Should we upgrade the telematics unit in our box trucks for better roi?

[CharlesS]

I'm looking at the cost of replacing the telematics unit in a few of our older box trucks and the quote is giving me serious pause. I know the data on fuel efficiency and routing is valuable, but I'm starting to wonder if the ROI is still there on vehicles we might cycle out in the next two or three years.

[MadisonMS]

We replaced a telematics unit in two older box trucks last year. The upfront cost stung, but we ended up seeing a 6 to 8 percent fuel drop after we cleaned up idle time and tweaked routes. The math came in around 12 to 18 months, which would be okay if we keep the trucks longer than that, but with a 2 to 3 year cycle it starts to blur.

[Thomas99]

We did a 90 day pilot on one unit and the savings were basically nothing. The routes were already pretty tight, and drivers ignored the recommended idling reductions. It felt like we bought the unit for a future we weren't sure we'd have.

[Timothy14]

Do you have a clear metric for success beyond fuel and routing? Maybe the real value is maintenance alerts or resale value.

[Brian.W]

Meanwhile I started focusing on driver habits and found that a lot of the fuel loss came from late lane changes and slow starts; the data helped call out issues, not install a new unit. Still, if you keep trucks long enough, the data is useful; with a 2 to 3 year horizon you may not recoup.