The firm's survey of 300 fleet decision-makers in companies of all sizes shows that 40% of businesses with 1,000 or more employees are using telematics systems. In companies ranging from 10 to 999 employees, take-up is also increasing to over a quarter.
Arval added that there are multiple reasons why companies use telematics systems but according to the research the main reasons for larger companies are to reduce costs (especially fuel), track vehicles, monitor driver behaviour and to improve driver safety.
Robert Pieczka, marketing & insurance director at Arval, commented: “As fleet management becomes more sophisticated, the data that telematics systems provide can be essential in the day-to day operation of a fleet and cost reduction. Over time, I expect to see the levels of take-up grow further for both vans and cars as functionality becomes better and more cost effective.”
Last month Arval announced the launch of its own telematics offer, Arval Active Link. It has been developed by a dedicated team, which forms part of a start-up incubator created by Arval. The first integrated offer for telematics on the market, it links with other products and services to give the fleet manager a comprehensive and joined-up view of their fleet activity. On new vehicles, installation is free while Arval is positioning the basic offer at £2.25 per month, significantly below the average market cost of a telematics product.
Pieczka said: “Arval Active Link enables customers to reduce costs (such as fuel, excess mileage and insurance), improve efficiency and productivity (through route mapping, downtime management and labour costs), address CSR issues (such as driver safety, duty of care and lowering CO2 emissions) and ensure HMRC compliance. It also provides clear benefits to drivers through alerts, service booking and faster breakdown recovery with key information available via a new mobile app.”
