5 Key Takeaways from Geotab Connect 2023

In February 2023, Geotab Connect was held for the first time in three years. To say that the market was hungry for this event would be an understatement. Geotab Connect 2023 was the largest such event ever, attracting more than 1,700 attendees and 70 Marketplace Exhibitors.

Gridline was glad to have a presence at the event. Whether you were there in person or have only heard about it second-hand, we hope you’ll benefit from reading Gridline’s top five takeaways from this event.

Takeaway #1: Be data-driven

One of the highlights of Geotab Connect 2023 was hearing from Colin Sutherland, Geotab’s Chief Customer Officer. Colin opened the show by discussing the enormous role telematics now plays in decision-making. It used to be that companies saw telematics as mere dots on a map—background information at best. Now, sophisticated telematics systems are generating rich data that drives major decisions for fleet managers everywhere.

Later, in the main keynote session, Geotab’s founder and CEO, Neil Cawse, described how Geotab is helping fleets reach their goals for safety, sustainability, and efficient operations by letting them benchmark their performance against the best fleets in the world.

Both sessions underscored the importance of becoming a data-driven enterprise—not simply a company that generates and stores lots of data. The difference is that a data-driven enterprise bases every one of its strategic decisions on timely, relevant data, and invests in advanced analytics to make sure everyone on the team is deriving the right insights from this data. This is what Gridline was founded on and is not a new concept for how we have been operating. You can read all about our approach in a Gridline white paper, Become a Data-Driven Fleet Company with Advanced Analytics.

Takeaway #2: AI is here to stay

Neil Cawse recapped fleet technology use over the past few years. As disruptive as the pandemic lockdowns were in so many ways, they pushed our technology usage ahead and forced us all to get comfortable with extensive use of mobile and cloud-first solutions. Not only do customers now expect to access their data from anywhere, but, according to Neil, AI is changing the way we look at data.

Geotab is responding by infusing AI into its product. In fact, if you’re a Geotab customer, you can step up your AI game by taking advantage of five new insights in the Active Insights feature within MyGeotab 7.0. And Gridline customers get the benefit of AI as they use integrated telematics and diagnostic data to monitor the health of their fleets in real time. Learn more about the exciting possibilities of AI in a Gridline blog article.

Takeaway #3: Sustainability isn’t as hard as it looks

Fleet owners and managers everywhere are feeling the pressure from emissions mandates and worrying about the potential financial and PR impact of noncompliance. According to Geotab, the easiest way to accelerate your sustainability initiatives is to deploy telematics. With the right telematics solutions in place, you can quickly achieve a 20 percent reduction in emissions by optimizing your routes and vehicle usage, reducing idling, and eliminating aggressive driving.

Gridline can help you shrink your carbon footprint. Our smart, streamlined fleet management software gives you the tools you need for productivity, safety, compliance, and 360-degree fleet intelligence. Find out why we believe telematics is essential in green fleet management. And read a Gridline case study about how we helped RNDC reduce idling time.

Takeaway #4: It’s easier than ever to manage EV fleets

Distributors everywhere are wrestling with the thought of converting to electric vehicles. On the one hand, gas mileage and tailpipe emission standards are making it harder and harder to continue to justify gas-powered vehicles. On the other hand, it’s challenging to get a consistent range out of electric vehicles.

Geotab is making it easier to manage EV fleets. The company has announced a new EV range analysis that uses real-world data to help fleet managers better understand how speed and temperature can impact the ranges of their electric vehicles.

We at Gridline are excited about this new resource because we’re heavily invested in making EV fleets successful. Our analytics solutions enable you to find the hidden insights in your telematics data so that you can get the most out of all your EV vehicles. And we’re already on record saying EV fleets are worth the investment.

Takeaway #5: Fleets that use telematics are on the right track

During his presentation, Neil commented, “In business today, so much of what we do is measured to ensure we operate better, faster and leaner. Telematics is crucial in this regard since you cannot manage what isn’t measured.”

Transportation fleets are obviously embracing this message. When Geotab Connect was last held in January 2020, there were two million vehicles connected to Geotab. At the time of this year’s conference, the number had climbed to 3.2 million. That’s an astounding 60 percent increase in just three years—which is even more impressive when you consider that pandemic lockdowns probably delayed implementations for many fleets.

Telematics can help you save money, maximize vehicle performance and ROI, improve driver behavior, and much more. We would love to discuss how telematics can help you run a safer, more sustainable, and more profitable fleet. Schedule a call today.