Skip to main content

Trailer telematics a catalyst for fleet optimisation, Finds Frost & Sullivan

The trailer telematics market is fast developing into a major growth engine for the commercial vehicles telematics market in Europe. Immense opportunities await telematics vendors as a majority of the trailer population in Europe (as well as North America) remains underpenetrated. Within the trailer telematics market, trailer location and tracking is the most developed application. However, security concerns and the need for effective mobile asset monitoring and management are creating several new applicati
July 2, 2012 Read time: 3 mins
RSSThe trailer telematics market is fast developing into a major growth engine for the commercial vehicles telematics market in Europe. Immense opportunities await telematics vendors as a majority of the trailer population in Europe (as well as North America) remains underpenetrated.

Within the trailer telematics market, trailer location and tracking is the most developed application. However, security concerns and the need for effective mobile asset monitoring and management are creating several new applications that are positioned in the growth development phase. The cost of trailer telematics hardware is declining, and fleets and leasing companies, along with their customers, are realising the benefits of several emerging telematics solutions.

New analysis from Frost & Sullivan, Strategic Analysis of the European Trailer Telematics Market, finds that the potential size of the market is vast and not fully penetrated; less than five per cent in a pool of approximately 2.3 million trailers. However, this is estimated to rise to 18.2 per cent in a pool of nearly 3.1 million trailers in 2017. The research examines the penetration of telematics in trailers, especially in reefer, dry box, tanker, curtain sider and flatbed trailers.

“Consolidation, horizontal collaboration and joint ventures among logistics operators is expected to increase the need for an integrated supply chain solutions provider providing end-to-end asset visibility,” notes Frost & Sullivan senior research analyst Niranjan Manohar.

To stay in business and survive competition, fleets must maximise efficiency in all aspects of their operations. Fleets are becoming aware of the tremendous productivity maximisation benefits that trailer telematics can offer to their day-to-day operations, thereby reducing costs.

As trailers are an integral part of freight movement, enhancing elements such as productivity, security, and utilisation of these mobile assets that haul the bulk of industrial and consumer goods in Europe, is emerging as a key issue.

“As the fleets’ and leasing companies’ operations get increasingly interfaced with that of their customers, the need for effective trailer tracking for productivity improvement is more critical now than ever before,” explains Manohar.

Efforts are being made to standardise enabling technologies and to absorb steady price declines, without compromising on profitability. In the medium-term, price-sensitiveness of the market is expected to ensure a future where price declines in both hardware and services market will be evident.

“Aftermarket vendors are re-thinking their strategies and have decided to form  partnerships with other  trailer telematics vendors to market and test their respective low- to high-end trailer solutions, allowing them to gauge and understand the industry know how’s,” remarks Manohar.

Ultimately, telematics vendors offering services that are reliable and superior in quality are expected to be the most sought after. Participants will need to provide the right product and service mix to strengthen their value proposition.

Related Content

  • May 18, 2012
    Developing markets to drive commercial telematics systems to $12 billion by 2016
    Fleet management and trailer tracking system revenues will grow at a CAGR of 19.4 per cent in the next five years, rising from about US$5 billion in 2011 to exceed $12 billion in 2016. ABI Research Telematics and Navigation Group Director Dominique Bonte comments: "While commercial telematics in developed markets such as North America and Western Europe is reaching maturity, especially in the trucking segment, the major growth in future is expected to come from developing regions where safety and security r
  • May 31, 2013
    European market for EV charging stations expected to grow
    New analysis from Frost and Sullivan, Strategic Technology and Market Analysis of Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure in Europe, finds that the market for electric (EV) charging stations is expected to grow rapidly from 7,250 charging stations in 2012 to over 3.1 million by 2019 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 113.3 per cent over the period 2012-2019. France, Germany, Norway and the United Kingdom are expected to lead the market due to the high adoption rates of EVs in these countries.
  • March 14, 2012
    Container tracking systems set for major growth
    According to a new research report from the analyst firm Berg Insight, the number of active remote container tracking units deployed on intermodal shipping containers was 77,000 in Q4-2011.
  • May 14, 2015
    eCall mandate: a cost burden for car manufacturers?
    The European Parliament has mandated that all newly approved car and light-van models will have to be equipped with eCall boxes as standard fitment from 31 March 2018. eCall boxes are emergency call devices enabling rescue services to respond with faster road assistance based on knowledge of the exact location of the accident. The 2014 ban on telephone roaming charges across Europe will establish a favourable scenario for an interoperable eCall or telematics solution. However, while the European Commissi