How 5G is reshaping fleet management in Australia

The rollout of the fifth-generation, or 5G, mobile telecommunications network across Australia is all about one thing – more data being able to be transmitted from more devices and more places at faster speeds with lower latency. This step-up in cellular capacity is set to be a game-changer for several key technologies – from artificial intelligence (AI), virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) to the Internet of Things (IoT) – that could ultimately transform how we live, work and play.

That includes the day-to-day routine of anyone who owns or runs a fleet, with 5G technology in Australia promising new levels of efficiency, sustainability, safety and user-friendliness for local transport operators – and a better experience for their customers.

What are the 5G benefits for fleets?

Faster, more efficient deliveries

Tracking a fleet via a telematics system and using that data to inform better fleet-management decisions is nothing new. The combined forces of 5G and AI, however, are allowing these valuable systems to analyse more and more data in real-time. That's making them more effective than ever, helping operators to increase efficiencies, reduce costs and heighten the customer experience.

With 5G, route-optimising programs and their increasingly powerful AI 'brains' are also making use of more and more real-time traffic data, unlocking greater opportunities for drivers to use the fastest, most efficient possible route.

Real-time goods tracking

Along with opening the door to faster, more efficient deliveries, 5G’s real-time data capacity makes it possible to eliminate the 'dead spots' of traditional goods-tracking systems.

With 5G, operators can track the precise location of their goods in real-time – and moving forward, other vital data they might need, say, the temperature of a milk delivery – throughout every link of their supply chain rather than just knowing when they've arrived at key points, giving them and their customers more of the information they need, when they need it.

Better maintenance, support and training

Overseas, 5G-connected Volvo trucks are already allowing technicians to make use of real-time data from trucks when they're out on the road, enabling remote diagnostics and repairs and reducing fleet downtime.

5G is also set to unlock a range of potential benefits when teamed with rapidly developing virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) technologies. In a fully 5G-connected world, 5G-linked AR headsets could allow a technician to walk a driver through a roadside 'fix' to keep a truck moving and avoid critical downtime or allow a trainer to monitor their new driver on the road. The possibilities are endless.

Automated vehicles

Automated vehicles are the next big thing, promising safer, more efficient and reliable transport and freight movement, and 5G's unparalleled data capacity makes the integration of this technology into the transport and logistics industry possible.

Many ports and businesses around the world are already using 5G networks to facilitate fully autonomous cargo movement. Qube Holdings

, one of Australia's leading providers of transport logistics, is using 5G to link automated cargo vehicles to the fleet management and safety system at its Moorebank Logistics Park base.

As autonomous vehicles become more common and the 5G network expands, expect these kinds of automated fleet systems to flourish beyond ports and private business zones and onto the roads, allowing concepts such as 'platooning' – where trucks drive autonomously at a fixed distance between each other on a highway to reduce aerodynamic drag, optimise fuel consumption, lower costs and reduce a company's carbon footprint – to finally make the jump to reality.

^Disclaimer

^{Viva Energy Australia Pty Ltd (“Viva Energy”) has compiled the above article for your general information and to use as a general reference. Whilst all reasonable care has been taken by Viva Energy in compiling this article, Viva Energy does not warrant or represent that the information in the article is free from errors or omissions or is suitable for your intended use.}