Just as diesel engines convert raw fuel into horsepower, motor carriers that use business intelligence (BI) technologies are turning raw data into timely and relevant information.
Fleets already have an abounding supply of data from transportation management software (TMS), electronic logging devices (ELDs), vehicle telematics, electronic payments and other systems.
Without BI, the data outputs from these systems have to be refined through a process that may involve creating spreadsheets to report key performance indicators (KPIs).
Smaller fleets that operate fewer than 200 trucks have not traditionally invested in a BI technology stack to automate routine or more advanced reporting needs. This could change now that a growing number of technology suppliers are harnessing the power of cloud computing to deliver an affordable BI stack as a software-as-a-service (SaaS).
CCJ recently spoke with three companies that have entered the trucking space with SaaS offerings for BI.
The Gauge product from Motorcity Systems is visualization of fleet data extracted and processed from disparate fleet IT systems.
