Feature: Isuzu Telematics

Isuzu Australia Limited recently showcased the many benefits of its new, locally developed and produced, truck telematics system

We live in an increasingly networked world. Digital communication, and technology in general, are rapidly changing the way we live our lives and many aspects of the developed world are transforming at an ever-dizzying pace.

The road freight industry is no exception, as manufacturers explore new ways of raising efficiency – from advanced engine management systems to low-friction tyres, alternative fuel sources to aerodynamics.

Telematics, too, is reshaping the way road freight operators conduct their business and, as the local press launch of Isuzu's take on this technology amply demonstrated, it can deliver a wide range of benefits.

How does telematics work? Put simply, a 'black box'-type device is fitted to a vehicle to collect and transmit data about that truck's location and performance.

Through recording and analysing a vehicle's location, speed, engine performance, driver ID and more, a range of compliance and commercial benefits can be achieved. The former span speed, fatigue and road access management, while the latter can encompass vehicle performance management, better route planning, enhanced vehicle security, driver performance management, driver-to-base communications, electronic proof of delivery and more.

Co-operative Intelligent Transport Systems (C-ITS) are also gaining momentum, with connected vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V), vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) and vehicle-to-anything (V2X) communications potentially unlocking unheard of advances in road safety and vehicle efficiency. A product of combining telematics technology with Dedicated Short Range Communications (DSRC), C-ITS will eventually deliver autonomous self-guided trucks and cars, advanced collision avoidance systems, and further efficiency gains. What was once the stuff of sci-fi will become reality in the not-too-distant future and, in fact, the 5.9GHz band has already been reserved for such technology in Europe, the US, and Australia.

Simon Humphries, Chief Engineer, Product Strategy, at Isuzu Australia Limited (IAL), says telematics will play a key role in shaping the road freight industry's future.

"The last 10 to 15 years have been all about engine management systems and emissions compliance but I think over the next 10 [years] telematics will be the single most important technology development we see in our vehicles," he says.

Humphries says the uptake of telematics will increase exponentially once Electronic Work Diaries become acceptable as a sole record of a driver's movements. While the potential for punitive measures stemming from breaches of work hours remain a concern for many drivers, telematics will integrate with EWDs and ultimately remove the paperwork burden with which they are currently faced.

LOCAL EXPERTISE

Isuzu Telematics was developed and is manufactured locally. The product of three years of close collaboration between IAL and Melbourne-based specialist Directed Electronics, the system has been made to specifically suit Isuzu trucks and Australian conditions.

With research indicating that telematics usage is currently limited to 35 per cent of Australian fleet operators, there's plenty of scope for future growth – which is why IAL has taken the proactive approach it has. The uptake is slowest for small to medium fleets (25 vehicles or under) and it's this part of the market that IAL is targeting.

The Isuzu Telematics 'nerve centre' is about the size of a pack of playing cards. Installed at an Isuzu dealer in fewer than 10 minutes, the box is fitted behind an Isuzu truck's dash panel and comes with a pre-installed SIM card for access to the Telstra mobile network.

The systems harvests data every couple of seconds and transmits that data to a server every 30 seconds via GPRS and GSM mobile networks. If the vehicle moves into a mobile blackspot, the data is simply stored in the box and then transmitted as soon as network coverage resumes. The box can store up to three months of data and it has its own battery – the ignition doesn't need to be switched on for it to operate.

Meanwhile, back at base, the fleet operator can track the vehicle's movement via dedicated software. Isuzu Telematics utilises Google Maps, giving users free updates to the latest map data, while general Isuzu Telematics updates can be received 'over the air' via remote download.

CONNECT THE DOTS

Isuzu Telematics is available in two packages: Connect and Connect Plus. The base Connect package offers a number of vehicle tracking and fleet management functions and it can be fitted to all new Isuzu models or retrofitted to older ones. Features include live tracking, mechanical checks, theft alert, driver monitoring (including speeding, harsh acceleration and geo-fencing), service reminders, arrival notification, and route adherence.

The Connect Plus system requires a later Isuzu model's CAN-Bus connection to add a variety of engine management data – specifically fuel consumption, clutch activation and engine-idle time – to the tracking and fleet management functions. For added safety, Connect Plus also adds a panic button, collision alert, tilt sensor and door-open monitor. In 2013-spec Isuzus and later, Connect Plus also integrates with Isuzu's DAVE (Digital Audio Visual Equipment) touchscreen.

Scroll through the accompanying photos for slides detailing a full listing of Connect and Connect Plus features.

The Connect package costs $2992 while Connect Plus costs $3790. Those prices include three years of data transmission; an additional two years of data can be purchased for $945 and $1085 respectively. While Isuzu Telematics uses the Telstra network, Isuzu customers will only need to sign up with Isuzu itself – Isuzu handles all the contractual obligations with Telstra.

At the recent Isuzu Telematics media launch, IAL highlighted the system's benefits and operation in a novel and highly effective manner. The journalists present were divided into two groups. While the first group was busy driving a fleet of five new Isuzu trucks fitted with Isuzu Telematics the second monitored their progress back at 'base camp' – the recently opened Winter & Taylor Isuzu dealership in Corio, near Geelong (Vic).

After lunch, the two groups swapped roles, before the telematics data was analysed and collated to produce a driver ranking, the order based on fuel efficiency and safety data (number of speed violations, lane departure warnings etc). Yep, as we took to the new trucks – an NPR 200, an NPR 300, an FYJ 2000 agitator, an FXY 1500, and an FRD 600-S – Big Brother was well and truly watching!

The new vehicles we drove were fitted with the Connect Plus grade of Isuzu Telematics and they also featured an upgrade that won't be commercially available until the end of 2014. The upgrade saw the telematics integrated with Isuzu's DAVE touchscreen display and added driver ID and messaging functions to the existing suite of Connect Plus features.

BACKGROUND OPERATION

Setting out from the expansive Winter & Taylor dealership in Isuzu's new 8x4 twin-steer FYJ 2000 agitator, my thoughts were taken more with the truck's smooth Allison automatic transmission, the excellent vision and the generally quiet and comfortable cab than the incredible technological innovation of the telematics operating in the background. For the most part, the driver simply doesn't think of it, once past entering their unique four-digit driver ID code on the DAVE touchscreen.

A panic button will, if pressed for five seconds, activate an alert on the distant fleet operator's computer screen or mobile phone, and the fleet operator can send a text message to the driver that is displayed on the touchscreen, but for the most part, the telematics is an unobtrusive technology, silently and invisibly crunching all sorts of data in the background as a driver goes about his or her day.

We completed a circuitous route that that took us in and around Geelong and its surrounds over a few hours, following a pre-ordained route on the DAVE sat-nav and stopping periodically to swap vehicles. The trucks were each loaded with a bit of weight to take the harshness out of the suspension and the five models present gave a great snapshot of Isuzu's fleet, with representatives from Isuzu's light-, medium- and heavy-duty ranges.

In addition to DAVE and Isuzu Telematics Connect Plus, our trucks were also fitted with Mobileye – a small dash-mounted safety system that offers a suite of collision and lane-departure warnings. It basically uses a single windscreen-mounted camera to monitor the road ahead, with any potential dangers triggering a visual and audio alert. It's produced by an Israeli company and it's gaining traction around the world – especially with fleets. And, in a major point of difference, Isuzu Telematics fully integrates with the Mobileye system. The system retails for just under $A2000 and is already sold in Australia, but it will become available through local Isuzu dealers – and integrated with Isuzu Telematics – in 2015.

The 4500kg GVM NPR 200 was a sprightly performer around town, and in Tradepack trim came fitted with an aluminium tray body, ladder racks, a towbar and a polished bullbar. The NPR 300 is powered by the same Isuzu SiTEC Series III 155 four-cylinder turbo-diesel found in the NPR 200 but offers a 6500kg GVM, while the medium-duty FRD 600-S, with its 11,000kg GVM, is powered by a six-cylinder SiTEC Series III 255 engine. At the top end of town was the heavy-duty FXY 1500 – powered by a SiTEC Series III 350 engine and boasting a 24,000kg GVM – and of course the FYJ 2000 agitator, the latter awarded 'Truck of the Show' at Melbourne's 2014 International Truck, Trailer & Equipment Show earlier this year.

If you want proof of why Isuzu has been Australia's top-selling truck brand since 1989 you need only take any of its models for a run. Potent and eminently practical, their functionality is complemented perfectly by their comfort and convenience, with a range of safety features completing the picture. While my time in each of the five models present was only brief, I came away with a sense of each being an incredibly well-rounded package.

Back at Winter & Taylor, a technical presentation hammered home the importance of the role telematics will play in the road freight industry's future – the NHVR's Intelligent Access Program, where heavier vehicles have access to Higher Mass Limits routes in return for remote monitoring, being just one example.

While the other journos became a series of blips on a map, we sent them messages that popped up on their respective DAVE screens, tracked their progress and, once everyone had returned to the dealership, got down to the important business of analysing fuel efficiency and speed limit compliance.

While it would be undignified to boast of one's results – oh okay then, trucksales.com.au came fourth out of nine – the ability to analyse driver performance has obvious benefits for training. A fleet that can raise the efficiency with which its drivers drive stands to reap some large savings – whether fleet operators choose to use the data while dangling a carrot on a stick is up to them to decide…

In the limited time available, the day certainly shone a spotlight on the benefits of Isuzu Telematics and the inescapable truth that this technology is here to stay. The age of the 'connected truck' is here and it offers wide-ranging benefits. It raises numerous questions too, especially concerning privacy and regulation. Needless to say, many debates will be waged in the years ahead but, in the meantime, the bottom-line savings to be made with Isuzu Telematics are already here for the taking.

For more information on Isuzu Telematics visit http://isuzutelematics.com.au/.

Feature: Isuzu Telematics

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