Trucks mean business! When there’s a need to move goods from A to B by road, the only option is trucks! Trucks are the heart and soul of transportation—perhaps the only industry that every other industry in the world depends on—in some way or the other.
In the realm of both modern and future transportation, innovation is the key to reshaping the efficiency and safety of hauling goods across extensive distances. One particularly promising advancement is truck platooning—a technology where a convoy of trucks operates in close succession to enhance aerodynamics, minimize fuel consumption, and increase overall efficiency. Effective management of driver devices holds critical value in platooning trucks.
As truck platooning gains traction, the significance of a robust Mobile Device Management or MDM solution for transit driver devices becomes increasingly apparent. An MDM solution ensures the smooth operation of platoons and addresses the unique challenges associated with this groundbreaking approach.
Let’s get trucking (cracking)!
What is Truck Platooning
Truck platooning capitalizes on vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication and advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) to enable a cluster of trucks to travel closely together. These clusters are led by a lead truck (platoon head), often driven by a human or even autonomously, while the subsequent following trucks emulate the lead vehicle’s movements. This results in reduced air resistance, improved fuel efficiency, and potentially safer driving conditions. The potential economic benefits through fuel savings and environmental gains from reduced emissions make truck platooning an attractive proposition.
Need for Mobile Device Management in Truck Platooning
Truck platooning involves driver devices such as rugged smartphones and tablets and vehicle-mount computers (mobile computers). The successful implementation of truck platooning requires precise coordination and control of these devices. This is where an MDM solution comes to the fore as a game-changer. The seamless coordination of these devices, the real-time sharing of data, and continuous monitoring are all integral to the functionality of platooning, highlighting the critical role of MDM for truck platooning.
How MDM for Truck Platooning Can Enable Seamless Transit
Are you a transport IT admin in charge of managing driver devices used in truck platooning? A challenging life with hectic schedules, deadlines, route optimization, and ETAs. Things get further complicated as truck platooning is not yet a raging transport tech proliferation. It’s relatively nascent. But don’t make the mistake of getting stuck in legacy transit operations. Truck platooning technology is the future of transportation as autonomous vehicles make their mark, and MDM for truck platooning, along with a reliable route planner app for drivers, will be indispensable.
| Embrace the future because numbers don’t lie: |
|---|
| The truck platooning market is slated to witness an astonishing CAGR (2021–2030) of almost 61% to reach USD 2.7 billion1 by 2030. |
Let’s check how MDM can streamline truck platooning, paving the way for a future of seamless transit.
Device Profiling and Grouping for Platoons
MDM solutions enable efficient device profiling and grouping of platoon devices. Each truck device’s configuration, functionalities, and communication protocols can be precisely defined as device policies. These policies can then be applied to required profiles. Creating device and user (driver) groups further simplifies the device management experience for IT admins. An MDM solution also simplifies the addition of new truck devices into existing device groups, streamlining the setup process and ensuring homogeneity.
Device Provisioning
Device provisioning refers to the process of setting up and configuring mobile devices for use within a specific environment, like truck platooning. One of the key MDM features, it enables device provisioning based on security and truck-specific configurations. This involves preparing the devices that drivers will use to communicate, exchange data, and coordinate their actions during platooning.
Application & Content Management
Application and content management involves controlling which applications and content are installed on mobile devices and ensuring that they are up to date. In the context of truck platooning, this feature has several applications:
Platooning Applications: MDM allows fleet managers to push platooning-specific applications to the devices. These apps might include real-time communication tools, navigation software optimized for platooning routes, and safety-related applications.
Content Distribution: Fleet managers can distribute relevant content, such as instructional videos, manuals, and safety guidelines, to the driver devices. This ensures that drivers have access to the information they need for safe and efficient platooning.
Data Security and Privacy in Platooning
Given the sensitivity of data exchanged among platoon drivers, robust security measures are an absolute must. An MDM solution enables device data encryption, passcode authentication, and data loss prevention (DLP) mechanisms to safeguard communication and prevent unauthorized data or device access. Thus, MDM addresses concerns over location data and operational patterns, ensuring stringent data access controls and bolstering privacy.
Real-Time Monitoring and Control
With features such as location tracking and geofencing, MDM empowers real-time monitoring and control over drive devices and platoon movements. Fleet IT admins gain access to an MDM dashboard displaying pivotal metrics such as fuel efficiency, device and vehicle health, and driver behavior. Deviations from predefined parameters trigger immediate alerts, allowing for timely intervention and issue resolution.
Compliance Alerts
Compliance alerts via MDM software are notifications triggered when a truck platoon device, such as a driver’s smartphone or tablet, deviates from predetermined policies, regulations, or best practices. These notifications can be set up with the help of automated workflows on an MDM dashboard. Compliance alerts help maintain adherence to safety protocols, legal requirements, and operational standards.
Over-the-Air Updates and Maintenance
Keeping platoon devices updated with the latest software and firmware is indispensable for optimal performance and safety. Any device disruption due to an unpatched OS can bring an entire platoon to a standstill. An MDM solution facilitates firmware over-the-air (FOTA) updates, eliminating the need for physical intervention. This feature ensures the devices remain equipped with the latest enhancements and patches, minimizing downtime and maximizing reliability.
Remote Troubleshooting
Remote troubleshooting is an MDM feature that allows IT administrators or support teams to diagnose and resolve technical issues on connected devices without physically accessing them. If a driver’s device experiences technical problems that could affect the platooning process, remote troubleshooting enables IT teams to diagnose and address the issue quickly, minimizing downtime and disruption to the platoon.
Scalability and Future Growth
As the adoption of truck platooning expands, an MDM solution must accommodate a growing device fleet. Scalability is a foundational aspect of MDM solutions, enabling fleet managers to seamlessly integrate new devices, adapt to fluctuating network conditions, and analyze extensive amounts of drive device data.
Get Scalefusion MDM for Truck Platooning
Truck platooning stands poised to redefine transportation, offering not only economic and environmental benefits but also transforming the very essence of logistics and other industries. However, the intricacies of orchestrating a convoy of connected trucks and driver devices necessitate the incorporation of future-ready solutions. One such definitive part of the truck platooning tech stack is an intuitive and powerful MDM solution like Scalefusion.
From precise device enrollment and profiling to fortified data security and real-time monitoring, Scalefusion MDM is the automation linchpin for the triumphant realization of truck platooning’s potential and shape the future of the transportation industry where the dust never settles.
Reach out to our team of experts to know about the ‘truck loads’ of Scalefusion MDM features apt for truck platooning. You can also warm up your engines with a 14-day free trial.
Reference:
