American truck manufacturer, Mack, has announced an expansion of its GuardDog telematics platform, in a partnership with Telogis. Thanks to this team up, it’s now set to offer a new Mack Fleet Management Service suite, which bundles hardware and software into a new simple system that’s all inclusive.
Using the Guard Dog system as a base, the new Mack and Telogis partnership builds off of it to offer some specifically designed packages to telematics customers. They come in three different packages and will be available (and pre-installed) in all new Mack Pinnacle, Granite and Titan truck models. The packages are inspired by Telogis’ own telematics offerings: Telogis Compliance and Navigation, Telogis Fleet and Mack Fleet Management Services, which offers a combination of both former packages.
The first, Comliance and Navigation, offers customers a comprehensive satellite navigation tool, getting them get from A-B in the most efficient manner possible. It also updates road conditions for drivers on a constant basis, drawing on over 140,000 other commercial vehicles operating in North America to provide up to the minute reports, which can really help avoid trouble spots and traffic jams. This package also allows fleet managers to keep a better eye on where their drivers are at all times, thereby making sure they don’t take too many personal journeys or rack up too many out of hours miles.
Mack trucks feature some of the most iconic designs in America
Telogis Fleet is a more comprehensive package that’s focused on giving managers more information on their drivers. It gives real time location data which can help coordinate drivers over long distances, but also provides comprehensive data on how employees are driving, letting managers give them training if they’re found to be getting a bit too heavy footed with the accelerator and/or brake, which can easily lead to increased vehicle wear over time. Fuel economy can also be monitored, with drivers given specific instructions to help improve it, thereby saving the business even more money.
The third options combines data from the first too packages to provide high-performance tools for both the drivers and fleet managers, helping keep trucks heading in the right direction, cutting back on fuel and vehicle wear costs and allowing everyone to watch the vitals of the vehicle in real time, so should a problem occur it can be rectified immediately.
“The key here is information and choice,” stresses David Pardue, vice president of business development at Mack (via EquipmentWorld). “We know fleets don’t want data. They want usable information. That’s why we have designed all three packages to be completely flexible and convenient. Fleet managers can customize the coverage and information they receive to meet the entire application range Mack trucks work in today: Everything from construction and vocational applications to regional and long-haul delivery segments.”
While Mack’s Guard Dog packages have been well received before, this new system offers a much more comprehensive look at the data being collected from the trucks and will hopefully allow for much more nuanced management of supporting fleets around the world.
Image Source: Ted Gresham
