GPS tells you where you are. Data tells you why you’re losing mone

In practice, competitive advantage is not won by those who cut prices the most, but by those who can combine data from many sources — the tractor unit, the semi-trailer, the driver, the order, documents, invoicing and settlement, and CRM/TMS — into one consistent, reliable flow and use it to make operational, commercial and compliance decisions. And those data streams are multiplying: OEM telematics, electronic transport documents, API integrations, mandatory e-invoicing in KSeF, and new access rules resulting from the Data Act.

Is a GPS system alone enough to genuinely improve transport profitability?

In most cases, no. Location answers the question of where a vehicle is, but it does not explain the causes of costs and risks: why fuel consumption is rising, where empty miles come from, why a particular type of semi-trailer keeps breaking down, why disputes over temperature or cargo condition keep occurring in a given supply chain, or why invoices and documents are not being closed on time.

In practice, GPS shows symptoms, but rarely helps you identify root causes. Without data on driving style, drivetrain performance, stops, service events, trailer parameters, or document statuses, the company is operating in the dark — reacting after the fact instead of preventing issues.

Profitability improves only when location is combined with operational and financial context, and when that context can be turned into decisions — not just reports.

GPS is the foundation. But heavy-duty fleet management starts where the map ends

In a mature organisation, fleet data is not a once-a-day report. It is a stream of events across multiple layers:

• Vehicle (tractor unit): operating parameters, diagnostics, driving style, fuel consumption, service events, mileage
• Semi-trailer: location, routes, doors/security; and for reefers also temperature and cold-chain alarms
• Driver: safety events, duty-cycle activities, task completion, order statuses (via an app)
• Order and customer: deadlines, time slots, SLAs, claims, commercial arrangements (CRM/TMS)
• Documents and settlement: waybills (increasingly eCMR), invoicing (KSeF), attachments and confirmations, approvals and workflow
• B2B integrations: contractor data, freight platforms, warehouse systems, insurers’ systems

In short, transport is not about whether you “have data”, but whether you have it connected, comparable and ready for action. This is supported by industry research: in the Transporeon Transportation Pulse Report 2026, 44% of shippers already say they use AI in transport planning and optimisation. Carriers, meanwhile, are implementing AI for tasks such as optimising rates and corridors. Both sides identify data inconsistency and poor data quality as the biggest barrier — not the absence of yet another tracking tool.

At the same time, Berg Insight forecasts that the number of active fleet management systems in Europe will grow from 18.1 million (end of 2024) to 30.5 million in 2029. More and more trucks are also leaving factories with built-in connectivity and OEM services. This indicates a shift from standalone maps to platforms that combine vehicle data with operational and process data inside the company.

It is also worth looking at the carrier perspective. In the Adelante SCM & Magaya report State of Digitisation in Freight Forwarding 2025, 90% of shippers say technological capabilities are key when choosing an operator (forwarder). Among the most desired capabilities are real-time location with status, integrations, and automation for documents and compliance — precisely the areas where GPS alone falls short.

Heavy-duty fleet management is therefore not only about the vehicles and a stack of orders. It is about optimising routes and operations while managing data. Competitiveness comes from flexibility — and that flexibility increasingly depends on openness to modern technology and comprehensive implementation.

OEM telematics: factory data without installation with one condition

In recent years, OEM telematics has grown in importance: access to data generated by factory-installed connectivity systems, without the need for aftermarket devices. For carriers, this can bring clear benefits: less downtime for installation, less interference with the vehicle, and — in mixed fleets — better continuity of data for newer model years.

The catch is that OEM telematics is often fragmented. Each manufacturer has its own service environment and its own rules for data sharing. In practice, this makes integration via API crucial, so OEM data can be pulled into one place and dispatch, service, controlling and sales teams can work with consistent KPIs. OEM telematics providers therefore focus on enabling the aggregation of data streams from an entire fleet within one ecosystem — regardless of brand, model or component.

In heavy transport, a further step towards order and consistency is provided by interface standards for commercial vehicles (for example FMS/rFMS), developed under the umbrella of European manufacturers. The direction is clear: the industry is pushing towards standardised operational data sharing, because without it, managing a multi-brand fleet through a single set of processes is difficult.

Manufacturers themselves are also expanding data access services and integration solutions. For example, Scania describes data access as a service that can be activated without costly installation or downtime, and manufacturers’ ecosystems — via dedicated interfaces — increasingly assume system-level integration.

Vehicle manufacturers, within their global structures, are also creating companies focused exclusively on data. This highlights how OEMs themselves are positioning the role of data in the heavy-duty fleet management market.

Data Act: transport enters the era of data rights

The Data Act (Regulation 2023/2854) introduces harmonised EU rules on access to data and its use, particularly in relation to data generated by devices and digital services. For the transport industry, this is highly practical, because trucks, semi-trailers and telematics systems are a classic example of “connected products” — devices that generate data continuously.

The key takeaway for carriers and logistics professionals is that data is no longer treated as the exclusive domain of the technology provider. Expectations — and regulatory frameworks — increasingly support the right of the data user to obtain it, transfer it and, with consent, share it further. This may apply, for example, to integration with your own TMS/CRM, analytics tools, an insurer, or a supply chain customer. As a rule, the regulation has applied since 12 September 2025.

In practice, the Data Act strengthens the case for investing in an API-based integration architecture. If data is to build real advantage, it must be portable and connected — not locked into separate dashboards from multiple providers. In this context, data-driven management means the right to use vehicle and machine data in ways defined by the customer. Barriers therefore fall not only in access, but also in how the constantly flowing data stream from semi-trailers, tractor units and equipment can be used.

Ensuring integration and comprehensive analysis of collected data becomes essential to maintaining an advantage in transport, shipping and logistics.

eCMR and eFTI: why paper folders make less and less sense

The electronic waybill eCMR is not a futuristic concept. Poland has implemented the legal basis, as the Additional Protocol to the CMR Convention on the electronic waybill has been in force in the country since 11 September 2019. Internationally, UNECE indicates that the eCMR Protocol legitimises the electronic waybill as an alternative to paper.

In parallel, the EU eFTI Regulation (EU) 2020/1056 is in force, establishing a framework for transmitting transport information electronically between businesses and authorities. The key dates are clear:

• From January 2026: eFTI platforms and service providers can prepare operationally, and authorities can start accepting data for inspections
• From 9 July 2027: the regulation is to be applied in full — member state authorities must accept information transmitted electronically via certified eFTI platforms

For carriers, this means one thing: digitising transport documents and inspection processes is not a trend, but a direction that will become embedded. The sooner a company streamlines document flows and integrations (order → eCMR → confirmations → settlement), the fewer delays, disputes and operational headaches it will face.

Digitisation also supports data-driven heavy-duty fleet management. Ultimately, eCMR is simply another signal within a coherent order and delivery management system which, together with telematics, enables a full view of costs and operational profitability.

KSeF: the invoice becomes part of the transport process, not just accounting paperwork

In 2026, many transport, shipping and logistics companies will enter the phase of mandatory use of KSeF. Government announcements set out the phased implementation schedule, including:

• From 1 February 2026: obligation for large taxpayers (2024 sales above PLN 200 million ≈ €47.46m)
• From 1 April 2026: obligation for most other businesses
• From 1 January 2027: for the smallest entities (KSeF materials indicate an exception for entities up to PLN 10,000 per month ≈ €2.37k)

For transport, this is not just a new XML format. It redesigns the interface between order – execution – documents – settlement. If a carrier has multiple document sources (TMS, CRM, accounting systems, and email), KSeF will quickly expose bottlenecks: missing contractor data, unclear service statuses, manual approvals, last-minute corrections, and disputes over dates and scope of services.

That is why preparing for KSeF in a transport company often starts with something basic: putting operational data and document flows in order. This ties in with eCMR, eFTI and telematics. The more “event-driven” the organisation becomes — with clear statuses, confirmations and automatic completion of attachments — the lower the compliance and administrative cost.

For this reason, data-driven heavy-duty fleet management is no longer optional. It is increasingly a condition for staying in control of the business: cost levels, punctuality, service quality and compliance with growing regulatory requirements.

This approach shifts the company from firefighting to prediction. Instead of manually chasing documents and corrections after the fact, you build a process in which operation, documentation and settlement form one coherent chain of events.

Integration via API: the backbone of modern heavy-duty fleet management

Heavy-duty fleet management is, in many ways, data integration management. That is why we recommend that the key steps in 2026 should include:

1. Define which decisions should be driven by data (e.g., fuel policy, maintenance, dispatch, settlement, quality).
2. Choose stable data sources (OEM telematics and/or in-vehicle devices, trailer data, documents).
3. Build a unified data model (so “mileage”, “order” and “stop” mean the same thing across the company).
4. Connect systems via API so data flows automatically, not through exports and manual copy-pasting.
5. Set access and security rules (who can see what and why), because fleet data also involves risk and compliance.

Then GPS becomes just one sensor — not the centre of the universe — and the telematics platform becomes a data integrator that supports analysis and decision-making.

Stable, data-driven heavy-duty fleet management

A good example of the direction the industry is heading is the global cooperation between Schmitz Cargobull and Cartrack.

In this model, data from TrailerConnect® semi-trailer telematics can be integrated with the Cartrack platform in a SaaS model. Activation takes place without adding any additional hardware, provided the customer consents to data sharing, using factory-installed OEM telematics devices.

Two aspects are worth highlighting: control over data and the ability to combine information from the vehicle, route and order. As Soeren Danielsen from Schmitz Cargobull put it:

“TrailerConnect® Data Management Center gives transport companies full control over their data and allows them to selectively share it with third parties — carriers retain control of their data and decide themselves what they pass on, to whom and to what extent.”

And Richard Schubert from Cartrack adds an operational perspective:

“Together, we provide full transparency, smarter data-driven insights, and solutions that simplify complex logistics processes.”

That is the essence of the modern approach: not another dashboard, but an integrated view of operations that can be turned into decisions — from cold-chain quality, through maintenance and downtime, to compliance and settlement.