Beverley Wise, director UK & Ireland, Webfleet Solutions on what 2022 will bring for fleets from a digital transformation perspective.

Beverley Wise, sales director UK & Ireland, TomTom Telematics

The pandemic may have amplified the urgency for business digitisation, but the relentless evolution of technology was revolutionising how we work long before Covid-19 struck.

Year-on-year, disruptive innovations and developments in the internet of things (IoT) have been automating and simplifying a range of business tasks, unlocking the door to improvements in efficiency and productivity.

Historically, time and cost constraints have meant that tech adoption has been a more challenging undertaking for SMEs than for their larger counterparts. Over recent months however, they’ve been rapidly playing catch-up and joining the echelons of the digirati.

According to a study by Webfleet Solutions, since the start of 2020 SMEs have led businesses’ efforts to digitise, with smaller fleets of up to 50 vehicles accounting for 80% of the tech adopters.

Inevitably, the pandemic has acted as a forced pilot in some quarters as remote working models took centre stage. Indeed, reducing the spread of infection was highlighted by more than half of fleet decision-makers (51%) as a reason for adopting more digital solutions.

It wasn’t, however, the only one. The drive to increase efficiency, cited by 55% of those surveyed, and a continued commitment to sustainability (49%) were also found to be key influencing factors. Irrespective of Covid’s direction of travel, these motivators are unlikely to abate any times soon.

As the 2022 starting gun fires, for the world of fleet transport, an exciting year of new digital transformation opportunities beckons.

As ever, these will demand strategic thinking among fleet decision-makers to ensure solutions are embraced that help meet real-world business challenges head-on, maximising both ROI (return on investment) and VOI (value on investment).

Mobility moves

As efforts to make business travel more sustainable and costs-effective continue, and as employees demand ever greater choice and flexibility around their business journeys, mobility management is gaining notable traction.

Supporting this trend is the rise of Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS), with tech solutions seeing the integration of everything from journey planning to payment services across all modes of transport, whether public or private. This trend looks set to accelerate as business models continue to evolve.

Telematics platforms and connected vehicle data have a pivotal role to play here, generating vital cost and behaviour intelligence to help optimise the financial, efficiency and sustainability impact of mobility decisions.

Fleet businesses will be increasingly called upon to devise robust mobility strategies, introduce mobility budgets and allowances and embrace tech solutions that improve vehicle utilisation, reduce costs and minimise their environmental impact.

Raising the fleet technology bar

Fleet technology has never stood still and the advancements we’re seeing today are as innovative and transformative as ever.

The next-generation telematics systems, for example, offer complete end-to-end visibility, high levels of interoperability, the marrying of vehicle data with artificial intelligence (AI), and are making fleet management and maintenance predictive and preventive, rather than reactive.

Integrated camera solutions, for example, can now combine vehicle and driving data with advanced machine vision and AI-powered camera tech to give managers a more complete picture of how their vehicles are operating to improve safety.

Energy-efficient tyres, meanwhile, are being developed with increasingly sophisticated engineering to minimise rolling resistance.

Navigating the evolving tech maze in the months ahead calls for prudence, due diligence and sight of clear tech development roadmaps from prospective suppliers to ensure future proof investments in a fast-changing market.

The electric transport revolution

We may only be at the start of our e-mobility journey, but we have already come a long way in a short space of time.

With more EV models to choose from, improving charging infrastructure and the promise of compelling Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) savings, business fleets are helping lead the charge.

Glance to the horizon and the business case over next 12 months looks set to become ever stronger as government regulations tighten and the roll-out of Low Emission Zones (LEZs) gathers pace.

The adoption of EV software solutions will, consequently, become increasingly important as fleets look for support in making the electric transition, developing fleet charging strategies, optimising EV operations and realising lower TCO.

Harness the smart data intelligence being made available from systems such as Webfleet and fleets should find themselves better placed to ensure EVs are procured in the most cost-effective way, that vehicles are fully charged when they need to be, that drivers are plugging in to the most energy-efficient tariffs, that vehicles are being utilised efficiently and are driven in a manner that maximises their electric miles.

The digital road ahead for fleet transport is an exciting one, plot a strategically considered course that supports operations and wider business objectives and you may find you’ve grasped the golden tech ticket to a more efficient, sustainable and financially secure future.