Vehicle Management Systems (VMS), an AI-first fleet and vehicle middleware platform serving both fleet and auto retail environments, recently announced the results of its latest industry survey, revealing that fleet operators continue to rely heavily on basic communication channels while showing strong interest in communication workflows that are easier to manage and more actionable in daily operations.
According to the survey data, 72.9 percent of respondents say they have a telematics system, but the vast majority are not using telematics communication regularly, highlighting a broader gap in the fleet industry: current in-app telematics communications remain inadequate and underused, and not yet robust enough to support the next generation of agentic AI-driven fleet operations.
Across fleet operations, communication remains a critical but fragmented part of the workflow. VMS’s survey shows that text messages (29.8 percent), phone calls (27.2 percent), and WhatsApp (20.0 percent) are today’s primary communication channels, while in-app messaging via telematics or fleet software accounts for just 7.9 percent.
The findings point to a clear opportunity for fleet technology providers to make communication more operationally useful, improve visibility, and reduce reliance on scattered, hard-to-manage workflows.
Key Findings:
- Telematics Adoption Is High, but Communication Use Is Low
- 72.9 percent of respondents said they have a telematics system, but only 25.1 percent said telematics communication is used regularly.
- 66.7 percent of respondents said their telematics systems either include communication features they do not use or lack communication capabilities altogether, pointing to a gap between what the systems offer and what fleets are actually able to use in daily operations.
2. Fleets Still Depend on Basic Communication Channels
- 29.8 percent primarily use text messages, 27.2 percent use phone calls, and 20.0 percent use WhatsApp during daily operations.
- Only 7.9 percent said telematics or fleet software is their primary communication channel, indicating that most fleets still rely on communication tools outside their core operational platform.
3. Operational Communication Remains Task-Focused
- 38.9 percent said trip assignments or routing are the main reason for communication, and 36.0 percent cite status updates.
- Maintenance issues (9.9 percent) and schedule changes (8.5 percent) represent a much smaller share of daily communication needs.
4. Record-Keeping Is a Major Gap
- 55.1 percent said communications are not logged or recorded.
- Only 15.9 said records are captured automatically, while 25.1 percent said logging is done manually.
5. Built-In Messaging Has Strong Appeal
- 17.9 percent said they would definitely use alerts and messaging delivered through their existing enterprise tools, such as Slack or Teams, and 61.8 percent said they possibly would.
- Only 3.4 percent are not interested.
6. Too Many Apps and Poor History Tracking Are the Biggest Pain Points
- 34.7 percent cite too many apps as a communication challenge, and 33.1 percent said it is hard to track history.
- 11.5 percent cite difficulty reaching drivers, while 9.2 percent point to poor connectivity.
7. Demand for New Tools Is Strong
- 8.2 percent said they definitely plan to adopt a new communication tool in the next 12 months, and 65.2 percent said they possibly will.
- That indicates a market that is open to change if the solution reduces friction and consolidates workflows.
8. Text Remains the Preferred Alert Channel
- 50.7 percent prefer to receive alerts via instant messaging, followed by 24.6 percent through a mobile app and 12.1 percent by phone call.
- The results reinforce the importance of fast, familiar, and low-friction communication methods in fleet operations.
“Fleet operators are telling us that in the era of agentic and generative AI, communication is no longer a nice-to-have; it’s what determines whether a platform gets used at all,” explained Dave Prusinski, Chief Executive Officer of VMS. “Without better ways to interact, even the smartest systems risk going unused, just like so many non-AI tools before them. Ease of interaction is paramount, and the best path forward is technology that works with the systems fleets already rely on. Solutions, like our AI-Powered Virtual Fleet Manager, VIC, are designed to feel like a teammate, not a static tool, so fleets can act faster and more naturally in the flow of work.”
As fleet communication needs continue to grow more complex, VMS remains focused on helping operators modernize workflows through technology designed to reduce app sprawl, improve record-keeping, and make daily communication more efficient.
For more information, visit www.vms.ai.