94% of Irish fleet managers trust data to deliver business benefits, with over half highlighting privacy and security issues need to be solved - Geotab analysis

• Top uses for data in Ireland include improving efficiency (31%), assessing fleet safety (14.3%), and reaching sustainability goals (14.3%)
• 26% of respondents believe they have the necessary data to develop valuable insights, while 37% would need a wider set of data, and 18% think the data they leverage is not reliable enough
• Larger fleets utilise more fleet management solutions, chosen by 91.5% of 50-499 vehicles per fleet vs 78% of 5-49 vehicles fleets
• The benefits of data insights are hindered by the lack of interoperability and business systems coordination, impacting specifically larger companies (50% of 50-999 vehicles per fleet vs 34% of the total) 
• Sustainability is lagging in fleet data use as only 34% of fleet managers leverage data to reach their sustainability goals, however the usage is higher among larger fleets (53% of 500-4999 vehicles per fleet use CO2 emissions data vs 29% of total) 
• AI viewed with cautious lens: 40% of respondents agree it will somewhat simplify the use of data analytics, but it will also add layers of complexity

Dublin, 16 October 2024 – Data insights are critical to enable better cost management, performance and safety, but still need to be fully leveraged to reach sustainability goals. This is the key finding from the EU survey “Trusted data insights: what are your vehicles telling you?”, conducted by Geotab – a global leader in connected transportation solutions. 

Announced ahead of Mobility Connect 2024, Geotab’s premier European event that will take place on October 22^nd in Milan, the study surveyed fleet managers in Ireland, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Spain and the UK. The aim is to assess current companies’ maturity levels in terms of data usage, while identifying challenges and improvement areas. 

“As data collection continues to grow rapidly, it’s vital for companies to leverage insights to deliver business value. The effectiveness of data is strengthened by advanced tools such as AI and analytics. As the mobility market addresses challenges in safety, sustainability, and performance, leveraging data insights will remain invaluable” said Phil Barnes, Geotab Business Development Manager, UK and Ireland. 

Spotlight on Efficiency

The survey highlighted that improving efficiency is the primary business need for which fleet managers are already leveraging data: whether it is for cost optimisation (55%) or enhancing operations management (45%), data is mainly used to achieve higher performance. Similarly, the data about fuel consumption is very much monitored (71%), with peaks of 74% and 79% in Ireland and the UK.

The rising adoption of data-driven fleet management solutions is closely related to a focus on reducing operational costs and improving performance, reflecting the current business landscape and priorities. 

When adopting a data collection strategy, fleet managers look for real-time management (55%), regulatory compliance ease (47%), consistency across different data sets and sources (45%) and process transparency (40%).

Sustainability unexplored

Where efficiency is the main priority, improving sustainability does not yet seem to be a high priority. When dealing with telematic solutions, CO2 emissions-related data are among the least considered metrics, and sustainability-related aspects are the least observed benefit of data insights usage. 

Similarly, sustainability does not appear to be a pressing concern as most fleet managers believe their organisation’s emissions targets can be achieved on time (44.5%) or even ahead of the deadline (31%). 

The research shows a common need for businesses to prioritise sustainability and integrate CO2 tracking into their fleet data systems. 

“As emissions regulations become more stringent, especially in Europe, companies will be required to use their data insights for reporting and compliance purposes. Telematics providers play a crucial role in not only offering advanced solutions for data collection and analysis, but also in assisting fleet managers on their sustainability journeys and support around projected challenges”, Geotab’s Phil Barnes added. 

The road to Innovation goes through AI

The study highlighted that more advanced tools (49%), faster data access (47%) and simplified reporting (46%) would enable fleet managers to better leverage data insights. Identifying the main area of improvement for telematics, such as the lack of interoperability among systems, is relatively high in Ireland where 42% of fleet managers identify it as the main reason for not relying on data. 

Artificial Intelligence is valued but not quite fully understood. 51% of respondents believe AI will enhance their ability to access data easily and quickly to drive actionable insights. However, 40% of respondents  believe it will also add layers of complexity. 

Larger companies seem to be more optimistic about AI: 64% of 500-4999 vehicle fleets believe it will improve the ability to access data easily and quickly to drive actionable insights. 

It is also interesting to notice that trust levels in AI vary by region. Respondents in Ireland (43%) and the UK (32%) appear skeptical (43%), where greater trust has been expressed in France (64%), Italy (60%) and Netherlands (59%). Spain (52%) and Germany (51%) sit in the middle.

The potential of AI to deliver valuable data insights can be significant, as it will improve ease of use, enabling better decision making and outcomes. 

Safety remains a key priority 

Among the goals for which fleet data are used, 42% of respondents highlighted leveraging it to assess safety. 

This varies, however, according to fleet size: medium-sized (from 50 to 499 vehicles) and large ones (from 500 to 4999 vehicles) use data more for safety goals, reporting an average of 51% and 47% respectively. 

43% of fleet managers use telematics data to monitor drivers behavior, with some variation among countries, where Ireland (36%) comes in behind other European countries such as Germany (54%), Spain (47%), Netherlands (44%), and Italy (42%).

While data insights prove to be useful for addressing safety concerns, some privacy and security aspects also need to be considered – so much so that 49% of fleet managers highlighted believe the industry still needs to address some issues on that side.  

Overall, the research shows that data insights improve cost management, performance and safety. While adoption is increasing, challenges remain regarding the speed and access to data insights, as well as a cautious approach to AI, and the need to leverage data for sustainability goals. 

Methodological note

The data included in the press release result from a survey conducted by Dynata on behalf of Geotab in the period July-September 2024, on a sample of more than 400 fleet managers in Ireland, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Spain and UK.