Survey shows fleets face challenges in utilizing telematics data

When a fleet decides to invest in telematics, installation is just the beginning. Achieving the expected return on investment depends on actual usage. Although this concept seems obvious, the practical implementation is not easy.

A survey released by SambaSafety in October 2025 showed that 66% of fleets cited "interpreting data or taking action based on data" as the top telematics challenge. Respondents considered this challenge even more difficult than "linking drivers to data," "privacy concerns," and "data accuracy."

Addressing this pain point is crucial. Evan Ling, managing director at consulting firm Aarete, said freight is not a high-margin industry, and actionable insights from telematics data have the potential to improve profit margins. Understanding telematics capabilities does not equate to fully unlocking their potential.

"Across industries, we have all this data. For years, it has been 'data, data, data, big data analytics, big data,'" Ling said. "But how do we use this data? How do we leverage data to drive better decisions that improve profitability?"

Challenge escalates: device sprawl becomes a major obstacle

According to the SambaSafety survey, the main reason fleets struggle to interpret and act on data is "device sprawl," where multiple telematics devices generate multiple data streams that often differ in format and other aspects.

Tools such as cameras, black boxes, electronic logging devices (ELDs), applications, and OEM sensors may collect large amounts of data requiring different types of analysis. The survey showed that 70% of fleets use two or more devices to manage fleet safety, and 39% said they expect to add more devices in the next 12 months.

"This can make it difficult for safety or risk leaders to determine priorities," said Ashley Newbill, vice president of product marketing at SambaSafety, in an email. Newbill added that although this issue is not new, it has become more prevalent as telematics adoption rises and fleets add devices.

Ling noted that some telematics solutions on the market can provide a unified platform for multiple tools, but not all fleets have the resources to invest in such aggregation platforms. Additionally, this does not eliminate what Ling calls "paralysis by analysis"—a situation that can occur when fleets face massive amounts of data.

But for large, well-resourced fleets, the antidote to data overload is integrating data into their own positioning. Ling said, "I've heard a saying: a fleet is not necessarily a trucking company, but a data company that happens to have trucks."

Leveraging the power of technology teams

Matt Godfrey, president of ABF Freight, said the company has more than 500 in-house programmers, developers, and other technology leaders. The company has a long history of integrating telematics and has had an integrated technology team since its early days. This helps mitigate issues related to device sprawl and signal-to-noise ratio.

"This allows us to understand what data is coming in and how we need to process it to form business cases and use it in daily operations," Godfrey said. He acknowledged that not all fleets have this capability. Smaller companies may have smaller technology teams or none at all.

In such cases, fleets may choose to work with third parties, such as consulting firms, to develop solutions. Ling said some fleets may request an assessment of their processes to identify opportunities for improving efficiency. Fleets that have not yet reached this stage can still use consultants to discover new market tools.

Other fleets may abandon technology altogether. In the SambaSafety survey, 6% of fleets reported not using any devices to manage fleet safety. But as more fleets of varying sizes overcome telematics challenges and achieve return on investment, the business case will continue to grow.

Ling said, "That's the ultimate goal: having all this data, having real-time information and decision-making capability—that's how you improve efficiency."