Telematics records where your vehicles go and how they're driven. Fleet management software runs the vehicles themselves: servicing, leases, costs and paperwork. Fleet risk software works out which drivers carry the most risk, using the telematics and everything else you hold, then acts on it before an incident and after one.
What each one does
| Telematics | Fleet management software | Fleet risk software | |
|---|---|---|---|
| The question it answers | Where are my vans and how are they being driven? | Are my vehicles serviced, legal and costing what they should? | Which drivers need attention and what's being done about it? |
| Typical data | Location, journeys, speed, harsh braking, cornering, idling; camera events where cameras are fitted | Vehicle records, servicing, MOTs, leases, fuel cards, costs | Telematics and camera events, licence checks, incidents, insurance claims, driver history |
| What it does with it | Shows the data, often with a score for each driver | Plans and records work on the vehicles | Picks out the drivers and depots that need attention and helps the fleet act on it, from the driver conversation to the claim |
Where they overlap
The lines blur in practice. Many telematics systems include a driver score and a driver app, while some fleet management systems take in tracking data. The difference is usually reach. A telematics score is built from that supplier's own kit, whereas fleet risk software works across several systems, including the licence checks and claims file that telematics doesn't usually see.
Do you need all three?
Most fleets need telematics and something to manage the vehicles. Fleet risk software earns its place where the risk picture is spread across several systems and incidents and claims sit with someone else. It matters most where the driver manager doesn't have the hours to turn the data into conversations with drivers.
If one supplier's telematics covers your whole fleet and someone has the time to act on it every week, it may be enough. Where neither is true, the data in each system rarely gets acted on in time.
Where SHIELD fits
SHIELD is fleet risk and claims software. It sits on top of the tracking, cameras, tacho, licence checks and insurer claims data a fleet already has, with no new hardware. Most systems stop at the data, so the driver manager still has to contact each driver by hand. SHIELD checks in with drivers whose driving is starting to change and gets incidents from the roadside to your insurer within minutes, after a quick check in the office.