Paper logs, phone calls and trusting were a thing that fleet managers used to evade many years ago. The drivers recorded the mileages on paper. Dispatchers were trying to make guesses as to the positions of people, according to the energy and noise on the road in the background. It almost worked. Previously, it was on paper trail until the invention of semi truck gps apps. It would then be digital overnight to hold on to it.

The first ones were Internet comical but fantastic. It was a science fiction experience because of the blinking dot moving on a map. Fleet managers could now tell the whereabouts of the trucks and not what the drivers say they are at. This was everything that changed the game. The emergence of accountability reduced the number of places that the garbage can be stored.

After that came telematics. This machine did not simply look but now heard. It all started to talk about: speed, idle time, fuel consumption and engine figures. And those were no silly statistics. It made you aware of these drivers that drag raced with cars and those that could go a whole extra 50 miles with a tank.

Software followed next. Reporting was done automatically. As soon as something seemed amiss alerts would go off like buzzers. It no longer was a science to use sticky notes to plan maintenance. The dispatchers also started to be more air traffic controllers: incisive, precise, commanding.

We are now living in the AI age. It is not over the fact that the machine predetermines what is going to happen as well. It also knows that there exists a truck 42 that overheats when going through the hilly slopes. In front of your accountant is waste of fuel. It warns you even before the matters enter into your scope. It is not magic yet it seems to be magic.

It’s also really funny. It began as a way of finding trucks and went to extremes to become a business guide. It shows where individuals are wasting their time and money and where they work in order.

Paper logs were good but they had holes. This is the case with the existing tracking tools. They not only changed, but received levels. This used to be possible by use of clip board and a bit of luck. It needs information, design and a bit of smart clicking nowadays. When you see so plainly you cannot go back to the fog in the past.