Fleets will apply AI to telematics data to boost efficiency, report says

Technology advances in artificial intelligence (AI) could help fleets use telematics data to handle a tougher economic climate in 2023 while still improving their safety, efficiency, and performance, according to a report from Wialon, a provider of global positioning system (GPS) and internet of things (IoT) services for fleet management.

Wialon, a Lithuanian firm with U.S. offices in Boston, identified three specific ways that telematics improvements such as artificial intelligence (AI) could boost fleet and transport operations.

First, users will add automation to their fleet management systems, using that technology to identify fleet operators' daily workflow patterns, automate routines, and predict and recommend next actions, such as intelligent geofencing, automated route planning, and vehicle dispatching. That trend could also see a shift from "paperless" to "clickless" interfaces, where users cut back on the time required for manual data inputs. That change could allow dispatchers to be far more efficient, managing up to 50 to 100 vehicles per operator instead of just 10 to 15, the company said.

Second, the use of telematics in insurance will gradually become the industry standard, Wialon said. Fleets and insurers can deepen their insights about drivers and vehicles by combining information on weather and service history with data from hundreds of sensor inputs, identifying patterns that indicate poor or dangerous driving. For insurers, this can significantly improve the precision of risk assessments, provide fleets with personalized insurance plans, and make more qualified decisions on claims.

Third, companies will improve fleet optimization by using AI to identify bottlenecks and suggest insights to improve fleet business metrics by analyzing vast amounts of digitized and structured telematics data. The approach could improve asset utilization, driving safety, fuel consumption, and inventory optimization, the company said.

"All these technologies are ready for wider adoption in the sector. In 2023 we will see more and more fleets leveraging AI to drive down Total Cost of Ownership and improve their assets efficiency," Sergei Kostenko, head of product at Wialon, said in a release. "The race for increased business efficiency is gaining momentum. Using telematics technologies fleet owners will continue to shift their focus from mere tracking to insights-driven intelligence."