Mack Offers Free Trial of Telematics, Launches Real-Time Updates
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Mack Trucks announced a free 30-day trial of its fleet management services provided in conjunction with Telogis, and, separately, launched a series of performance-related over-the-air updates.
Mack is focused on taking “the complexity out of telematics and making it more of a service and service experience,” David Pardue, vice president of connected vehicles and uptime services for Mack Trucks, said during a presentation that was part of the Technology & Maintenance Council annual meeting here. TMC is a division of American Trucking Associations.
“We don’t focus as much on IT or user interface. But we really put a lot of time and energy in understanding the customer’s expectations from the service ... and how we can drive an informed decision through the service,” Pardue said.
Mack is a unit of Sweden-based Volvo Group. Telogis is a unit of Verizon Co.
Its telematics service, Telogis Fleet provides real-time visibility of truck and driver performance using proprietary data captured through Mack’s factory-installed GuardDog Connect telematics hardware that is aimed at monitoring and repair planning, Mack said.
That information includes diagnostic data, driver behavior scorecards, vehicle location and history, and real-time alerts, Mack said.
Trucks equipped with Mack MP engines and GuardDog Connect hardware built after 2014 are eligible for the free trial, and up to 10 trucks per customer can be included, Pardue said.
No additional hardware is required, and activation is completed over the air, Mack said.
The original equipment manufacturer said it had 50,000 connected vehicles, and 72% of its customers have some form of an extended telematics subscription. It is offered free for the first two years of vehicle ownership.
“Customer use, customer engagement drives more of those ‘ah-ha’ moments than sales information,” Pardue said.
Also, its newly launched over-the-air updates are of two kinds, Mack said. One covers powertrain components. The other is intended to maximize performance when duty cycles change based on load type and geographic area.
Updates will be available for all Mack models equipped with GuardDog Connect and Mack’s 2017 engines.
