Telematics has shaken off early concerns that it would be used mainly by overzealous fleet managers or insurance companies. Instead, the technology, which allows for real-time, remote monitoring and control of vehicles and driver performance, has been embraced by the logistics industry.
Its widespread use offers an alternative to a different sort of future in which highways operate like railways and users bid to access Road A during Time slot B for Price C.
“Trucking companies say this is science fiction,” says Alan McKinnon, professor of logistics at the Kühne Logistics University in Hamburg. “But traffic is growing faster than we are able to build road space. Telematics would be key to avoiding such an extreme response.”