Commercial vehicle operators are missing out on major efficiencies and cost savings by not harnessing connected vehicle data, a new study has found.

Businesses can cut van downtime by 60% through smarter vehicle maintenance and monitoring

Ford Pro surveyed 3,000 van drivers and 150 fleet managers across Europe and the US for its Closing the Commercial Vehicle Data Gap report, revealing three main ‘gaps’ in customer behaviour and attitudes towards vehicle data.

The study found that almost half (46%) of van drivers and a quarter (25%) of fleet managers don’t monitor vehicle health data daily – to schedule an urgent service for example – despite its priority for day-to-day operations.

It also revealed a lack of awareness of connected vehicle data benefits; less than a third of van drivers (32%) and just over half of fleet managers (57%) know “a lot” about how their data can help save time and money, falling to 10% for small businesses.

Data privacy was a concern for the majority of respondents – cited by 94% of drivers and 97% of managers across Europe and the US – with data sharing without consent and security breaches being the top issues.

There are more than 29.5 million vans on Europe’s roads and by 2028 almost as many commercial vehicles will be fitted with modems. By monitoring daily the wide range of data that a vehicle with a modem can collect, fleet managers are better able to be alerted to or predict maintenance needs, improving productivity and ultimately saving money.

Ford Pro helps keep fleets on the road with a connected ecosystem of software, services, and solutions – including telematics, charging hardware and software and software solutions that support businesses productivity. The van specialist has estimated that businesses can reduce vehicle downtime by 60% through smarter vehicle maintenance and monitoring.

Hans Schep, general manager, Ford Pro, Europe, said: “Connected vehicle data is the lifeblood of commercial vehicle efficiency. Like a fitness tracker for your fleet, it helps optimise vehicle and driver performance by providing both real-time updates and cumulative data for deeper analysis and richer insight.

“This new research has shown that there is a gap which separates the savviest in our business, who have seized the opportunity presented by connected data to save time and money, from those still relying exclusively on traditional management tools and not unlocking its potential. As an industry, we need to close this gap – and fast.”

The report makes clear that the gaps are most pronounced for SMEs – and Ford Pro warned that this is especially concerning as such companies account for 99% of businesses in Europe, with commercial vehicles contributing around €1 trillion to GDP, according to its recent report with the Centre for Economic and Business Research.

The study also showed that 86% of fleet managers say data privacy would influence their decision to continue with or switch to different vehicle brands.

This year Ford Pro earned the ISO 27001 certification, the internationally recognised standard for how a company should safely protect and manage customer data. As a company, Ford does not sell customer data and is also the only manufacturer to have an icon that shows when a driver is sharing data, which appears on the vehicle screen.

“Data security isn’t just a feature at Ford Pro; it’s a foundational principle,” said Jeremy Gould, director, Ford Pro Intelligence, Europe. “The industry needs to better explain the true value represented by today’s connected vehicle data. Our role at Ford Pro is to ensure that customers feel comfortable giving us access to their data so that they can really start to enjoy the benefits it can deliver.”

Ford’s full Closing the Commercial Vehicle Data Gap report is online here.