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office a little bit more peace of mind that those
inspection reports are coming back to the office
and they are legitimate. "
Another apprehensive perspective fleets may
have before taking on the digitization of reporting
is a concern regarding integration of multiple
devices and systems.
" I think a challenge is getting all the products
to talk together, " Trimble Transportation's Adler
cautioned. " There are a lot of telematics solutions
or DVIR solutions, and from that standpoint,
making sure they can communicate with all
your business units, it may require developmental
work, " he continued. " Trimble offers a full-service
system and covers all the bases. Make sure
that everything is connected upfront rather than
having to invest in some developmental work on
the backend as well. "
Choosing a provider is one challenge in and of
itself, so fleets should come into the adoption and
selection phase with a plan of what data they are
really looking to get out of such a platform. The
concern of drowning in data is real, but providers
are acutely aware of tailoring systems to ensure
data is targeted and useful.
" It can create noise if it is not properly rolled
out, " Cetaris' Bedard warned of eDVIR adoption.
" Data quality is a big one. You have to have data
set up effectively. You have to make sure that [you
differentiate] the serial numbers on the telematics
devices - that is how to uniquely identify unit
number one versus unit number two versus unit
number three - that data all has to be right ...
We have got to get rid of the noise; we can't give
[users] a tsunami of data. You have to filter it
down and focus on actionable items. People not
using the eDVIR as intended will create noise, but
I think if you communicate well and you work
with your team well, you can turn it into a very
powerful tool. "
Deployment of a system can be overwhelming,
though most providers will offer support and guidance
in that regard. Depending on the solution
provider, fleets may have access to in-person,
in-application, or video training, as well as access
to customer call centers.
The future of digital reporting
What is next for eDVIR data infrastructure?
Experts say data consumed through reporting
systems such as eDVIRs is a key piece in a predictive
maintenance future.
" With our TN360 solution, one of the focuses is
on AI (artificial intelligence), " Teletrac Navman's
Flores explained. " That is where we are focusing
on heavily, and that is going to tie into our compliance
solutions as well. Eventually, that will tie
into the vehicle inspection reporting solution ...
Providing advanced intelligence based on trends
that you see as a fleet from inspections and repairs
so we can start to alert people predictively. The
users then can use that information to look back
and say, 'If this is becoming a trend, how do we
get in front of it?', " he continued. " Those are the
kinds of things that are coming in the forefront,
as well, for us. "
Solution providers' ability to capture eDVIR
data will be one of the building blocks in creating
the predictive algorithms that analyze a fleet's
generated data and subsequently present the
predictive models that maintenance managers
dream of.
" We are doing a lot more experimentation
around predictive data models and machine
learning, " Ryder's Bosch said. " Data is so important.
There is so much of it right now, but how can
we use that data to create predictive insights for
fleet managers? The possibilities are endless once
you have that data, to be able to say, 'This type of
vehicle seems to always have this type of issue
around this type of mileage.' A hypothetical like
that gives us so much more information than we
had before.
" With the data availability, but then also being
able to combine it with other data, too, we have
become more mature in our big data analysis and
what we want to do with it, " Bosch continued.
" Bringing in weather conditions or bringing in other
aspects that may have affected [a vehicle], [we are
able to contemplate] how can we predict what the
next eDVIR will be for this particular vehicle. "
Data accumulation and data accuracy will be
the guiding hand in building a predictive maintenance
future.
" This data is extremely valuable for any fleet, "
Bosch noted. " The more information we have,
and the more accurate it can be by [obtaining] it
through a digital means, the more active we can
be with our insights and our predictive models ...
[The data gathered from eDVIRs] is the source data
and training data that really pushes us out into
predicting and understanding the current health
of a fleet, but then even six months from now what
a fleet manager can be expecting as well. It is very
valuable data and I think creating a positive experience
to make sure that we are getting the data
is critical for success. "
What is the goal of predictive maintenance
models if not to maximize vehicle uptime?
" Advanced organizations are trying to maximize
equipment availability, " Cetaris' Bedard said.
" If you can coordinate hours of service when the
driver is driving and when they are not driving,
versus the opportunity to do repair, if you can
optimize that so all the repairs are being done
when the asset is not required - think about the
implications of that from a driver satisfaction
perspective, a planning perspective. "
The ultimate achievement delivered through
the digitization of DVIRs is not express communication,
predictive analytics, nor uptime, but truly
actualizing the safest driving operation possible.
" The DVIR is one piece of a broader theme,
which is, 'How do you build a culture of safety
within a company that is operating vehicles?' "
Verizon Connect's Aires posed. " How do you get
drivers to really buy in to that safety culture where
they become advocates for safety; where they are
excited to take on new technology, new processes,
or new tasks in order to benefit the company, the
customer, and the community that they drive in,
to make it a safer journey for them, and ultimately
give the company the opportunity to put their best
foot forward as a business? "
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june2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of june2021
