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August 21, 2006 11:15 AM, EDT

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f one of your trucks broke down on a distant highway, would a maintenance technician back at the main terminal be able to accurately diagnose the problem?

Possibly, but not without persistent effort to tweak today’s technology so it meets the individual fleet’s needs, say telematics experts who specialize in the intricacies of vehicle computer networks and wireless communication. This means that only the technologically advanced fleets order from the full menu of remote vehicle diagnostics and real-time notification.

Those relatively few carriers with the resources to “do it right” are receiving a return on their investment in remote vehicle diagnostics, said Tom Doyle, vice president of business development for Qualcomm Wireless Business Solutions. The problem is, “it takes a high level of sophistication and expertise to get the diagnostics data to the right users so they can actually do something about it. You have to be precise.”

This article appeared in the August/September edition of TT's iTECH supplement. For the full story, see the August 21 print edition of Transport Topics. Subscribe today.