Since the release of ChatGPT in November 2022, the world has been transfixed by artificial intelligence (AI) and related technologies. More than 100 million users have leveraged OpenAI’s revolutionary chatbot to generate knock-knock jokes, novels and everything in-between. A month ago, a Senate subcommittee held a hearing to explore the need for AI regulation. The current strike by the Writers Guild of America aims to ban the use of AI in Hollywood productions. And, by the end of the year, AI will be used to complete a final record by the Beatles.
The fleet industry is no exception to this fervor regarding AI. In fact, there is no shortage of AI-enabled tools on the market designed to help fleets improve their safety, productivity and decision making. Many of these tools predate ChatGPT but have received newfound interest since AI has hit the mainstream.
3 AI Tools to Help Improve Fleet Operations
1. Predictive Collision Alerts - Nauto
Silicon Valley-based startup Nauto is on a mission to make commercial driving safer via its revolutionary advanced driver-assistance system (ADAS) trained on more than 1.3 billion miles of real-world driving data. Powered by dual-facing dash cams, Nauto constantly monitors for potential risks on the road (e.g. other drivers, cyclists, pedestrians and changing lights) and signs of distracted driving in-cab (e.g. phone use, eating, smoking and drowsiness).
By considering both internal and external risk factors, Nauto is able to provide predictive collision alerts that they claim to give drivers twice as much reaction time than conventional forward-collision warning systems. That extended time translates to an additional 100 feet to react to a potential crash when traveling at 60 miles per hour.
Additionally, Nauto aims to help drivers be more attentive behind the wheel through self-guided coaching. Via a mobile app, fleet personnel can access a scorecard that grades their driving behavior over time and review footage of high-risk events. Nauto believes that, by giving drivers just as much visibility into their driving habits as their fleet managers, drivers are likely to improve their conduct on the road on their own, without the need for managerial intervention.
According to Nauto, their driver and fleet safety platform has prevented more than 70,000 collisions since their launch in 2015, resulting in nearly $300 million of savings. On top of that, because their solution assesses collision risk from all angles, Nauto claims to be four times more effective at preventing rear-end accidents than traditional approaches.
2. AI-Powered Tire Scanning - Anyline
Founded in 2013, Anyline is a Vienna-based provider of mobile data capture and scanning solutions. Through the power of neutral networks and artificial intelligence, Anyline claims to be able to enable any camera-equipped smart device to read, interpret and process visual information.
One such example of that claim is their mobile tire tread scanner, powered by AI and computer vision. Fleet personnel simply point their smart device at a tire and Anyline’s app instantly creates a digital model of it. This model accurately reflects the tread depth of the scanned tire to provide fleets with more accurate and consistent data compared to the traditional measurement method of using a quarter.
All tire data collected via the app is automatically recorded and can be easily shared within an organization. Users can even associate tire data to specific VINs or license plates for greater visibility of tire health in relation to specific vehicles.
By making it faster and easier to monitor tire health, Anyline’s app helps fleets replace or retread tires at optimal times. As a result, fleets benefit from reduced maintenance costs and higher vehicle uptime.
Automate your fleet operations
Let software do the work3. Predictive Maintenance Analytics - Optimum Fleet Health
Optimum Fleet Health strives to reduce one of the most vexing thorns in any fleet’s side—unplanned downtime. By analyzing over 8,000 key performance indicators, the company claims their AI-powered Optimum VRx predictive engine is able to anticipate system failures up to four weeks before they occur. With the knowledge that a vehicle is likely to fail soon, fleets can head off unplanned downtime by scheduling preventive maintenance.
In addition to surfacing unforeseen issues, the Optimum VRx predictive engine also diagnoses the causes of issues and provides actionable resolution plans for fleets to execute. By elevating the efficacy of preventive maintenance, fleets are able to minimize costly disruptions to their operations and reduce replacement vehicle costs.
Finally, it’s worth noting that Optimum Fleet Health boasts integrations with multiple fleet management systems including Fleetio. These integrations spare users the trouble of having to enter meter readings and other vehicle data manually, granting them more time to focus on scheduling preventive maintenance.
4. Virtual Fleet Managers - Bridgestone Mobility Solutions
Here’s a bonus AI solution that’s not available now, but will definitely make a splash when it’s released to the public.
With perhaps the most ambitious fleet-related AI project to date, Bridgestone Mobility Solutions is aiming to release a virtual fleet manager solution within two years. Designed to serve as an extra pair of eyes for human fleet managers, organizations will be able to feed Bridgestone’s virtual fleet manager with data from the various systems they use to handle their operations (e.g. FMSs, route optimization tools, etc.). From there, the virtual fleet manager will interpret that data and provide recommendations and insights that humans might’ve overlooked. Human fleet managers will be able to interact with the virtual fleet manager through questions and commands using everyday language a la ChatGPT.
In an interview with Fleet News, Raghunath Banerjee, Bridgestone’s vice president of data solutions, emphasized that virtual fleet managers won’t be replacing humans anytime soon. “Of course, it’s not going to take the job of the fleet manager. They will get a virtual fleet manager who is really going to help them, train them, provide them with the right insight.”
Looking to streamline your operations through fleet management automation? Then request a demo or start a free trial of Fleetio today!