Telematics – The hidden cost of vehicle downtime
September’s edition of ‘Commercial Fleet’ features a 5-page spread on managing vehicle uptime with a main theme of “telematics reduces vehicle downtime by 48%” (RAC Business 2016 survey). It goes on to say the industry average figure for a van being off the road is a costly ￡750-￡1000 per day. But then I got thinking – What about the cost of taking your vehicle off road to install said telematics’ system?
It is widely regarded within industry that tracking and telematics are a cost neutral benefit to a fleet – but how much does the initial investment cost?
Installing telematics:
- Van off the road for half a day = ￡375
- Installation cost = ￡110
- Hardware cost = ￡249
- Total = ￡734
So simply by installing a system you already have around ￡700 worth of savings to find. Although I have no doubt a good system will eventually become cost neutral, it would reach this target 200% faster if your van could stay on the road and installation was free. Well, what if I told you that this could be the case?
The ABAX Triplog is world-leading self-installable tracking system with an installation so simple it can be fitted by the driver of the vehicle in 5 minutes. This means you can fit them for free, at your convenience and keep your fleet on the road. Ask yourself- why pay for something when advances in technology have made it free?
Moreover, it is not just the installation- What about if the unit goes wrong? Or you change the vans in your fleet? Let’s say that over a 36-month period you have one unit fault and one van change:
Telematics fault:
- Van off the road for half a day = ￡375
- Let us assume they fix it free
Van change:
- Van off the road for half a day = ￡375
- De-installation cost = ￡110
- Re-installation cost = ￡110
Total = ￡970
ABAX cost – yep you've guessed it = ￡0
Thus, over the course of a 36-month contract, a telematics system that acquires one fault and requires one vehicle change costs you ￡1704 per van. If that system were the ABAX Triplog, the cost would be ￡0. This is not an accident, this is by design. All ABAX products have three main goals; reduce costs, increase efficiencies and ensure tax compliance. These goals are achieved by a proactive in-house research and development team that design and manufacture products to provide solutions to fleet problems. There is a reason why ABAX is the difference.