Scania Australia breaks connected vehicle milestone

Local number of Scania trucks and buses utilising its fleet management offering passes 1,000

 

Scania Australia is celebrating its 1,000th vehicle in the country to be connected via its Scania OnBoard and Optimise fleet management platforms.

Introduced five years ago into the European markets, the fleet analysis offering allows transport operators to see vehicle and driver behaviour while their fleet is on the road.

In that period, the global number of ‘connected’ Scania trucks has reached 170,000, with almost 70,000 of those delivered in the past year.

Scania Australia driver services manager Alexander Sundin says the milestone refers to the number of vehicles with Scania Communicator installed; a piece of kit that has been standard for over a year and an optional extra beforehand.

The communicator allows the trucks and buses to connect with the Scania OnBoard and Scania Optimise solutions.

“Scania Driver Services was established to activate the full benefits of the Scania Communicator; the on-board data management centre that collects information on how the vehicle is performing and how it is being driven,” Sundin says.

“Not only can we pin-point areas of operation that can help reduce fuel use, but we can also identify opportunities to reduce driver fatigue, which reduces the potential for accidents.”

The Scania solution also provides follow-up coaching for drivers, with efficiency tips shared by the Scania Master Driver Trainers.

Describing the milestone as “exceptionally promising” as the solutions were introduced to local customers “just a few months ago”, Sundin says Scania “are confident the rate of adoption will continue to accelerate as fleet customers experience the full benefits of the OnBoard and Optimise programmes”.

 

Scania -Watch ,-connected ,-TT

The next step

Aiming to move further than driver and vehicle behaviour data, Scania is looking into tailored service and maintenance communication, based upon specific use and driving style rather than just distance travelled.

The company says its workshops in Europe have already started utilising data gained remotely to diagnose problems and reduce vehicle downtime during emergencies and planned services.

“Our customers are increasingly seeing the opportunities presented by connectivity in order to improve the efficiency of their vehicle performance and therefore reduce costs,” Scania connected services and solutions chief Mattias Lundholm says.

“Interest is growing in line with the extension of our connected services offer.”

The company says it is also looking into further expanding the Scania Watch (pictured above), its two-year-old wearable device that covers driving information, rest times, and data on the physical condition of the driver.

“The Scania Watch is the first example in our development of connected services, which extends far beyond communication with the actual vehicle and its electronic systems,” Lundholm says.

“In the future, operators and drivers will only need to perform two keystrokes – one to unlock their phone or tablet and one to click on a Scania icon – to be able to order anything from time at the workshop to food and other services at the next stop.”

 

 

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