A new agreement between ARI and Ford's new commercial data unit will allow the fleet management company to provide a "seamless telematics solution for fleet customers," the Mount Laurel, N.J.-based company has announced.

ARI will integrate Ford Commercial Solutions' Data Services product with its Insights fleet management portal to provide real-time visibility into the operating conditions of fleet vehicles managed by ARI.

"Our new agreement with Ford Commercial Solutions eliminates two of the biggest roadblocks fleets typically face when implementing a telematics solution, device installation and data management, helping our customers easily leverage this technology to make their fleet data insightful and actionable," said Don Woods, ARI's director of customer information systems.

Ford launched the fleet data unit in June with partnership agreements with Geotab and Spireon. The manufacturer has also extended its existing agreement with Verizon Connect. By the end of 2019, most Ford vehicles will offer 4G LTE connectivity with a built-in telematics device that transmits data to Ford's Transportation Mobility Cloud open platform. The data then flows to ARI's data warehouse where it's integrated with the customer's fleet data.

"Fleet operators told us they want to be able to choose how best to manage their fleets and this agreement with ARI allows us to offer our customers additional choice," said Lee Jelenic, chief executive of Ford Commercial Solutions.

Ford is providing data to fleets with a greater range of information and precise accuracy, according to Ford.