Telematics in the Canadian trucking industry

This study catalogs the products and services available from telematics providers for trucking companies in North America and discusses how both fleets and the U.S. EPA SmartWay program could leverage the systems to improve overall efficiency and safety.

Between 40% and 50% of trucking fleets in Canada are currently using telematics systems. The estimated adoption rate of telematics systems by U.S. trucking fleets has grown from roughly 35% in 2015 to 90% today due to electronic logging regulation. With Canada’s very similar electronic logging requirements beginning in June 2021, a similar rapid deployment of telematics systems in Canada in the next few years.

The top ten largest telematics providers represent roughly half of the telematics market for the trucking industry in Canada and the United States. Together, the three largest telematics companies represent about one-quarter of the total telematics market revenues. Across the telematics industry, there is significant variety in the functionality of the systems offered. Products range from basic systems that meet the minimum electronic logging regulatory requirements, to comprehensive fleet management platforms that provide features related to asset tracking, preventative maintenance, route optimization, and driver behavior and management. The trend towards the use of ‘big data’ to inform fleet management decisions will continue to accelerate, with telematics systems growing ever-more powerful and commonplace across the industry.

The accelerated uptake of electronic logging and telematics systems in both Canada and the United States presents an important opportunity for the SmartWay program. If telematics is used to automate some of the SmartWay data collection and reporting processes, making it less labor-intensive for participating fleets, the SmartWay team could use the data to provide fleet-specific recommendations for fuel efficiency and operational improvements.

Related Content