FORT LAUDERDALE, FL – America’s private truck fleets are increasingly employing telematics to help drive down the cost of doing business, according to industry leaders responding to a survey commissioned by PHH FirstFleet. In addition, truck fleets are “going green” in order to implement environmentally sound practices. PHH FirstFleet’s survey of private truck fleets was conducted online and during the company’s recent Fleet Management Conference. The survey revealed that 60 percent of fleet managers said they are adopting the devices to track equipment status and driver activities. Seventy-nine percent said they were installing the technology in 75 to 100 percent of their fleet, with 42 percent reporting the main concern was to track delivery times. Thirty-nine percent of the respondents indicated they wanted to optimize routes and fuel management, and 38 percent thought their drivers would perform better and drive more responsibly if they knew they were being monitored. Equipment endurance (18 percent) and security (20 percent) were lower on the scale as motivation to install telematics. Implementation of telematics has been a positive experience for a vast majority of the fleet managers who are currently using this technology, with 83 percent saying that telematics helped improve performance and 68 percent saying that telematics became fundamental to the entire operation. Fifty-seven percent were pleased by the visible return on this financial investment. The survey posed a question about the reliability of ease of implementation of telematics devices, with 33 percent saying it was easy, 25 percent saying it was difficult, and 15 percent saying their drivers had technical problems operating them. Between 50 to 54 percent said they would probably install or expand a telematics program in their fleets this year, including the adoption of related policies and procedures on the data collected. The survey also said that ‘Going Green’ turned out to be popular at the fleet managers’ companies, with 65 percent reporting that some type of environmentally conscious initiative had been put in place. The majority use outside contractors to conduct recycling programs and handle waste products, but the investments have not been big and the programs remain very low-key, according to 59 percent of respondents. However, “green” initiatives are on the rise, with 67 percent reporting plans for additional investments this year. The topmost concerns for fleet managers included using data to improve fleet performance, escalating operating costs including fuel management, and the fast-shrinking pool of qualified truck drivers. The survey, with a 50-percent response rate, was commissioned by PHH FirstFleet and conducted by Starmark Market Intelligence. For a full summary of the PHH FirstFleet National Survey of Fleet Managers, visit www.phhfirstfleet.com.