The snow was deep, and the driver was stranded. His truck was utterly stuck. He tried and tried to dig out to no avail. He was in a remote location without cell service, and the snow was coming down hard. One day went by, then two. Finally, he found a location with limited cell service and called his field service manager (FSM). Using his last known GPS coordinates, obtained from the telematics device in his truck, his FSM located him and headed out to help.
The FSM made it there, but the road conditions were impassable, and the two got stuck again. GPS coordinates helped them lead a tow truck to their location. But then, unbelievably, the tow truck also got stuck. After using the GPS coordinates a third time, a search and rescue team was sent to help, and both the driver and FSM were returned home safely thereafter.
“While no injuries were reported, the outcome could have been much worse,” said Ananth Rani, CEO, and co-founder of Azuga. “Thanks to their real-time telematics data, the company was not only able to locate both the driver and FSM multiple times, but they were also able to share this data with public safety and emergency personnel to ensure the safe return of their employees.”
Another driver was known for being very responsive to dispatch. And then one day, a message went out — and no response. Another message. Nothing. A third message and still no response. That’s when dispatchers got worried. They used telematics data to identify the driver’s exact location and sent emergency services to check on him. It was a smart choice: Upon arriving, first responders found he had gone into a diabetic coma. They saved his life.
These are just a couple instances of how telematics benefits the safety of drivers; there are many more. The benefits of telematics extend beyond drivers as well. More than ever, fleets can employ telematics to improve the safety of their own drivers — and yield improvements for their fleets, too.