Safety, Security and Fuel – Key themes in the 2018 New Zealand Telematics Benchmark Report

Growing concerns around road safety, customer data security, and the cost of fuel combined with a lower demand for new staff and vehicles are the key themes which shone through in the 2018 New Zealand Telematics Benchmark Report.

The 2018 report found that, compared with 2017, organisations were choosing not to expand their fleet or take on staff in large numbers. This is an indication that some industries are experiencing or expecting a slowdown in growth.

Fleet operators in New Zealand are juggling a quickly changing landscape, whilst keeping a sharp eye on current events. Technology is a key driver for change in the fleet management area, from driver safety technology and GPS fleet management software to EV and autonomous vehicles. Pair technology innovations with changes in laws and regulations, and you will find that fleet managers are increasingly tasked with guiding major business decisions.

The 2018 New Zealand Telematics Benchmark Report represents the survey answers of 250 Kiwi fleet management professionals in the transport, construction, manufacturing, retail, government and professional services industries. Here’s what fleet management professionals told us:

Demand for new staff and vehicles is waning

· Organisations not expecting to see any changes to their fleet size over the next year increased by 13 per cent from 2017.

· There was a corresponding drop in demand for new driver and equipment operator roles of 15 per cent.

· The number of organisations experiencing a driver shortage decreased by 21 per cent in 2018.

· Kiwis are split 50/50 on whether autonomous/self-driving vehicles will be commonly used in business operations within 10 years — with 12 per cent believing they never will.

Road safety is top of mind

· Amid the concerning road toll, driver warning and alerting technology took the lead for both emerging technologies that organisations are considering implementing in 2018 (26 per cent), and the technology that organisations expect to have the greatest impact on business operations in the future (36 per cent).

· Speed prevention is the top safety benefit realised by using telematics, cited by nearly half of respondents (46 per cent).

· Around one third of respondents (34 per cent) reported fewer accidents as a result of using telematics — an increase of 11 per cent from 2017.

Data security is a major concern

· Customer information/data is the top security concern in 2018 (42 per cent). The respondents choosing customer information/data as a top security concern increased by 11 per cent from last year.

· This rise could indicate concern around the upcoming General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) that may affect New Zealand companies doing business with European Union countries.

· 21 per cent were concerned about the security of employee information/data.

Fuel is becoming a larger expense

· Around a quarter of respondents (24 per cent) identified fuel as the largest expense area for organisations — a nine per cent jump from last year’s results.

Download the 2018 New Zealand Telematics Benchmark Report and learn more about telematics and fleet management in New Zealand.