Fleet management is evolving, and experienced professionals are increasingly turning to telematics to enhance vehicle performance and operational efficiency. GPS-based and in-cab tech solutions that furnish managers and operators with real-time data are helping to keep vehicles in top-notch condition and ironing out all sorts of costly and sometimes dangerous inefficiencies in ways never before possible. This is proving true not just for municipal vehicles used year-round, but season-specific ones, too.
Telematics is proving beneficial for snowplow operators, and with winter on the way, snowplow fleet managers should know how telematics can keep down costs while improving winter fleet productivity. So read on to learn about the ROI of snowplow telematics, and warm up to deploying it this winter!
When you invest in snowplow telematics solutions, you’re investing in a way to bring your overall costs down by tightening up your use of resources, getting your plows out where they’re needed and back faster, making sure the job is done correctly and efficiently, and reducing the kind of costly accidents that result both from big machinery on dangerous winter roads, and from commuters driving on roads that aren’t sufficiently cleared. Telematics makes this possible by enhancing your ability to plan routes, monitor material usage, and keep vehicles in good shape.
Telematics’ ROI in winter fleet management can be huge. It comes down using data right.
The data that telematics solutions report back from your snowplows can give you an insight into what is really going on out on those snowy roads, and how you can tighten up small inefficiencies that may have been cutting into your profits all along. Telematics platforms capture metrics like:
Seeing how much money goes into clearing a lane, you can tweak operations and routes to bring that number down, reducing costs while providing the same excellent level of service.
Monitoring resource usage lets you do business more intentionally and economically, putting salt and gas costs, which you might be treating as sunk losses, more in your control. When you track resources, you can reduce waste and save money.
Knowing how long your machines have been running lets you flag them for a once-over and keep them running longer and in much better shape, winter over winter.
Public agencies are often held accountable when roads aren’t adequately cleared or maintained, especially during winter storms. Telematics provides the critical data needed to demonstrate compliance with service standards from route completion and plow deployment times to salt usage and vehicle location. When claims arise from the public, having accurate, time-stamped records and even video footage can help municipalities respond quickly and confidently, reducing the risk of costly legal disputes and reinforcing public trust.
There are more and more real-life case studies appearing that show telematics improving measurable fleet performance and achieving unprecedented savings and success.
Take Port Colborne in Ontario, which deployed a suite of Geotab and DiCAN solutions to optimize its municipal fleets. After they began using telematics, their newfound ability to track salt purchased, deployed, and returned greatly tightened up their resource budget.
Telematics also helped the municipality address insurance claims. Having precise information and video footage about where their vehicles were, when, prevented tedious, drawn-out investigations and led to quicker-than-ever resolutions.
And with telematics insurance claims are not only processed faster, they’re reduced overall, because cleaner roads mean fewer claims, and the route- and operations-optimizing powers of telematics leads to cleaner roads for the municipalities that use it.
Snowplow telematics’ benefits are proving to be real and myriad, and one solution that supercharges winter fleet productivity is Plow Pilot.
On snowplows, knowing when and where plow activity occurs is essential — especially when defending service levels or responding to public claims. Plow Pilot is a simple, tamper-proof, in-cab device that tracks whether the plow is up or down, giving fleet managers clear visibility into plow deployment in real time.
Unlike traditional sensors that rely on hydraulic pressure or proximity and are prone to damage or misalignment, Plow Pilot is built to withstand the rigours of winter operations. It delivers consistent, reliable data without the maintenance headaches.
With Plow Pilot in place, you can:
Plow Pilot helps municipalities stay compliant, reduce operational uncertainty, and improve service accountability — all without the usual sensor-related disruptions. Reach out to DiCAN to get started with Plow Pilot this winter.