful solutions like Pitstop, we can simplify the many responsibilities of fleet managers and help them improve safety, efficiency and profitability of their fleets.

Pitstop offers predictive fleet maintenance solutions that enable fleets to take advantage of insights on the health of fleet vehicles, predictions of equipment failure and overall cost savings. To read the full article from Pipstop on the challenge of data overload, click below.

In a report released late last year, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) revealed a dramatic increase in vehicular fatalities, spotlighting the need for more proactive live-saving measures to be taken.  

Despite a decline in driving throughout the country, the number of fatalities reported in the first three months of 2021 was 10.5% higher than those projected during the same time in 2020. The NHTSA’s report identified motorist and truck driving behaviors contributing to these fatalities, which include:

• Distracted driving
• Failure to wear seat belts
• Speeding 

To achieve better protection for all drivers on the road, fleet managers have an opportunity to prevent risky driver behavior through the use of smart safety apps. Speed, seat belt use, and focus on the road can be effectively monitored and managed through telematics solutions from providers like SafeSpeed and LifeSaver.

Roadz provides fleets with easy access to these safety apps and plenty more through an ecosystem of carefully curated solutions that offer an integrated and unified experience to its fleet users. 

Implementation of these solutions plus comprehensive driver training can put fleets on a path toward more proactive risk management and better accident prevention for all drivers. Read the press release and report from the NHTSA to learn more. 

Want to learn more about how you can meet your customers’ demands in 2022 with no resources or additional development? Learn how to launch a ROADZ-powered marketplace. 

Various stakeholders like fleet and safety managers who are tasked with fleet management are in a very stressful position. They are constantly in a fire-fighting mode and need to make quick decisions to balance the goals of reducing operating costs, increasing productivity, and improving safety and compliance. 

It’s a lot to handle. Sure, there are thousands of solutions in the market to help bear the burden, but the reality is that in many cases they are not aware of the most innovative solutions. If they are using solutions, their experience is siloed and they have to hop from dashboard to dashboard to access data that isn’t integrated. So all said and done, they end up making sub-optimal business decisions. 

What fleets really want is:

• Integrated data across platforms for smarter decision making
• A single-pane-of-glass interface for a unified experience
• A one-stop shop for streamlined solution search and discovery 

The solution for addressing what fleet wants is simple: integrated ecosystems. Ecosystems both in the B2C (Apple, Android) and B2B (Salesforce AppExchange) exist today. However, they will spearhead the future of fleet management. While solution providers may wish to build their own ecosystems, such efforts will add a significant cost burden and can take years to develop, not to mention resources that would likely be redirected from growing core products. 

Roadz can help fleet management solution providers connect their fleet customers to an open and integrated ecosystem in a fraction of time and cost. The Roadz Marketplace provides a unique user-experience to fleet stakeholders who can browse and buy curated solutions via a unified interface, and make optimal business decisions based on integrated data. 

Learn how companies like GPSTrackit and Protective Insurance have launched their own Marketplaces powered by Roadz, helping their fleets save time, improve productivity and make better business decisions.

The litigation landscape has become a particularly hostile one for commercial fleets that have been involved in traffic accidents. Fleets are getting hit harder than ever with ‘nuclear verdicts’ as a result of factors including: 

• A rise in law firms specializing in fleet accidents
• An increase in drivers using mobile devices for operational support 
• Widespread awareness of device distraction dangers

An article from LifeSaver, one of the solution providers in the ROADZ ecosystem, also reveals a recent tactic among attorneys to ‘paint a picture of fleet corporate irresponsibility,’ laying sole accident blame on truck drivers and winning, even with very thin cases.

The impact of these verdicts can be devastating, leading to high penalty costs, increased insurance rates and even business closings. 

One of the best ways for fleets to protect themselves in this environment is to engage with smart safety applications that can be embedded into their drivers’ devices. For example, LifeSaver offers an app which blocks drivers from using their phones and tablets while they drive. 

Proactive risk management, along with comprehensive driver training, can help fleets avoid the detriment of ‘nuclear verdicts’. Read the article below to learn more. 

Samsara’s IPO and its prospective valuation of over $11B has fundamentally changed the direction of the fleet management market. In order to understand why, we need to look at how Samsara describes its points of differentiation that have made its success possible. 

Here are five points that set Samsara apart, according to their S1:

1. “IoT Data Leader. We believe that the quantity and diversity of IoT data types on our Connected Operations Cloud, together with the analytic insights that we provide our customers, differentiate us in the market.”  

Let’s look at this first point: Samsara has broadened its playing field from fleet tracking and management into what they call an ‘organization’s physical operations’ encompassing equipment monitoring and site visibility which, Samsara asserts, represents industries responsible for 40% of the global GDP. Samsara was able to build some of the sensors required for those broader use cases, but as evidenced by its S1, they realized their cloud platform needed to support 3rd-party sensors such as those installed by vehicle OEMs or various other aftermarket sensors. 

Providers that want to follow in Samsara’s footsteps will need to broaden their services and help different organizations manage their complex physical operations. For that they will need the ability to support a broader set of data sources and data types beyond those generated by their own sensors. Furthermore, in order to help organizations understand and optimize their operations, providers will need to be able to ingest, store, and use many other data types beyond sensor data, such as analytics generated by 3rd-parties, financial information, safety records, HR information, and more. Platforms such as the ROADZ open platform that were built to support flexible and easy associations between different data types related to the physical world will help providers achieve those goals.

2. “Single Integrated Platform. Our integrated platform brings together data from across an organization’s physical operations including fleets, equipment, and sites to give customers a digital, actionable view of their physical operations in one place. This single pane of glass is designed to deliver extensive insight into a customer’s end-to-end physical operations.”  

Samsara has taken a first step to address one of the biggest problems in the market – the need for a single pane of glass. Organizations are using a large number of technologies from different providers, each with their own separate dashboard. Fleet managers and operations managers are struggling to gain visibility into their organization’s operations across those siloed solutions.

The ability to provide a single pane of glass with datasets from multiple sources, including those from a large number of 3rd-party vendors, will be key to the success of providers and their customers. ‘Ready-made’ unified interfaces with pre-integrated solutions such as those provided by the ROADZ open platform will be key in addressing that pressing need.

3. “Extensible Technology Platform… Our Data Platform is deployed across a wide variety of industry verticals and integrated with third-party applications such as enterprise resource planning, payroll, and human capital management applications, extending the impact of IoT data to customers’ existing applications.”

The utilization of connected vehicle and IOT data by enterprise technology solutions brings with it huge opportunities, but it is still in its infancy. The large number of data sources multiplied by the huge number of solutions that could use the data make it a difficult problem to solve. Organizations coming from different industry verticals have different needs and request different integrations, making it even harder for solution providers. With its extensive financial resources, Samsara was able to integrate with approximately 100 third-party solutions out of tens of thousands in the market. Most providers don’t have the resources and focus to even do that. The future of integrations lies in data normalization achieved through open ecosystems and connective tissues like the ROADZ open ecosystem, allowing providers to integrate once and connect with many.  

4. “Innovation Flywheel. We constantly innovate to improve our customers’ operations. We have a culture of innovation, which is evidenced by our release of more than 200 features in the past fiscal year.”

With the current pace of technological developments, innovation is one of the keys to success– and Samsara has done a good job at it. But in order to be ahead of the game, technology providers need to find a way to harness innovation beyond their own four walls. As Marc Benioff, Salesforce CEO, had put it when referring to the benefits of the Salesforce AppExchange, “Building an ecosystem is about acknowledging that the next game-changing innovation may come from Silicon Valley or from a programmer based halfway around the world. A company seeking to achieve true scale needs to seek innovation beyond its own four walls and tap into the entire universe of knowledge and creativity out there.” Open ecosystems such as ROADZ play a key role in enabling companies to tap into the pool of innovation out there.

5. “Partner Ecosystem. Our Connected Operations Cloud serves as the central hub for a robust ecosystem of partner connections. Our ecosystem includes over 125 third-party integrations in the Samsara App Marketplace, a portal through which customers can connect our Applications to external applications.” 

Samsara is not alone in this. Partner ecosystems and marketplaces with pre-integrated solutions are starting to pop up and are redefining the market. Providing such marketplaces to customers is becoming a must in order to stay relevant. But for the majority of providers, even the largest ones, building ecosystems of third-party solutions on their own might not be a suitable course of action due to the immense amount of product development, business development, legal, and management resources it takes to scale up such an undertaking. Trying to build such a marketplace on your own means shifting resources and focus away from your core products and investing years of effort and millions of dollars into something that is not your core expertise. The ROADZ ‘Ecosystem in a Box’ platform is already helping companies launch their own partner ecosystems within weeks rather than years, with no upfront cost.

The Bottom Line

So what sets Samsara apart? It’s their ability to provide their customers a unified environment that solves a broader set of problems. It’s their open ecosystem and marketplace of third-party integrated solutions available through a single pane of glass. Samsara understood that even with $1B in capital, they could not build all the technology, software, and applications that an organization requires to manage its fleet and other physical operations. Partnering and integrating with third-party applications was for Samsara, like it was for Salesforce, no longer a nice to have, but a key to its success. As stated in their S1,”Continued growth in integrations will strengthen our ecosystem, further increasing the opportunity to attract customers that prioritize interoperability with their existing applications. We believe that additional partnerships will further enhance our distribution capabilities.”

At ROADZ we have been building our platform and strategy with a similar vision, but perhaps taking it a step further. The Roadz open ecosystem is designed to help any provider do what Samsara has done – become the center of an integrated partner ecosystem. Not just telematics providers and fleet management companies but also vehicle OEMs, tier-1 suppliers, insurance carriers, fuel card providers, and others. Given this, ROADZ is well positioned to gain access to a much broader set of data and become the ‘connective tissue’ for the industry.