Fleet technology can collect an enormous amount of information, but that data delivers limited value when it remains trapped inside a standalone platform.
In Episode 222 of the Commercial Vehicle Pro Podcast, host Candy McCollum continues her conversation with Zac Hales, Vocational Business Segment Manager at Geotab. This second installment explores how fleets can connect telematics data with the tools their teams already use to manage maintenance, job costs, dispatching and overall business performance.
“Hardware is only as valuable as the business workflows that it actually enables,” Hales says. “If the data lives in a standalone silo that nobody checks, you basically just bought an expensive black box.”
Moving Fleet Data Into the Daily Workflow
Fleet reporting once required someone to export large CSV files, clean the data in a spreadsheet and deliver reports that could already be outdated by the time leadership reviewed them.
Hales explains how the Geotab Data Connector helps eliminate that manual process by delivering structured fleet data directly into tools such as Power BI, Tableau and Excel. The information updates daily, allowing executives to view fuel-efficiency trends and other fleet metrics alongside the operational and financial KPIs they already monitor.
The result is a clearer connection between vehicle activity and business strategy—without requiring leaders to log into another platform or manually reconcile spreadsheets.
Connecting the Field and Back Office
The episode also explores how open integrations can support specialized industries such as heavy construction.
By connecting Geotab with HCSS, fleets can send engine hours, odometer readings and diagnostic information directly into their maintenance and job-costing workflows. Preventive maintenance can then be scheduled around actual equipment use instead of broad calendar or mileage estimates.
That same flow of information can improve job-costing accuracy by reducing the need for supervisors to manually record machine hours in the field.
Hales also discusses how Link Labs’ Bluetooth Low Energy asset-tracking technology can bring vehicles, trailers, generators and smaller equipment into a single view. Dispatchers can spend less time switching between systems and more time making informed deployment decisions.
From Reactive to Proactive Fleet Management
For one heavy-construction fleet discussed during the episode, connecting telematics data with its maintenance workflows improved service compliance, reduced unexpected breakdowns and eliminated substantial manual data entry.
When systems communicate automatically, fleets can reduce human error, control operating costs and address maintenance needs before they become costly jobsite disruptions.
Hales leaves listeners with one straightforward takeaway: “Don’t let your data live on an island.”
Watch or listen to Episode 222 to learn how connected fleet intelligence can help turn everyday vehicle data into stronger operational decisions.
Keep Exploring
Want the full story? Watch Part 1, Beyond the Dot on the Map: The Evolution of Fleet Telematics With Geotab, to explore the hardware and technology powering today’s connected fleets. Then visit Geotab to learn more about turning vehicle and asset data into actionable fleet intelligence.
