There is no doubt that in today’s trucking arena, a telematics system has become a must for any fleet in South Africa. It’s no longer a ‘nice to have’. It’s a ‘must have’ and this for numerous reasons.
It is because of this that Fleetboard, the Mercedes-Benz telematics solution, is now part of the standard package for the Actros range as well as selected Arocs distribution models with effect from 1 January 2021.
What is more interesting though is that Fleetboard, which has been offered on the Actros range since 2009 but not as standard as it is now, is also being made available for other vehicle makes.
FleetWatch sees this as an interesting move for it now pits Fleetboard, which is a Merc proprietary system, up against other telematics offerings from non-OEM systems suppliers. So while it could well broaden the market potential for Fleetboard, it now becomes a competitor to companies like cTrack, MiX Telematics, Cartrack, Netstar and others. Me’thinks we need to find out a bit more about this move.
Available in South Africa for many years, there is no doubt that the Fleetboard system has established itself as a leading telematics solution for Mercedes-Benz Truck customers. It boasts multiple benefits such as performance analysis and reports for vehicles and drivers, mapping and trip records including accurate fuel consumption, service and maintenance management as well as expert training and analysis.
Mercedes-Benz Trucks Southern Africa understands that managing a fleet can be stressful and hard to keep up with and believes this strategic decision will be beneficial to customers in the long-haul and distribution segment. Effective utilization of the system within these industries means that the truck can go further for longer, contributing to added savings in the long-run. It’s all about lower total cost, greater safety and maximised use for customers.
It will be interesting to see, however, which operators will use Fleetboard on different makes of vehicles – and why? Time will tell – and then we’ll tell.
