Fleet Maintenance - 66

GUEST EDITORIAL
» Pictured here is the recently introduced
Watchman wheel-end sensing technology. In
addition to understanding system integration,
Hendrickson has invested significant time
and effort in tackling concerns related
to the durability and life of the physical
sensor itself including sensor battery life,
exposure to the elements and other road
inputs, and transmission capability.
Image courtesy of Hendrickson

Sensing technology
is not a replacement
for a good preventive
maintenance program.

Trends
in asset
telematics

How can fleets take
collected data and turn it
into usable information?

Some compare the current fervor with vehicle telematics to the dot-com boom of the late
1990s. That dot-com boom was characterized
by advancements in connectivity, widespread
adoption of the internet, and subsequently, an
explosion of growth in internet-based companies. Since then, vehicle telematics, big data,
and advancements in connectivity seem to
mark the next progression of the Information
Age. And just like the internet boom of the
1990s, today's telematics landscape is fluid,
vast, and rapidly changing.
In the commercial vehicle industry, telematics is not an entirely new concept. Fleets have

By Omar Fernandez

DIRECTOR OF MARKETING, TRAILER COMMERCIAL
VEHICLE SYSTEMS, HENDRICKSON
Hendrickson is a global manufacturer and supplier of
medium duty and heavy duty suspensions, axle and
braking systems, tire pressure control systems, auxiliary
lift axle systems, and other components for the commercial transportation industry. Fernandez is the director of marketing, trailer commercial vehicle systems for
Hendrickson. His career in the transportation industry
spans more than 21 years, with extensive experience in
sales, marketing, operations, and management.

66 Fleet Maintenance | December 2019

scratched the surface - most commonly in
the form of global positioning systems (GPS)
to help with logistics efficiency and asset
tracking. Additionally, tractors are frequently outfitted with technology that monitors
everything from tire pressure to drivetrain
status and performance.
While most in the trailer industry understand the potential benefits of telematics and
its impact on productivity, uptime, and predictive maintenance, many fleets are still finding
their way through the maze of information
tracking, especially when it comes to components on the trailer.

Trend #1
Outsourcing data
management

Our research indicates that
fleets would find value in monitoring trailer
components like tire pressure, wheel-end
temperatures and vibration, and brake component wear, among others.
Though the opportunities for data collection
seem endless, resources are not. At the top of
the list of fleets' concerns when it comes to
vehicle telematics is understanding who will
manage this influx of data. In the absence of
additional resources at the fleet level to turn
data into meaningful action, telematics presents a challenge. In an industry where technician shortages are rampant, adding a workload
to fleets whose resources are already spread
thin seems like an unlikely path.
Instead, fleets are inquiring about outsourcing the data management function to help
ease the labor burden and justify the use of
sensing technologies.

Trend #2
On-demand data
Another emerging trend in the

world of telematics is the need for on-demand
information. The days of intermittent information downloads are falling by the wayside
as fleets express the importance of access to
real-time data as part of their predictive maintenance strategy.
This urgency for real-time updates brings
about other lingering questions, such as:
Ü What types of data should be collected?
Ü Who owns the data?
Ü What is the most efficient way to collect,
store, and transmit data?

Trend #3 Continued
upkeep on uptime
As fleets begin to use telematics to move from traditionally reactive to more proactive maintenance
strategies, it is important to emphasize that
preventive maintenance and predictive maintenance are not the same.
While sensing technology can provide a
way to detect potential issues early to avoid
downtime, a good preventive maintenance
program can help minimize fleets' exposure
to these potential issues in the first place.
Sensing technology is not a replacement for a
good preventive maintenance program; rather, it should complement a pre-established
preventive maintenance routine.
It is important to understand the value
and benefit that component monitoring can
bring. Manufacturers and suppliers must
work with fleets to understand the technical
and logistical challenges that arise with the
process of tracking, collecting, transmitting,
and consuming big data. As part of the development toward addressing these challenges,
companies like Hendrickson are striving to
create sensor hardware that interfaces flawlessly with data collection software to ensure
that information is processed and disseminated in a meaningful, usable way.

Fleet Maintenance

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Fleet Maintenance