Editor’s note: This is the second part in a series about the evolution of telematics technology in the trucking industry. Read the previous story here.
When fleets decide to invest in telematics, installation is just the beginning. Achieving the desired return on investment depends on usage. Though the concept may seem obvious, it’s easier said than done.
A survey released by SambaSafety in October 2025 showed that 66% of fleets named interpreting or acting on data as a top telematics challenge. Participants reported it as even more challenging than linking drivers to their data, privacy concerns and data accuracy.
Solving this pain point is critical. Trucking is not a high-margin business, and actionable insights gleaned from telematics data could increase margins, said Evan Ling, managing director at the consulting firm Aarete. Understanding what telematics can do is not the same as fully unlocking it.
“Cross industry, we have all of this data. It's been ‘data, data, data, big analytics, big data’ for years,” Ling said. “But how do you use it? How do you use that data to drive better decision making to make it more profitable?”
A sprawling challenge
The main reason fleets struggle to interpret and act on data is device sprawl, according to SambaSafety. That refers to multiple telematics devices producing multiple data streams, often with their own formats and other dissimilar aspects.
Tools such as cameras, black boxes, ELDs, apps and OEM sensors may collect large amounts of data that require different types of analysis. According to the survey, 70% of fleets reported using two or more devices to manage fleet safety, while 39% said they anticipate adding more in the next 12 months.
“This can make it very difficult for a safety or risk leader to determine where they should focus their efforts,” Ashley Newbill, VP of product marketing at SambaSafety, said in an email.
Though the issue isn’t new, it has become more common as telematics adoption increases and fleets add devices, Newbill added.
Certain telematics solutions on the market can offer one platform for multiple tools, Ling said, but not every fleet will have the resources to invest in such aggregation platforms. Plus, it doesn’t remove what Ling referred to as the “paralysis by analysis” problem, which can occur when fleets face an overwhelming amount of data.
But when it comes to big, well-resourced fleets, the antidote to data overwhelm is to absorb the data into their identities.
“I’ve heard a catchphrase where [fleets] are not necessarily a trucking company, but they’re a data company that has trucks,” Ling said.
Tapping tech teams
ABF Freight has access to more than 500 in-house programmers, developers and other technology leaders, said Matt Godfrey, the company’s president. The company has a long history of integrating telematics, and has had an integrated technology team since its start. This has helped mitigate issues related to device sprawl and the signal-to-noise ratio.
“It allows us to understand what data is coming in, and then what we need to do with that data to get a business use case and utilize it on a day-to-day basis,” Godfrey said.
He acknowledged that not every fleet is in that position. Smaller companies may have smaller technology teams, or no technology team at all.
In those cases, fleets may opt to work with a third party, such as a consultancy, to formulate a solution. Ling said some may ask for an assessment of their processes to identify opportunities for increased efficiency. Those who aren’t at that stage yet can still tap consultancies to discover new market tools.
Other fleets may opt out of technology altogether. In the SambaSafety survey, 6% of fleets reported using no devices to manage fleet safety. But as more fleets of varying sizes overcome telematics challenges and can access return on investment, the more the business case will grow.
“That's the end goal: have all of this data, have real-time information and decision-making — that's how you drive efficiency,” Ling said.
