The success of your telematics system begins at installation. If the cost to install the system outweighs the benefit you receive from it, you may just forgo the system altogether, which doesn’t do you any good. Making yourself aware of the ways to simplify the process is essential for a quicker, more efficient installation – saving you time and money.

To uncover the telematics installation process, we recently sat down with Will Van Ness, Executive VP at Industrial Access Control, to talk about the good, the bad, and the ugly of installing telematics devices for a variety of industries and vehicles. In this interview, he breaks down the entire process and explains what he wishes every product installer knew before installing these devices.

Let’s get to know Will…

1) How long have you been in the industry, and how long have you been installing telematics systems? 

I’ve been in the industry for over twenty years. I spent about five years with OEM HYG, ten years with Yale dealers, and around seven years ago, I started my company, Industrial Access Control. 

I’ve been installing telematics systems for fifteen years. I started with Speedshield FleetOnline, then I’ve installed almost all of the big players in the telematics industry – Yale Vision, Hyster Tracker, ID Systems, TotalTrax. For the past four years, I’ve been installing Access Control Group’s telematics devices.

2) Why do you think companies need telematics systems?

There are a lot of reasons; these devices are great liability management, they bring a higher level of safety that is much needed, and they are also a great way to increase the lifecycle of assets. Of course, other features like access control and KPI management add a lot of value to the company while protecting the employers and assets. 

I also can’t forget to mention all of the excellent cost reduction initiatives, giving you the ability to optimize your fleet, downsize if necessary, reduce wear and tear on vehicles by monitoring and avoiding reckless driving, and even impacting JIT maintenance and all of the avoidable down times. 

Telematics has essentially become a necessity instead of just a luxury to have.

On to the installation…

3) What is the industry accepted amount of time it should take to install one telematics system?

Typically 2-3 hours per asset, which can become a long, arduous process for operations with multiple assets. Then, you have to count the time it takes to test and troubleshoot it as well, which can add up.

4) When purchasing a device, what features should someone look for to identify if the product will be easy-to-install or not?

You can tell if a device will be difficult to install if it needs to capture a lot of data from the vehicle. The more data point pickups, the more difficult and time consuming the installation will be, which will then increase the installation cost per truck. Also, load sensing hookups are probably the most difficult to install, but, with the right device and proper installation training, it can be done smoothly.

5) What are the largest hurdles you’ve encountered when installing telematics devices?

Besides traveling and installing in different environments/operations, one of the biggest headaches is when I’m not given wiring diagrams from customers in advance. Without the diagrams, it essentially becomes a session of figuring out as you go, which can almost double the amount of time it takes to install the system. 

Another problem I’ve run into is when the lift trucks aren’t even available when I show up to install the system on them. When this happens, it’s obvious why they need telematics to run their operation. 

During the actual installation, incorrectly labeled wires on the harness cause massive problems; if the harness is too short, I’ll have to add wires which is very time-consuming. Also, having a harness that is too large, makes it difficult to safely hide in truck cavities, forcing us to get creative on how to securely hide it in the truck. And like I said before regarding load sensing, obtaining and calibrating the load can very difficult.

6) What can a manufacturer do to make a device easier to install?

Have the harness be at least 5 feet long, which is standard, and make sure everything is labeled correctly. In addition, it would significantly decrease the time to install these devices if they could simplify the process to set up the connection for speed pickup and load pickup.

Let’s talk about your experience installing Access telematics systems…

7) How long have you been installing Access’ products?

Since 2016

8) What specific features make Access products easy-to-install?

Hands-down the very basic and labeled wire harness, the integrated card reader and antenna. Also, the pre-taped iSensor cuts a lot of time out of the installation. I would also add that the mounting brackets are great. 

To be honest, at first I didn’t believe the claims of how fast it takes to install, but it really is straightforward and faster than the industry standard – sometimes getting in and out at around an hour per vehicle.

9) How long does it take to be trained on installation if I want to install my Access telematics system myself?

It will vary based on how much experience you have with your assets and wiring, but I’d say about one full-day.

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No matter how prepared your installer is before tackling a telematics installation, if the system isn’t equipped to make the process easier, it can still be a time consuming and challenging process. That is why it is so important that when choosing a telematics system, you choose a device that is easy to install. 

At Access, each of our telematics systems are designed for ease of use from installation to ongoing use. It is our goal to have you to start experiencing the benefits of telematics from the start. 

If you’d like to learn more about our installation process, you can schedule a demo today!

We hope this interview has given you great insight into what to look for when considering telematics devices.

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