Keep on trucking

• April
• 28

6:03 am Trucks

 Intelligent transport technology using telematics is set to transform the logistics world forever.
It’s 3am in the morning as the Irish truck driver passes Rouen and spots a sign for Le Havre. “Not long now,” he thinks, as he envisions a meal and some shut-eye on the voyage home. His reverie is disrupted by a call from an operator at the supply hub back in Dublin.

“Jimmy!” the operator beckons. “Will you cool it on the speed. You’re doing over 120km per hour. You’ve been driving non-stop for the past few hours. Be careful or you’ll kill someone. Slow it down!”

This scenario sounds futuristic, but the technologies are in place to allow businesses keep an eye on assets such as trucks using a combination of mobile technology and internet mapping systems.

The field of expertise, known as telematics, is being used by businesses to boost efficiency, security and also to eliminate road injuries and even deaths.

Vehicle telematics systems can be used for a variety of purposes from managing road usage, pricing vehicle insurance, tracking fleet vehicle locations to cold-store logistics, retrieving stolen vehicles and accident prevention.