Geotab survey: Sustainability is the top issue for fleets

On behalf of Geotab, Dataforce conducted a survey among 220 German fleet managers who manage fleets without trucks ranging from 10 to 100 vehicles. The data collection took place in October 2021. The main topic was sustainability. And indeed, according to the survey, although 62 percent of fleet operators have defined sustainability goals, only 31 percent of respondents have a corresponding earmarked additional budget.

Sustainability initially means electric drive for many

The survey conducted among managers of 220 German car and van fleets also showed that for the majority, the path to a more sustainable fleet exclusively leads through electric vehicles.

Sustainability, for the majority of respondents (90 percent), primarily means reducing their own CO2 emissions. For 59 percent of respondents, the path to doing this mainly leads through electrification – other ways to a more sustainable fleet are unknown to them. At least 41 percent of the managers surveyed mention other possibilities besides electrification that already contribute to the sustainability of companies today. These respondents cited alternative fuels, speed restrictions, car-sharing, and influencing driver behavior as further possibilities.

Telematics remains "exotic" in cars and vans – unlike truck fleets

The survey also showed that telematics solutions are still not widespread in the car and van sectors, as only 18 percent of respondents use them. This contrasts with the truck sector, where more than eight out of ten vehicles are equipped with telematics devices. Given the lack of regulations in the transport and car sectors for vehicles weighing less than 3.5 tons, there is clearly a lack of incentives for the use of onboard telematics. This is despite clear advantages such as improved route planning, cost reduction, and more efficient vehicle management.

Telematics offers a lot of optimization potential

Among the surveyed telematics users, almost one-third (28 percent) primarily use their devices to reduce their fleet’s emissions. Hence, there is still a lot of untapped potential to optimize fleet sustainability without additional investments. Klaus Böckers, Vice President Nordics, Central and Eastern Europe at Geotab, explains:

"It is right and important that companies in the transport sector set sustainability goals. But we are also aware that with the tight margins in the industry, the resources for this are not just lying around. It is all the more important to realize that sustainability and cost-effectiveness do not have to be mutually exclusive. It is obvious when it comes to fuel savings, but switching to electric vehicles can also be financially worthwhile.”

In order to draw meaningful conclusions about driver behavior and gain insights for emission reduction and driver safety, a telematics solution would be necessary. However, less than one-fifth of those surveyed use such a solution. In the truck sector, by contrast, already 87 percent of fleets use telematics, as revealed by a previous survey from Geotab. This circumstance may partly stem from the obligation for driving time recording for vehicles over 3.5 tons, but respondents also report other positive effects from using telematics: Improved route planning (66 percent), cost reduction (64 percent), and more efficient vehicle management (52 percent) top this list. Böckers adds quite realistically:

“Sustainability can't be achieved overnight, so the first step here is the most important. Only when hurdles have been identified and overcome can companies pave their way to sustainability. With telematics software, we provide operators of fleets of all sizes and vehicle classes with the information they need to either identify savings potentials in the conventional segment or to convert their fleet to electric operation.”

What does this mean?

Two things are particularly interesting about the Geotab survey: First, for many fleets, sustainability primarily means electrification. And second, telematics in the car and van segment is still struggling, even though it has very large savings potentials.