The case against

Paperwork, time management and legal concerns are key reasons why one fleet manager has decided against using a telematics system.

The fleet manager, who asked to remain anonymous, says: “We just had no budget for it to start with, but we trialled a system and it just didn’t work.”

Even the discovery of a dangerous driver who had to be trained to avoid a serious accident occurring wasn’t enough to justify introducing telematics.

The fleet manager says: “During the trial it identified someone who was speeding and there was some quite hideous driving, with lots of harsh cornering and braking alerts, so it did prove useful, but we didn’t have the time or the resources to manage all the data we were getting.

“In an ideal world, it would be great to have all this information and to be able to use it and manage all our risks.

"However, this isn’t an ideal world and we have enough to handle with managing the fleet on a day-to-day basis without having to cope with additional telematics reports.

As a result, she feels the best option is not to know about driver behaviour on the roads, except through prosecutions for speeding and accident reports.

The fleet manager points out that as this has worked for years, it is the best option instead of exposing the business to unnecessary risk by having data about driver behaviour which is then not acted upon.

She adds: “If we have all this information and we can’t act on it, what do we do if something happens? Where do we stand legally? If we had telematics data, we would have to act on it.

“Currently, if a driver speeds, then it is their problem, but if we have a telematics system installed, then every infringement will become our problem.

“You would need to employ another full-time person to be able to manage all the data and ensure it is acted on. In the current environment, we just couldn’t justify the investment.

“Telematics does have its place in some fleets, but it just isn’t something we would consider.”