Skip to main content

Fleet managers ‘likely to opt for brands that offer predictive technologies’

Fleet management systems (FMS) have an established presence in France, Germany, UK, Italy and Benelux, with 70 per cent of fleet managers claiming familiarity with FMS – 37 per cent are already using it and 33 per cent are testing it. In general, fleet owners display a positive attitude toward FMS, and 35 percent of respondents in a recent Frost & Sullivan survey consider it an absolute necessity. Large fleets are keener to adopt these solutions than small and medium fleets, clearly indicating a lack of awa
December 18, 2013 Read time: 3 mins
Fleet management systems (FMS) have an established presence in France, Germany, UK, Italy and Benelux, with 70 per cent of fleet managers claiming familiarity with FMS – 37 per cent are already using it and 33 per cent are testing it. In general, fleet owners display a positive attitude toward FMS, and 35 percent of respondents in a recent 2097 Frost & Sullivan survey consider it an absolute necessity. Large fleets are keener to adopt these solutions than small and medium fleets, clearly indicating a lack of awareness on the benefits offered by FMS among the latter.

Frost & Sullivan’s new customer research study, 2012 European Fleet Managers' Willingness to Pay for FMS, summarises the findings of the survey of 155 decision-makers and key influencers for FMS in Europe. The research revealed that fleet managers are satisfied with the FMS currently offered. In fact, productivity and fleet security – two of the top three criteria used during purchase – exceed expectations. On the other hand, fleet managers are dissatisfied with the savings made on insurance premiums and the lack of new services.

“Presently, vehicle management as well as fleet security and control are the most widely-used services in Europe,” said Frost & Sullivan customer research consultant Agnieszka Wolf. “However, offering driver and order management services will help FMS vendors retain existing customers as 35 percent of respondents are looking to buy these solutions in the next 36 months.”

Key points of interest (POI) in navigation systems include gas stations, repair stations, and speed restrictions. Respondents working in medium commercial vehicle (MCV) fleets were keen on all POI with particular interest in truck parking slots, road gradients, and restaurants.

Interestingly, respondents indicated that they would prefer dealing with one supplier per solution. Two out of three also said that they would choose brands offering prognostic technologies, which help predict the impending failure of a commercial vehicle.

No clear overall preference for a particular FMS vendor type was seen, although significant vendor preferences exist according to solution and country. While respondents in Germany, Italy and UK are more aware of systems from truck original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), only Germany and UK favour truck OEMs for all solutions. Fleet managers in Italy, France and Benelux favour specialised third-party or logistics and supply chain providers. Among specialised FMS providers, 1692 TomTom and 5635 Transics received the highest ratings.

“The survey reveals that the key decision maker for FMS purchase in fleets is top management,” said Wolf. “However, driver and trade unions appear to influence decisions in Italy and Benelux, especially in the case of large fleets with more than 100 vehicles.”

In terms of payment, general willingness to spend on fleet Telematics services is low. Fleet owners in France are most willing to pay for these services whereas those from Benelux are least inclined. Readiness to pay is also higher in MCV and heavy commercial vehicle fleets than light vehicle fleets. Profit-sharing business models too are gaining acceptance, particularly in France. In Benelux, the market is quite polarised and there is no clear penchant for profit sharing.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Fifth annual Inrix traffic scorecard released
    May 23, 2012
    Inrix, a leading international provider of traffic information and intelligent driver services, has released its fifth Annual Inrix Traffic Scorecard revealing a startling 30 per cent drop in traffic congestion in the US in 2011. In the report, which also scores Europe, 70 of America’s top 100 most populated cities showed decreases in traffic congestion last year. The report concludes these results are indicative of a ‘stop-’n’-go economy’ where lack of employment combined with high fuel prices is keeping A
  • South Africa's traffic management and enforcement gears up
    February 1, 2012
    Paul Vorster, CEO of ITS South Africa, takes a look at the national enforcement situation in the year when the country gears up to host the FIFA Soccer World Cup. There are four main drivers pushing the growth of ITS-related law enforcement within South Africa. These are: transport operations associated with hosting the FIFA Soccer World Cup 2010; traffic management linked to increasing congestion; the development of new public transport systems such as BRT; and vehicle and driver-related crime.
  • Electric bus sector is game changer for battery market
    March 4, 2016
    According to Dr Victoria Adesanya-Aworinde, technology analyst at IDTechEx, the electric bus (e-bus) market is growing at a CAGR of 20 per cent in terms of unit sales. She says the rapid growth is a game changer for the battery market as electric buses require large-sized batteries ranging from 74 kWh (fast charging e-bus) to over 300 kWh (slow charging e-bus). IDTechEx Research forecasts that the e-bus battery market will overtake the consumer electronics sector by 2020. The new IDTechEx Research repor
  • The great pay divide
    April 2, 2014
    Public acceptance is crucial for the acceptance of managed and express lanes as Jon Masters discovers. Lists of proposed highway expansion projects introducing variably priced toll lanes continue to lengthen. Managed lanes, or express lanes to some, are gaining support as a politically favourable way of adding capacity and reducing acute congestion on principal highways. In Florida, for example, the managed lanes on the 95 Express are claimed to have significantly increased average peak-time speeds on tolle