Detroit’s Virtual Technician adds new portal, over-the-air programming

by Truck News

PHILADELPHIA, Pa. — Detroit Connect has enhanced its Virtual Technician remote diagnostics platform, adding over-the-air programming and a new portal.

“Intelligent connectivity is at the core of what we are offering to drivers and fleet managers,” said Matt Pfaffenbach, director, telematics for Daimler Trucks North America (DTNA). “By adding new technologies that provide more meaningful insights and visibility, we are further contributing to increased uptime, safety and efficiency.”

The portal will allow users to view and archive Detroit Diesel Engine Control (DDEC) reports, which use diagnostics to further analyze driver and vehicle performance. It will serve as an acces point for all services offered by Detroit Connect. It is currently being piloted and will be rolled out to all customers in spring of 2016, Daimler announced at the American Trucking Associations (ATA) Management Conference & Exhibition.

“Every customer has different concerns and ways of analyzing and acting on fault information, so we developed the portal to specifically make the fault information as manageable and consumable for every priority,” said Pfaffenbach.

Over-the-air programming will use cellular service connectivity to remotely adjust vehicle parameter settings, remote downloading of DDEC reports and the remote flashing of software updates for electronic controllers.

“Vehicle connectivity is going to continue to have a significant impact on how customers do business, and DTNA will continue to push the envelope to be part of that evolution,” said Pfaffenbach.

Daimler also announced C.R. England has renewed its telematics services with Detroit Connect on more than 2,700 trucks.

“C.R. England has made the decision to extend our Virtual Technician subscriptions for the entire length of time our Daimler-built units are in our fleet,” said Douglas Kading, vice-president of maintenance for C.R. England. “As our equipment reached the two-year free subscription mark with Virtual Technician, we were entering a period in the life cycle with significant cost increases in the after-treatment and exhaust systems. By getting the Virtual Technician notifications on these older units, we were able to avoid unexpected breakdowns, which improved our customer service and reduced our maintenance costs.”

 

 


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