How to use fleet data & analytics to drive action

The right fleet metrics depend on the operation and its goals. Rather than tracking every available data point, focus on a core set of measures across areas like fuel, safety and asset utilization. Together, they can provide a clearer view of fleet performance and where more attention may be needed.

Track fuel and energy trends

Fuel data can show more than how much a fleet is spending. Looking at consumption alongside mileage, idle time and vehicle activity can help managers identify factors that may be affecting overall fleet performance.

For fleets introducing EVs, energy use and vehicle activity can also help evaluate where electrification may make sense.

Monitor safety and driver behavior

With fleet safety analytics, managers can spot driving behaviors that may warrant attention.

• Depending on the fleet and available technology, useful measures may include:
• Speeding events
• Harsh braking and acceleration
• Aggressive cornering
• Seatbelt use
• Distracted driving events

Measure how assets are being used

Mileage, engine hours, trip activity and dwell time can show managers how vehicles and assets are being used across the operation.

Fleet performance analytics can help answer questions such as: Are some vehicles consistently underused? Are others carrying a disproportionate share of the workload? Does the fleet have more—or less—capacity than it needs?

Start with what the fleet needs to learn, then work backward to the data that can answer it.

These individual metrics provide the foundation. The next step is connecting them to understand why performance is changing and what action to take.

Individual metrics can tell fleet managers what happened. Fleet data analytics makes that information more valuable when managers connect those data points to understand why it happened—and what they may want to do next.

Connect data points to find the bigger story

A single metric rarely tells the whole story. High fuel consumption, for example, identifies a potential problem—but doesn't necessarily explain what's causing it.

Combining fuel data with other information can add useful context:

• Fuel use + idle time can show whether unnecessary idling may be contributing to higher consumption.
• Fuel use + route data when used together can help to identify whether inefficient routes or added mileage may be contributing to costs.
• Fuel use + vehicle data can show whether certain vehicles are consistently consuming more fuel than others.

This kind of telematics data analysis moves the conversation from “Fuel use increased” to “What might be driving the increase?”

Look for operational friction

Looking across multiple sources of fleet data can also uncover operational friction. Route and stop data may reveal recurring delays at certain locations, while vehicle activity and dwell time may show where assets spend long periods unused.

The point isn't simply to find an outlier. It's to understand whether it represents a one-time event or a pattern worth investigating.

Real-time alerts for immediate correction

In-cab audio alerts can prompt drivers to self-correct behaviors such as tailgating, lane departure, distraction, tiredness, phone use or an unfastened seat belt. 

12% lower fuel costs”

Businesses using GPS fleet tracking reported reducing fuel costs by an average of 12%, according to the 2026 Fleet Technology Trends Report.

Use fleet data to support business decisions

Insights from fleet management analytics can be used to communicate beyond the fleet department. Instead of proposing a change based primarily on anecdotal evidence, managers can use data to show the pattern behind the recommendation.

That might mean using utilization trends to support a fleet-sizing decision, fuel and route data to make the case for an operational change, or performance trends to help justify an investment in new technology.

Fleet reports organize data around specific goals, making it easier to spot unnecessary costs, monitor productivity and simplify administrative work. Rather than reviewing every report available, start with the areas where better information could have the greatest impact.

Find costs hiding in everyday operations

Some fleet costs are easy to see. Others build gradually through everyday behaviors and vehicle use. Reports focused on idling, fuel use and vehicle activity can help pinpoint where those costs may be accumulating.

For example:

• Idling reports can show how often vehicles are running while stationary, helping managers investigate where unnecessary fuel use may be occurring.
• Fuel reports can help compare consumption across vehicles, drivers or time periods.
• Unauthorized-use reports can highlight vehicle activity outside approved hours or locations.
• Mileage reports can help track how much vehicles are being driven and where usage may be higher than expected.

The report itself is only the starting point. Looking at these findings over time can help managers distinguish isolated events from recurring behaviors worth addressing.

Use reports to understand productivity

Location, trip and activity data can provide a record of how work gets done in the field without relying entirely on manual updates.

Useful reports may include:

• Stops-per-day reports to compare activity across routes, teams or time periods.
• Trip reports to review travel time, mileage and completed journeys.
• Stop and location reports to verify when vehicles arrived and how long they remained at a location.
• Proof-of-service records to help confirm that a vehicle reached a customer or job site.

Simplify compliance data collection

Compliance often requires fleet managers to bring together information from multiple vehicles, drivers and trips. Reports can reduce some of that administrative work by organizing the underlying data in one place.

For fleets subject to Hours of Service requirements, HOS reports can help managers review driver hours and supporting records. Fleets operating across IFTA jurisdictions can use mileage and location data to help track distance traveled by jurisdiction.

Choose reports based on the decision at hand

The reports worth prioritizing depend on the outcome the fleet is trying to improve.

From there, managers can establish a regular reporting cadence based on how quickly the information changes and how often a decision needs to be made.

23 reports that can change your fleet business

Uncover opportunities to control costs, improve productivity and make better use of fleet data. 

Explore the reports →

As fleets add technology, they often add new sources of data along with it. Fuel cards, GPS tracking, safety tools, maintenance systems and other platforms may each provide useful information—but if those systems don't work together, managers can end up piecing together different versions of the operation.

Fleet data integration brings information from different systems together so it can be viewed and analyzed more consistently.

Break down data silos

For fleet managers, location data may live in one platform, fuel information in another and safety data somewhere else. Even a relatively simple analysis may require pulling information from several sources before the analysis can even begin.

For example, combining fuel, location and vehicle activity can provide more context around high fuel consumption. Connecting safety events with location and trip information can help managers better understand where and when risky behaviors occur.

Create a more unified data ecosystem

An integrated fleet management system can bring related information together, giving managers and other teams a more consistent source for reviewing performance.

For fleets using multiple technologies, creating that ecosystem doesn't necessarily mean replacing every existing system. Integrations and APIs can connect and standardize telematics data from different fleet systems, allowing information to move between platforms while reducing the need to manually transfer or reconcile data.

The right approach will depend on the fleet's technology stack, business needs and the systems that need to communicate.

Cloud-based fleet management for safety and efficiency

See how to bring fleet information together and make it accessible across the operation. 

Explore cloud-based fleet management →

Fleet managers can't investigate every data point or anticipate every issue that might need attention. As fleet data grows, proactive analytics can help surface meaningful changes and opportunities without requiring managers to know exactly what to look for.

Demonstrate accountability with fleet data

For government agencies and other large fleets, data often needs to serve more than day-to-day operations. Managers may also need to demonstrate how vehicles, budgets and other public resources are being used.

Mileage, utilization, fuel and maintenance data can provide measurable evidence of fleet activity. Those records can help agencies evaluate vehicle use, support budgeting decisions and demonstrate how resources are being managed.

15% lower maintenance costs”

Reported on average for fleets using fleet management software, according to the 2026 Fleet Technology Trends Report.

Uncover opportunities with proactive insights

Traditional fleet reporting often requires managers to know which metrics to review or what questions to ask. But some of the most useful findings may be the ones they weren't looking for.

Verizon Connect Operational Insights uses generative AI to analyze Reveal fleet data and proactively highlight unusual activity and patterns worth investigating. These might include increases in idling, changes in harsh driving or unexpected trends in location visits.

Instead of searching through multiple reports, managers receive short, easy-to-understand summaries that draw attention to these findings. They can then explore supporting graphs, review trends over time and share insights with other team members.

Make smarter decisions with AI

Discover how generative AI can uncover meaningful patterns that improve safety, efficiency and productivity. 

Explore Operational Insights →

Fleet data is most valuable when it puts the right information in front of the right people. Connected in the right ways, that information can help teams find opportunities, respond to challenges and anticipate changing needs.

The goal isn't to track everything. It's to make data work for the people and processes behind the operation—giving teams the information they need to know where to focus and what to do next.

See how to get more from your fleet data

Reach out to your Verizon Connect representative or if you’re not a current customer, request a custom demo below to explore how connected fleet data and analytics can help you uncover insights, improve performance and make more informed decisions.