The Environmental Benefits Of Telematics For The Transportation Industry

Within the last decade, businesses have increasingly looked at the environmental benefits of new technology. From streamlining operations to using more sustainable resources, being environmentally conscious continues to be a major focus. While the driving force for this change differs depending on the organization, it’s important to highlight how various industries, such as the transportation sector, are doing this. Specifically focusing on the environmental benefits of telematics. 

The Environmental Benefits Of Telematics

Within numerous industries, telematics is growing in popularity because it has countless benefits. Not only do these IoT solutions allow businesses to easily become compliant to new regulations, but processes can be streamlined and costs can be saved. 

Apart from the above advantages, it’s important to bring to light how telematics technology has many environmental benefits for those who want to reduce their carbon footprint. While this can be evident in numerous industries, the transportation and trucking industry is one that is worth highlighting as transport trucks can be seen as contributors to climate change.

Using IoT Technology To Reduce Your Fleets Carbon Footprint 

It’s important to highlight how telematics is known to reduce the carbon footprint of fleets across the world. Whether it’s a fleet of three vehicles or thirty, the devices and technology that is used to monitor trucks can also bring environmental benefits. 

Fuel Consumption & Driving Behaviour 

Telematics technology is useful within the transportation sector as its advancements can help reduce fuel emissions. Specifically by allowing fleet managers to implement new protocols and procedures which focus on not wasting fuel and staying efficient. 

One example of this is how onboard diagnostics (OBD) technology is used to track and monitor efforts. As these devices are typically used to monitor travel speeds and gps location, they can as well be used to track driving habits. The information can then be translated to help reduce fuel consumption and the environmental footprint of the fleet. This is done as data can measure speeding, harsh braking, sudden acceleration and idling behaviours which are all known to use more fuel and thus increase carbon emissions. When these habits are monitored and negative tendencies are addressed, fuel consumption can be lowered to not only save money or boost safety, but help the environment. 

Optimizing Routes & Predicting Traffic  

In addition to poor driving habits, proper route planning and traffic prediction through telematics solutions can reduce the environmental impact of vehicles on the road. This stems from the fact that fuel is wasted daily when commercial vehicles are stuck in traffic. In fact, a recent study by the American Transportation Research Institute found that traffic congestion on U.S. highways costs the industry more than $63 billion annually in operating, wasted fuel, labor and maintenance costs. 

Telematics solutions can better predict the best driving routes to ensure that vehicles are not only taking the quickest route to get to their destination, but use traffic predictions to their advantage. This can limit the time spent in congestion and reduce idling time. When idling time is reduced and vehicles are taking the most efficient routes, vehicles are able to reduce their environmental footprint. 

Engine Errors & The Environment 

Similar to the way that devices are plugged into vehicles to gather data about driving behaviour, the same OBD technology can be used to monitor the health of vehicle engines. Specifically, how the engine is performing and whether any maintenance should be completed in the future to limit costly and unexpected breakdowns. This goes one step further as some telematics solutions can monitor engine errors that lead to increased carbon emissions. 

The environment is a popular topic as many are continuing to find that reducing our footprint is more important now, than ever before. Even though there are some industries that may be more prone to releasing harmful emissions, there are new technologies that hold numerous environmental benefits to reduce this.

To learn more about how tracking, mapping, maintenance and reporting solutions could help your fleet help the environment, contact us today!