Geotab Aims to Boost Driver Safety Through AI, Incentives

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Geotab is incorporating artificial intelligence and behavioral science into its connected vehicle technology in a bid to elevate driver safety through proactive risk assessment and positive reinforcement.

The fleet telematics vendor rolled out a variety of new products and features focused on improving road safety, vehicle maintenance and sustainability during its Geotab Connect conference Feb. 25-27 in Orlando, Fla.

Neil Cawse, Geotab’s founder and CEO, noted that advances in technology are forcing rapid changes in logistics and fleet operations.

“Telematics is not anymore just a ‘nice to have.’ It’s become, really, a key to business operations,” he said during keynote remarks at the conference.

Geotab, which is marking 25 years in business this year, now provides technology for 4.7 million vehicles operated by 55,000 customers globally.

During the conference, Geotab introduced Driver Risk Insights, an analytics tool that uses artificial intelligence to assess and predict the likelihood that individual drivers will be involved in a crash.

Fleet managers can use this new feature within the Geotab Safety Center to proactively address safety risks and prevent crashes before they occur.

Driver Risk Insights also gives drivers direct feedback via the Geotab Drive app to reinforce safe driving habits.

Geotab also announced it has formed a joint venture with behavioral change firm Vitality aimed at improving driver safety by combining telematics data with behavioral science.

Rather than penalizing poor driving habits, Geotab Vitality will offer fleets a behavior change platform that incentivizes and rewards safe driving. As drivers perform well and work toward their personalized driving goals, they earn progress points that they can redeem for rewards.

Geotab plans to integrate Geotab Vitality into Geotab Drive and the Geotab Safety Center later this year.

Geotab also launched GO Focus, an AI-vision device that monitors unsafe following distances while addressing driver privacy and compliance concerns.

GO Focus is designed for fleets that must comply with privacy regulations or labor agreements that restrict inward-facing cameras. The product features a road-facing sensor with no microphone or removable storage.

Geotab’s new GO Focus device installed in a cab. The product is designed to capture safety data while addressing driver privacy and compliance concerns. (Geotab)

The latest product updates fit into Geotab’s broader connected vehicle ecosystem, which integrates with numerous other technology vendors, vehicle manufacturers and other industry partners.

“At Geotab, our vision is to be the open platform for your connected needs, transforming every piece of data — whether it’s your vehicles, assets or drivers — into clear, actionable insights,” said Sabina Martin, vice president of product management. “With Geotab’s unified open platform, your data is your strategic asset, and it is our job to unlock value on top of it to help solve your business challenges regardless of your connectivity. This empowers you to make smarter decisions, to drive efficiencies and reduce costs.”

Geotab also introduced new capabilities to improve vehicle maintenance and environmental sustainability.

The company is adding new features within the Geotab Maintenance Center aimed at helping fleets reduce vehicle downtime and better manage maintenance costs.

The new Work Order Management feature enables fleet managers to streamline maintenance tasks — such as scheduling, tracking and reporting — through a centralized hub that enables a more efficient workflow.

Another new feature is Fault Code Enrichment, which Geotab is offering through a partnership with diagnostics software and data firm Noregon. Geotab said the new capability enhances fault data analysis by providing insights on the severity of fault codes along with recommended actions.

The company also announced it is expanding its connected vehicle platform with the Geotab Sustainability Center, which provides insights on metrics such as fuel efficiency, emissions and engine idling trends, along with analysis of which vehicles in a fleet could be suitable for electrification.

For fleets that are deploying electric vehicles, Geotab is offering EV Charge Monitoring, which fleets can use to track their vehicles’ state of charge, manage the charging process and make better dispatch decisions.

In today’s constantly changing business environment, fleet managers must anticipate what’s next to excel, Cawse said.

“Now it’s become your job to understand the opportunities and risks in a world that is moving around you,” he said.

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