Using Telematics to Predict Maintenance Needs

For most personal vehicles, and far too many fleet vehicles, maintenance is performed reactively. If you’re lucky, you can catch any issues during regularly scheduled maintenance events, such as an oil change, before they grow too serious. If not, however, mechanical failures may result in a smoking truck on the side of the road, disrupting your schedule and costing thousands of dollars in lost revenue and repairs.

Though you can’t always anticipate a failure, you can use your telematics to predict and inform your team of vehicle issues before they become costly problems. To see how your telematics and predictive maintenance can help your fleet, read through the benefits below.

1. Avoid vehicle downtime

Whether your vehicle is out of commission for a day or a month, mechanical issues can lead to delayed shipments, canceled jobs, and employee downtime. By using your telematics to monitor the current state of your vehicles — from computer issues to tire leaks — you can plan for repairs and avoid unexpected breakdowns. As you monitor and gather data on these maintenance needs, you can also prepare for potential issues from other vehicles. The more information you have, the better you can plan.

2. Save money

Maintenance and repair costs make up a significant portion of your budget. While your telematics might not prevent these maintenance costs, it can help you anticipate and catch issues before they affect other systems. Your vehicles will run smoother and avoid preventable damage, lengthening their life and use. With a fleet that lasts longer and performs more reliably, you can maintain operations, keep customers happy, and stay within your budget.

3. Improve accuracy

Few things are more frustrating than searching for the cause of vehicle problems. By utilizing telematics in your fleet vehicles, you can gain a more clear and specific picture of maintenance issues. With the data you gather both when the problem occurs and while the vehicle runs smoothly, you can better understand the origins of the failure. This knowledge can minimize your vehicle downtime and repair costs. By using your telematics to predict vehicle maintenance needs, you can maintain an operational and high-performing fleet.