By Dave Bean, FMW Associate Editor
October 18, 2023
If you manage a fleet of Volvo trucks, your life is about to become a lot more, well, manageable. At least that’s Volvo Trucks North America’s intention with the release of Volvo Connect, their new fleet management portal.
The platform is designed to be used in conjunction with Volvo Trucks’ digital services, with the intention being to provide virtual real-time operational data of all trucks in a fleet. Individual data points will be provided for the following elements, among others:
- Fuel consumption
- Down time
- Vehicle speed
- Seat belt usage
- Location
The goal, of course, is to assist fleet managers in promoting a more efficient and profitable truck operation. In order to use Volvo Connect, however, each truck must be equipped with a factory-installed 4G Telematics Gateway.
“We developed Volvo Connect because customers were asking for a central portal to easily access important information about their truck,” said Peter Voorhoeve, President, Volvo Trucks North America. “Volvo Connect provides our customers with valuable data on the trucks in their fleets with a focus on operational efficiency and providing valuable information related to driver performance. Safety and sustainability are core values for Volvo Trucks and are critical in our journey toward zero emissions. We’re confident Volvo Connect will be a great service for our customers on their own safety and sustainability journeys.”
Among the key benefits provided by utilizing Volvo Connect, are the ability to read and diagnose fault codes remotely, as well as provide software updates over-the-air. This would ostensibly allow fleet managers to keep their trucks completely updated and running at their best performance level possible at all times.
Another important feature made viable by such timely data output is the enhancement of predictive maintenance planning and scheduling. Both driver and manager can prioritize service requirements and make a plan that makes the most sense, keeping the truck on the road as safely and efficiently as possible.
“The Volvo Connect portal provides fleets with a deeper analysis of their truck data and not just a high-level scan,” said Magnus Gustafson, Vice-President of Connected Services, Volvo Trucks North America. “We will continuously add more features, reports, and truck insights to provide fleet managers with the information needed to make effective, data-based decisions about their fleet.”
