Home: Telematics Glossary

Telematics Glossary

The telematics industry is growing at an incredible rate and more and more fleet managers and media outlets are talking about the products and services available. In order to keep the conversation moving, we’ve created this resource to help make the industry easier to understand. There are many different terms and acronyms used in the telematics industry. This glossary is a collection of the most commonly used terms and acronyms and what they mean. We will continually update this page as new terms are coined or become more relevant.

Frequently Used Telematics Terms

  • What is GPS Fleet Tracking?
    Today’s satellite global positioning system, or GPS, is the basis for a technology popular with commercial motor vehicle operators in asset management.
     
  • What is GPS Vehicle Tracking?
    GPS vehicle tracking allows fleet management professionals to make the best use of their assets to improve safety, reduce business costs and improve productivity.
     
  • What is Telematics?
    Telematics, in its broad definition, refers to remote communications (telos is a classical word meaning long distance) and informatics, a combined term based on information and automatic or automated.
     
  • How does Telematics Work?
    Telematics systems perform a range of functions by gathering vehicle location and activity data, and turning this into business insight. Telematics works by capturing vehicle location data via a GPS, transmitting data captured over secure cellular networks and ysing a web-based software platform to present and visualise vehicle location and driver activity data.
     
  • What is Geofencing?
    Geofencing is a technological advancement in GPS fleet management that can be applied in different ways, for varying purposes. 
     
  • What are GPS Tracking Devices in Fleet Vehicles?
    The Global Positioning System (GPS) is a satellite-based navigation system used to track vehicles and drivers in real time.  
     
  • What is MRM (Mobile Resource Management)?
    Mobile resource management, or MRM, refers to monitoring and tracking a variety of mobile assets. These are generally heavy-rigid local delivery trucks and semi-trailer heavy-vehicle combinations.
     
  • What is Fleet Management Software?
    Fleet Management Software is an essential tool for today’s fleet managers, dispatchers, and business owners, allowing them to accurately track and manage the movements and details of an entire fleet in real-time.
     
  • What is Equipment Management?
    Equipment management includes managing, monitoring and maintenance of both motorised assets and non-motorised equipment. Effective equipment management can make a major difference to & productivity and efficiency.
     
  • What is Fleet Management?
    Fleet management is a system of technologies and procedures that helps organisations to use their resources with maximum efficiency and cost control. A variety of businesses operate fleets that include both vehicles and non-motorised assets, such as auxiliary equipment or heavy machinery.
     
  • What is a Computerised Maintenance Management System?
    A computerised maintenance management system (CMMS) is also known as EAM, for enterprise asset management. CMMS allows construction, transportation and trucking organisations to automate the processes they use to monitor and schedule equipment maintenance.
     
  • What is Route Optimisation?
    Route optimisation is the process of calculating and generating the best possible routes for drivers over their entire work day. It considers multiple factors, such as a driver’s work schedule, the order of stops, types of vehicles in the fleet, traffic, weather and limitations such as narrow roads or low bridge clearance.
     
  • What is Asset Tracking?
    Asset tracking is a way to know the location of physical assets 24/7. With most construction companies operating diverse fleets of movable and fixed assets across multiple jobs sites and also on-road, there’s great value in knowing where everything is at any given time. The three main benefits of using construction asset tracking are: 1. Cost savings 2. Theft protection 3. Preventative maintenance.
     
  • What is Field Service Management?
    Modern businesses have a range of vehicles, equipment and people on the move at any one time. Using GPS tracking technology and intuitive software, field service management is how you can balance dynamic demands and efficiently allocate resources where they are needed most.
     
  • What are Fuel Tax Credits?
    Fuel Tax Credits provide businesses with a credit for the fuel tax (excise or customs duty) that's included in the price of fuel used in machinery, plant & equipment, heavy vehicles, and light vehicles travelling off public roads or on private roads.
     
  • What is Fleet Maintenance?
    Fleet maintenance is the process of keeping your vehicles operating in a good enough condition so that they are safe, reliable and can stay on the road longer. Developing a preventative maintenance programme is an integral part of managing a fleet and helps businesses reduce operating costs and improve vehicle inspection outcomes, among other benefits.  
     
  • What is Driver Fatigue?
    Driver fatigue can be more serious than a feeling of tiredness, it is one of the most common hazards on the road today.
     
  • What is an At-Risk Driver?
    Identifying at-risk drivers and working with them to eliminate the problems can go a long way to improving your businesses safety.
     
  • What is Distracted Driving?
    Distracted driving describes any situation in which a driver’s attention is not fully focused on the road and the safe operation of their vehicle. There are three main types of distracted driving (manual, visual and cognitive) that can all result in a major safety threat not only to drivers, but to everyone who shares the road with them.
     
  • What is the Chain of Responsibility?
    Under the Chain of Responsibility (CoR), complying with transport law is a shared responsibility and all parties in the road transport supply chain are responsible for ensuring the safety of their transport activities. This approach recognises the effects of the actions, inactions and demands of off-the-road parties in the transport chain. 
     
  • What is Preventative Maintenance?
    Preventative maintenance refers to the regular and routine maintenance required to keep a fleet of vehicles or equipment in peak working condition. It’s a necessary strategy to prevent unplanned downtime and the costs associated with unanticipated asset failure.
     
  • What is a Safety Management System?
    A Safety Management System (SMS) is the documented version of all the safety procedures for a business. When it comes to complying with various safety legislation, it’s incredibly important to have an up-to-date, accurate and comprehensive document that can be referred to in the event of an audit.
     
  • What types of vehicles can I track with a vehicle tracking system?
    Vehicle tracking solutions are a great tool for businesses looking to amplify their fleet operations. These technology-centric tools can be used to track not just cars but a variety of medium-to-heavy-duty assets, buses, cargo vans, transport vehicles, heavy-vehicles and specialty trucks and more.