Teletrac Navman is a global, market-leading software-as-a-service provider leveraging AI and machine learning to drive next-generation mobile asset and fleet management. In April the company published a survey of more than 1,800 global fleet operators about the top challenges they face. According to survey respondents, the biggest issues are rising fuel costs (39%), disruption due to the impact of Covid (32%), and supply chain pressure (31%).

With rising fuel costs and the global response to reducing all forms of carbon emissions building momentum, fuel conversion (23%) remains a key challenge with electric vehicle (EV) supply, alongside purchase price, and charging infrastructure concerns. A third (32%) of respondents said that the conversion to next generation fuels is one of their largest areas of expense, second to purchasing new vehicles.

"The last 12 months have created new complexities for fleets, but fuel cost rises are the number one concern for operators globally," says Alain Samaha, President and CEO of Teletrac Navman, which has been a Hacienda tenant since 2008. "As the cost per gallon of fuel spiked throughout last year, many operators looked to overcome the rising costs with driver behavior programs and EV transition plans."

Conversion is also high on the agenda for fleet owners due to concerns about their environmental impact. More than a third (41%) of those surveyed said environmental impact is their biggest concern about the current economic environment. Outside of transitioning to next generation fuels, of which 30% were looking to transition to EVs in the next 12 months, maintenance of the existing fleet continued to be the largest expense for 39% of those surveyed.

Over the course of 2023, fleets are looking to make investment in expanding their offering through technological integrations (48%), while also using technology to aid compliance (39%). Improving customer experience (39%) and recruiting and retaining drivers (31%) were also high on the list of planned investments for the next 12 months. Nearly all (98%) respondents said they were using either a sourced or manufacturer-provided telematics solution across their fleet.
Vehicle tracking (43%) was the number one reason for utilizing telematics, followed by managing driver performance (33%), receiving proof of service or job completion (32%), and monitoring fuel usage (30%). Regarding driver performance, improved driver safety (37%) was the biggest benefit of using telematics, according to respondents, who agreed that implementing telematics had helped build a safe driving culture within their organizations.

Nearly a quarter (24%) stated it helped prevent fatigue on the road. Moreover, 89% of those surveyed used telematics to benchmark driver behavior, with 91% seeing a reduction in accidents. With 31% of global fleet operator respondents concerned about increasing wage demands in a cost-of-living crisis, 37% are using benchmarking to provide performance-based bonuses in a bid to retain drivers.

"Driver performance benchmarking is a great method of inspiring drivers to perform better and safer on the road," according to Mayank Sharma, Head of Global Product Management and UX. "With the growth in mobile applications, it has never been easier for drivers to see how they are performing against targets and peers."

For more information about Teletrac Navman, please visit www.teletracnavman.com.
For more information about the Teletrac Navman global telematics survey, please visit www.teletracnavman.com/fleet-management-software/telematics/resources/ts23-telematics-survey.

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