Stop letting fleet data go to waste

As fleets go all-in on tech, bringing more systems and software on board, data might be housed in disparate systems because it’s convenient and easy.

That could be a big mistake. With siloed data, trucking executives miss out on a bird's-eye view, a full picture of their fleet. Centralizing data can bring everything together, making operations more efficient and eliminating a potential drag on profits. 

How can trucking companies adopt tech and build a solid data foundation? We asked Andrew Bartholomew, a market insights analyst at Fleetio, to weigh in. At Fleetio, a fleet maintenance and optimization platform, Bartholomew uses research, trends and customer feedback insights to inform strategies and improve value for customers. 

—Written and edited by the Inside Lane team

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What's the biggest mistake you see trucking firms make when it comes to their fleet data?

A big mistake many trucking fleets make is neglecting the accuracy, completeness and integrity of their fleet data. Historical records on inspections and maintenance sometimes have gaps or inaccuracies; often, this is a result of poor record-keeping and quality checks. When flawed data is imported into a fleet optimization platform, subsequent reports and analyses can become skewed. Key metrics like cost per mile or service intervals are only as good as the underlying data. This can not only distort a fleet’s understanding of performance, but it may also undermine trust in the tool and decisions made on that data.  

The most successful fleets recognize that building a solid data foundation is a challenging but essential step towards better decisions and results. They invest time in validating and cleaning records before digital migration, knowing that a business can only make the right moves with reliable input data.

How does centralizing data in one platform benefit a trucking company? 

Bringing maintenance, fuel, parts, telematics, compliance and inspection information together on one platform can reduce time spent and unlock deeper maintenance analysis. Rather than pulling telematics from one tool, fuel from another and then maintenance logs elsewhere, managers can see the entire picture of an asset’s health, costs and value in one place. With this approach, organizations can more precisely report the total cost per mile and true lifetime cost of every truck in a fleet. The streamlined visibility allows leaders to spot emerging trends faster, make confident decisions about when to replace equipment, and prioritize preventive maintenance that reduces unexpected breakdowns. 

Without centralization, data lives in silos, which increases administrative workload, masks inefficiencies and hides expenses that eat into profitability. Ultimately, a single, well-integrated platform supports faster, data-informed action and ensures that costs are documented and accounted for.

In your work with trucking companies, what have you seen that sets the highest-performing fleets apart from the rest?

The fleets that outperform the competition invest in setting smart goals, regularly review reports and analytics related to those goals, and follow through with action. They build dashboards that track granular metrics, such as cost-per-mile, downtime, preventive maintenance compliance and technician productivity, often segmenting the data by vehicle type, region or cost center. These organizations prioritize their biggest challenges, diagnose the root causes and track their performance using analytics that forecast when repairs, replacements or interventions are needed, combining OEM recommendations with their internal trends. High-performing fleets also set and reinforce clear standards and key performance indicators, routinely recognizing and rewarding staff for hitting benchmarks. This approach not only cultivates a culture of accountability but also boosts morale and increases retention. By continuously measuring, forecasting and celebrating successes, these fleets are able to stretch their resources further and adapt quickly to new challenges.

What's your No. 1 piece of advice to small fleets to adopt technology without breaking the bank?

Focus on solving one high-impact problem at a time. Rather than attempting an intensive and protracted overhaul, identify the most painful or expensive bottleneck, such as inspection compliance, maintenance scheduling or cost tracking, and prioritize tackling that area first with the right processes and tools. 

When selecting software, choose a platform with intuitive workflows and automation capabilities, so your team doesn’t waste valuable time on manual data entry and is more likely to buy into the change. This measured approach helps build momentum and confidence in digital tools. Once proven, additional modules and processes can be added gradually, aligning investment with realized value and minimizing both risk and disruption for the organization.

What excites you about the future of data and technology in the trucking industry?

The future promises significant advances in fleet technology and data management. Fleet managers are demanding systems that automate data collection, eliminate the need for duplicate entries and virtually eliminate costly transcription errors. The best solutions now offer modern, intuitive interfaces and automate workflows based on actual maintenance history and real-time asset health. By connecting smart maintenance workflows and synchronous fuel and telematics, these platforms enable deeper, more actionable insights, automatically flag maintenance needs and continually update asset status with minimal human intervention. 

This technological evolution frees trucking professionals from repetitive administrative work, empowering them to spend more time honing operations, improving fleet performance and focusing on the company’s core mission. Smarter systems are leading to better efficiency, safety and overall profitability across the trucking industry.

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The Inside Lane is curated and written by Shefali Kapadia and edited by Bianca Prieto.