Mercedes-Benz Trucks will roll out a new telematics system at next week’s Brisbane Truck Show using an Australian-developed software platform.
Telematics is a management tool that is being rolled out by many of the track makers to make fleet management easier. The system uses factory fitted hardware within the truck to provide information to fleet operators on maintenance and use.
Mercedes’ new telematics offering also includes apps for both the driver and fleet manager in order to increase transparency and convenience.
The telematics app allows the fleet operator to view a large amount of real time data on each truck, including vehicle location, driving behaviour, alerts such speeding, sudden braking instances, geofence breaches and other features.
According to Mercedes-Benz Truck and Bus director Michael May, the new software will streamline fleet management.
“We are very excited to introduce Mercedes-Benz Telematics to our Australian customers,” May said.
“It is a fantastic innovative fleet management product that we believe will deliver a whole raft of benefits for our customers.”
The hardware required for the telematics system comes standard on new generation models but can be retrofitted to selected models.
The system also allows for alerts to be sent regarding extreme vehicle incidents, as well as an alert if movement of the vehicle is detected when the ignition is not on.
The Mercedes system relies on Telstra’s 3G network as well as on-board memory that can retain three months of data when not in phone range. It also features a battery back-up and encrypted cloud storage.
Merc’s senior truck and bus manager Andrew Assimo says it is tailored to conditions downunder and the brand recognised the differences to European markets.
“We have taken our time to develop a telematics system specifically for our Australian customers that includes all the elements they need to get the most out of their trucks,” Assimo said.
“We trialled Mercedes-Benz Telematics during the lengthy evaluation program for the new generation truck range and we are now even more confident that operators will really benefit from this great product,” he added.
