OEM powertrain integration will ultimately disrupt the telematics industry – but in a good way, according to Matthew Pfaffenback, director of telematics, Daimler Trucks North America.
Speaking at the ALK Transportation Technology Summit Pfaffenback said the OEM has “a lot to gain or lose” in terms of telematics when it comes to supporting the vehicle in the field.
As reported by HDT, he noted that while fleets have discovered the importance of telematics, many of them doubt the ability of individual OEMs to design telematics offerings for their specific needs, which has led to the proliferation of third-party vendors supplying these systems.
While telematics service providers have become well established, the key is the ability of these services to integrate with a fleet’s existing systems, Pfaffenback said. He added that stand-alone services are left-alone services and that fleets are driven to consolidate their applications rather than split them apart. As a result, new services that do not integrate well with existing processes are unlikely to be adopted.
The lesson, Pfaffenback said, is that both OEMs and telematics service providers have to adapt. He added that the OEM focus should be about information truck customers cannot get anywhere else, and that OEMs must develop connectivity solutions that complement the solutions already provided by telematics service providers.
