Skip to content
telematics insider
On-Road Fleets

Motive launches Agents, autonomous AI that acts on fleet data

Motive Technologies has launched Agents, autonomous AI tools designed to act on compliance, maintenance, safety and idling issues rather than only alert fleet managers. Per SiliconANGLE, existing customers can deploy them starting October 19, with a feature to build your own Agents planned for early next year.

Construction & Equipment

See all: Construction & Equipment
AI & Video

Samsara launches Agent Studio for no-code custom fleet AI agents

Samsara has released Agent Studio, a platform available to all its customers for building chat and voice AI agents on fleet data without writing code. The company says agent adoption has risen sevenfold since June and cites customer results in hours-of-service monitoring, reporting and driver support.

The Thursday briefing

The week’s telematics and IoT news in one email, every Thursday at 8 a.m. Eastern. Free, and one click to unsubscribe.

Free. One email a week. Unsubscribe any time.

Fleet & Machine Data

See all: Fleet & Machine Data

Telematics and IoT questions

Telematics Insider covers the telematics and Internet of Things (IoT) industry: fleet telematics, construction equipment telematics, video telematics and the machine data behind them. We write for people at telematics and IoT companies, equipment and vehicle makers, integrators, analysts and investors, and the fleets that use the technology. Here are short answers to the questions people ask most.

What is telematics?

Telematics is the technology that collects data from vehicles and machines, such as location, engine hours, fuel use, fault codes and driver behavior, and sends it over a cellular or satellite network to software where managers can act on it.

What is fleet telematics used for?

Fleet telematics helps operators of trucks, vans and service vehicles track location, log hours of service with ELDs, cut fuel and idle time, coach safer driving, schedule maintenance from fault codes and prove where vehicles were for customers and insurers.

How is construction equipment telematics different?

Construction equipment telematics tracks engine hours, utilization, idle time, fuel and location for excavators, loaders and other machines. Owners often run several brands, so standards such as AEMP and ISO 15143 let one system read data from every OEM.

What is video telematics?

Video telematics combines dash cam footage with vehicle data. AI dash cams detect risky driving such as distraction, tailgating or harsh braking, alert the driver in the cab and send clips to safety managers for coaching or to defend against claims.

Who are the major telematics companies?

Widely used telematics providers include Geotab, Samsara, Motive, Verizon Connect, GPS Insight, Lytx and Netradyne for fleets, and OEM platforms such as Caterpillar VisionLink, John Deere JDLink and Komatsu Komtrax for equipment. Telematics Insider covers them all.

How are telematics and IoT related?

Telematics is one of the biggest uses of the Internet of Things (IoT). IoT means any connected sensor or device that sends data over a network. Telematics applies it to vehicles and machines: a device on board reads GPS, the CAN bus and engine sensors and sends that data to fleet software. The same IoT trackers now cover trailers, tools and other equipment with no engine.