REGULATORY TELEMATICS REVIEW NEEDED TO FUTURE-PROOF TRANSPORT INDUSTRY
Teletrac Navman welcomes the opportunity to provide input into forthcoming government report

 

Sydney, Australia, December 18, 2017 – With telematics providing increasing benefits for the transport industry, Teletrac Navman today applauded the National Transport Commission (NTC) initiative to examine current deployment and future opportunities. A thorough review will expose greater efficiencies to both operators and regulators and without it, Australia could lack a platform that delivers certainty to the industry and community.

Telematics is fast becoming the backbone of the transport system. It’s grown into a sophisticated platform that provides useful data, greater oversight and streamlined processes. Teletrac Navman’s own research, the 2017 Telematics Benchmark Report: Australian Transport Edition suggests that 88 per cent of transport business either use telematics or will implement it in the next 12 months.

With such wide adoption, there’s enormous potential. The existing National Telematics Framework laid the groundwork in creating a usable system that was scalable enough to support future developments. Refinement will help in the move to automation and driverless vehicles as they transform the industry.

“As the leading provider of telematics in Australia, Teletrac Navman is grateful to provide insight on heavy vehicle telematics use for regulatory and equally as importantly – non-regulatory applications. A trusted, standardised framework means operators can easily ensure compliance, and provide assurance of it to regulators. This certainty enables a flexible approach to policy that befits a modern transport infrastructure,” says Andrew Rossington, Vice President- Transtech, a division of Teletrac Navman.

A strong foundation

Telematics is already providing many oversight functions

• Intelligent Access Program (IAP): heavy vehicles with approved remote monitoring technology can operate at higher mass limits and get access to road networks.
• On Board Mass (OBM) systems: using the IAP to provide assurance of weight, OBM allows operators in some states to use increased payloads or vehicle combinations on roads or access road assets that would otherwise be off-limits.
• Fuel-Tax Credits (FTC): many operators are eligible for rebates on certain types of fuel use. Telematics generates accurate and auditable Australian Taxation Office (ATO) claims.
• Applications that assist in the adherence to the Chain of Responsibility, a key focus for operators given the upcoming changes to the NHVL in 2018.

Telematics is only getting started

With NTC research suggesting that Australia’s freight task will increase by 26 per cent in the next decade, it’s crucial to manage it effectively. There’s potential to use trusted data collection for easier compliance and improved road network management, including:

• Asset protection: guard public infrastructure from overweight or over height vehicles.
• Safer roads: monitor and correct driver behaviour, including speeding and harsh braking.
• Route adherence: making sure that dangerous goods are only moved along approved networks.
• Waste management: assurance that potentially dangerous goods are disposed of correct.
• Tolls and last mile charging: the ability to grant access to and charge vehicles for road and port usage in a manageable fashion.
• Road User Charge (RUC): replace some existing fees for heavy vehicles with a charge determined by the distance travelled.
• Fatigue management: electronic work diaries (EWDs) automatically calculate work and rest times and demonstrate compliance.
• Traffic management: real time planning based on actual information to minimise congestion.

The Path Forward

The National Telematics Framework creates a reliable platform to develop applications that provide transport operators with a degree of certainty not found in general telematics applications. Expanding regulatory applications will allow further access benefits, overcome ‘last mile’ issues, create accurate and fair charging and tolling mechanisms.

The pathway to autonomous vehicles will also be assisted by the wider uptake of standards based telematics.

“Wider embrace of a standardised and trusted telematics platform is a crucial step forward to Australia realising greater benefits now. It also provides a pathway to the future as Australia adopts autonomous driving. If we are going to share the road with a driverless vehicle we need a system that provides the peace-of-mind that it is operating in a safe and legal manner. These are decisions we need to make now, not in a few years” says Rossington.

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About Teletrac Navman

Teletrac Navman is a leading software-as-a-service (SaaS) provider leveraging location-based technology and services for managing mobile assets. With specialised solutions that deliver greater visibility into real-time insights and analytics, Teletrac Navman helps companies make better business decisions that enhance productivity and profitability. Its fleet and asset management technology uncover information that would otherwise go unseen, helping customers reduce risk and confidently move their business forward with certainty. It tracks and manages more than 500,000 vehicles and assets for more than 40,000 companies around the world. The company is headquartered in Glenview, IL, with additional offices in the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand and Mexico. For more information visit teletracnavman.com.

Media Contact:
Michael Frier, Spectrum Group
+612 941 261 06
teletracnavman@spectrumgroup.is