Fleetboard: Telematics was yesterday – today is all about connectivity

Service

Efficiency boost.

Telematics was yesterday – today is all about connectivity. Fleetboard takes advantage of the ongoing technological advances to quickly develop new digital solutions – just like a start-up.

Start-up mentality. The aim is to develop new solutions quickly and efficiently. Fleetboard is ready to engage in cooperative efforts with existing and new partners, with the emphasis always being on creating added value for the customers.


Fleetboard has become one of the most successful and most innovative service providers within the transport and logistics sector worldwide. Since the Daimler subsidiary was established in 2000, over 7 000 customers with around 220 000 vehicles worldwide have been connected using Fleetboard.

Fleetboard is already capable of recording a wealth of status, trip and location data for each vehicle and transmitting it via GPRS to the relevant customers. This facilitates modular services covering consignment, driver and fleet management aspects – regardless of the vehicle make.

This is the status today. Big Data, the Internet of Things, artificial intelligence, the card services offered by HERE, and Microsoft’s cloud solution Azure are now making it possible for Fleetboard to go even further: in the future all processes and all elements in the transport supply chain will be integrated into the “seamless transportation” network. A number of new products – some still at the trial stage – designed to help boost efficiencies for customers have already been introduced this spring.


Fleetboard nxtload: avoiding empty runs.

While there are freight exchanges aplenty in the European transport and logistics market, there has as yet been no networking between the different platforms. Enter Fleetboard nxtload: its role is precisely to do just that, and in the process it creates transparency within freight services available and the various providers. In doing so, Fleetboard nxtload does not compete with the existing freight exchanges; instead it acts as their partner. The meta search engine is the first Fleetboard product to use the Microsoft cloud platform Azure, and it is currently in the pilot phase with two major European freight exchanges.

nxtload.fleetboard.com



Fleetboard FuelHub: refuelling made easy.

Many companies operate their own refuelling stations at their freight terminals. Quotes for replenishing their tanks are usually obtained by phoning multiple providers – a time-consuming process. The digital market place Fleetboard FuelHub acts as an efficient mediation platform between companies with their own fuel tanks, and suppliers of mineral oil as well as intermediaries. The service improves transparency and speeds up the ordering process, both for the transport company and for the fuel supplier. Fleetboard FuelHub is currently in the pilot phase in selected regions.



Fleetboard Vehicle Lens: pre-departure check 4.0.

It is commonplace in the logistics sector that vehicles are driven by different drivers. By law every truck driver is obliged to carry out pre-departure checks. This includes checking lights, tyres and indicators. In addition, the drivers are required to spend time checking the vehicle for external damage. Working with Berlin-based start-up companies, Fleetboard is currently developing an app called Fleetboard Vehicle Lens. The software registers the truck’s number plate by analysing live images. As each section of the vehicle is inspected visually, relevant information is displayed using Augmented Reality technology. Any defects can be tagged with a simple click.



Digital Vehicle Scanners: positive identification of defects.

Working together with the companies Josef Paul GmbH & Co. KG and Daimler Business Innovation, Fleetboard is able to bring to bear its proven software competence in the form of the Digital Vehicle Scanner. The scanning process takes places when a truck passes through a “gate”. Working in real time, the Digital Vehicle Scanner’s cameras and sensors quickly and efficiently check the vehicle’s condition, detecting defects like scratches and scuffs. Other important parameters like tyre pressure and tread depth as well as parts like top and side tarpaulins and the tipper body are also scanned. The Digital Vehicle Scanner documents the truck’s condition, identifies the need for repairs, and ensures a speedier and more efficient handover of the vehicle from one driver to the next.


Fleetboard HoloDeck: dispatch of the future.

The aim of the HoloLens project is to develop a set of Augmented Reality goggles that will enable the wearer to view and interact with 3D projections in space. For example, an abstract road map lying flat on a table can be brought to life when viewed through the HoloLens. In the three-dimensional landscape of the Fleetboard HoloDeck, the fleet manager of the future will be able to monitor vehicles in real time, access information about them and interact with the display using gestures.

www.fleetboard.com


Photos: Daimler

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