LIVONIA, Mich., May 12, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — As fleet businesses navigate a highly competitive and dynamic business environment defined by uncertainty, the adoption of telematics solutions has continued to grow year over year. However, new research from Escalent’s Fleet Advisory Hub™ insights program reveals fewer than half (45%) of adopters strongly agree telematics solutions fully meet their business needs.
This is according to the 2025 Next Generation Telematics Growth report, which offers vehicle manufacturers and service providers insight into commercial vehicle and fleet businesses’ experience with telematics solutions and the need for deeper integration across business operations. The report also explores the in-market realities of connected fleets—including telematics, data analytics and artificial intelligence—with an additional focus on connected vehicles in operation (CVIO).
Fleet operator challenges with telematics solutions stem from a gap in solving business issues. Users report experiencing varying levels of outcomes aligned to “must-have” benefits, ranging from a high of 63% for improved driver safety to a low of 40% for improved vehicle scheduling/routing.
This does not mean the issues are isolated as a telematics solution or provider problem. However, it is imperative that telematics solutions help fleets to help themselves. Though telematics may technically be working, it can still be failing operationally due to a variety of factors in a fleet business, such as a lack of broader data integrations, limited internal resources and not systematically applying the insights gained from the telematics solution. This is where telematics providers can evolve to offer a consultative-services model to fleet businesses.
“While telematics solutions are increasingly leveraged to build resilience in today’s ever-evolving environment, we find a sizable proportion of fleet businesses aren’t realizing the benefits that providers have promised them,” said Dania Rich-Spencer, vice president in Escalent’s Automotive & Mobility group. “There is a clear disconnect in the expected business application of these technologies and the actual experiences of fleet professionals integrating telematics into their operations, which presents a value proposition problem. To close that gap, telematics providers must consider what works for one fleet does not resonate with all, and telematics needs likely vary across vehicle types and applications. Meeting fleet customers’ diverse needs and use cases requires providers to deliver enhanced, services-led support to help fleets implement, operationalize and optimize telematics use across business operations.”
As telematics providers align their services, a deep understanding of a fleet’s specific business goals and unique telematics use cases will be critical to their success. Currently, only 21% of fleet managers strongly agree their telematics needs are consistent across all vehicle types. This complexity, along with a propensity for working with multiple service providers, underscores why nearly all (89%) fleet professionals consider it important to have one connected platform for managing telematics solution data across all business vehicles.
“As the operational complexity of modern-day fleets grows through connected data and alternative powertrains, decision-makers are seeking ease and efficiency through a single, integrated data platform,” said Lucas Lowden, Automotive & Mobility insights consultant at Escalent. “However, our findings reveal that sticking to a single provider is far from the norm in the current landscape. In addition to consultative services, providers that move from a tool-centric focus to a more systems-oriented perspective will be better positioned to find the next generation of growth by helping fleets transition into truly connected businesses that turn data into meaningful action.”
For more information about Escalent’s Fleet Advisory Hub insights program, visit escalent.co.
About Fleet Advisory Hub™
The results reported come from Escalent’s Fleet Advisory Hub 2025 Next Generation Telematics Growth report. These results comprise a subset of commercial vehicle and fleet decision-makers drawn from the Fleet Advisory Hub audience. Participants were recruited from an opt-in online panel of fleet business decision-makers and interviewed online. Escalent will supply the exact wording of any survey question upon request.
About Escalent
Escalent is an AI-enabled market research and advisory partner with unmatched industry expertise. For 50 years, we have been catalysts of progress—turning a deep understanding of our clients’ worlds into smarter strategies and transforming human and market insight into decisive action that helps brands outthink disruption and accelerate growth. Following the acquisition of C Space and Hall & Partners in 2023, our 1,600-strong global team now offers a true one-stop shop for industry intelligence, customer insight and brand strategy. Headquartered in Livonia, Michigan, Escalent operates across the US and in Australia, Canada, China, India, Ireland, the Philippines, Singapore, South Africa, the UAE and the UK. Visit escalent.co to see how we are helping shape the brands that are reshaping the world.
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