Nov/Dec 2004

Many lorry operators are still confused by telematics offers, and feel there is a lack of product clarity, too much jargon and unclear cost information. The telematics industry is failing to convince transport operators that the benefits of this technology are actually worth the costs. At present many operators still regard mobile phones as adequate for most needs and see "the leap" into telematics as unjustified and too risky.

These, at any rate, are among the findings of a member survey undertaken some months ago by the Freight Transport Association, and recounted by chief executive Richard Turner during the Vehicle Tracking 2004 conference organised by Telematics Update in Brussels in November.

The transport market is bemused and confused by the offer from the telematics supply industry, Turner argued. Users don't understand the difference between products and their capabilities. The message to suppliers must be to keep it simple, ensure compatibility with pre-existing systems, and provide practical facilities of real economic and operational benefit to the operator and driver.

Turner listed operators' expectations of telematics systems. He said they should include modern connectivity ("plug in and play"), driver's hands free systems, steering-wheel controls for phones, efficient navigation, lane departure alert systems, intelligent speed adaptation, digital cameras for manoeuvring and reversing and tracking systems for loads.

 

He agreed that smart telematics technology was the future, and could prove indispensable to relieving many operators' problems - congestion, asset tracking, monitoring vehicle and driver performance, and asset management. But too much equipment was still too expensive, too unreliable and frequently incompatible, he said.

"Too many systems are still over-promising and under-delivering," he thought.