Subject: [NEXTEL-1] Fleet tracking industry to face large-scale changes

From: [email-masked]
Date: Tue, 05 Aug 2003 04:07:04 -0400

www.telematicsupdate.com

Fleet tracking industry to face large-scale changes Fleet operators will soon see
drastic changes in their market in the coming months as the European tracking
industry enters a new phase that could see it tip over the profit line (8/4/2003)

Changes in legislation including laws on privacy, data protection, and electronic
communications are shortly going to be followed by new insurance requirements for
tracking systems regarding vehicle immobilization and after theft tracking.
Already in Holland and Belgium, most vehicles have to be equipped with after theft
tracking system to get insured. Insurance companies and certification institutes
are taking the lead in standardising the technology and processes (including
integration) in order to meet the new insurance criteria there. Tjip Koopmans, the
director of the SCM, the Dutch Institute for Certification of Vehicle Security
Systems explains why:" Tracking and tracing devices are a very useful but
expensive feature. Certification of product and installation is a necessary
requirement to make sure that the procedures from installation to police reaction
are followed so that the customer gets what he has paid for".

Following this example and preceding the European Standard Authority pre-Standard
document, The UK is about to become the country with the most stringent insurance
criteria.

Category 5 Criteria from Thatcham will be issued by the end of the summer and will
include new security feature relating to tracking manufacturer and operators,
Secure Operating centers and Installers. Pete Stanley, SOC Manager for
Securi-Guard said " The new standards relating to CAT 5 are most welcome and fully
supported, this is a major step in enforcing strong control over the systems that
are needed in the fight against vehicle crime. It will benefit not only the
customer, but also the manufacturer, installers, SOC's right through to Police
response and the Insurance industry".

Telematics Update will be hosting Vehicle Tracking 2003, a two day conference that
will stage the presentation of Cat5 and the reactions from representatives of each
industry involved. It will bring together key industry executives, from insurance
companies to fleet owners, and put them face to face with the entire tracking
value chain. The discussion will also be an opportunity for the tracking industry
to learn about the perception of tracking systems from partners and customers.
Brian Martin, sales manager at 3D Information Systems, a leading manufacturer of
driver information management systems was quoted saying:" the tracking industry
has suffered for too long from bad reputation due to too many sales representative
pushing the technology before the clients needs and sometimes disappearing once
the system is installed". A survey done recently with 37 UK fleet companies and
their drivers found out that managers at 12 firms (32%) felt distinctly negative
towards their systems overall while drivers at 28 firms - over 75% - also disliked
working with them. In many cases the tracking operators have had to deal with
driver tempering with the systems.

Telematics Update's Vehicle Tracking 2003 conference has invited the best in the
business to answer issues including: what are the fleet owners real needs? and how
can they profit fully from the telematics technology? The conference will set best
practices standards for customer relationship management, after sales service
standards and drivers training. On October 16-17 in London, all major players from
both fleet and telematics sectors, influential figures from the key association
and legislative bodies will converge to discuss the strategies and challenges for
commercial vehicle products and services in telematics. Attendees will hear
speeches and case studies from leading industry experts including: IBM, Thatcham,
ACPO, FTA, VSIB, Ertico and Vodafone,

http://www.telematicsupdate.com/print.asp?news=37906

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