Telematics boosts productivity

Advances in electronic technology enable equipment owners and operators to monitor not only usage, but also location of equipment.

The Internet and cellular communications have transformed daily life in recent years, but the combination of these two technologies has failed to make a big impact in the transportation field. Some industry observers feel that the off-highway market is going to help change that, creating a boom in telematics by using the Internet, data monitoring, and global positioning systems (GPS) to improve the efficiency of heavy equipment.

Telematics was once expected to follow the dot-com boom, altering the transportation industry by bringing a steady flow of information into vehicles large and small. Those hopes crashed with the Internet economy. Now they have been replaced by more realistic predictions that wireless communication will succeed because it makes good sense for equipment owners.