Glossary
Telematics
The combination of telecommunications and informatics: a device in a vehicle collecting data (location, speed, engine diagnostics, driver behavior) and transmitting it to a software platform. GPS tracking is one part of it.
What Telematics means in practice
Telematics is the combination of a device in a vehicle that collects data, such as location, speed, engine diagnostics and driver behaviour, and the connection that sends it to a software platform. It is bigger than GPS tracking: location is one data point, and a commercial telematics device also reads speed, harsh braking and acceleration, engine fault codes, fuel use, idle time and hours-of-service data from the vehicle, all tied to a timestamp and position. That combination is what lets a platform tell a truck stuck in traffic from one idling in a parking lot for three hours.
Data usually reaches the platform within seconds to a couple of minutes, which is what makes alerts possible: a fault code can open a maintenance ticket the moment it appears, instead of waiting for a driver to mention a dashboard light days later.
Most fleets start with location and safety coaching, then add maintenance from engine hours, idle and fuel analysis, and ELD and IFTA reporting as the platform becomes part of daily work. The consumer version, an insurer's phone app or plug-in dongle, is a much lighter system than fleet telematics.
Read the full explainer
The definition above is the short version. The page below explains Telematics in depth, with the rules, numbers and examples behind it.
What Is Telematics?Guides that explain Telematics
- What Is a Fleet Dash Cam? How Fleet Cameras Work
- Geotab vs Samsara: How a Geotab Partner Compares the Two Platforms
- NEMT Dispatch Software: What NEMT Software Has to Handle
- IFTA Tax Rates by Jurisdiction: How the Rate Matrix Works
- Dash Cam Footage for Insurance Claims: What to Send the Insurer
- Fleet Maintenance Schedule: Engine Hours vs Calendar and Mileage
- Telematics Insurance: How It Affects Fleet Premiums
- Fleet and Asset Management Systems: How They Differ
Telematics: common questions
Is telematics the same as GPS tracking?
Not quite. GPS tracking, meaning location and trip history, is one part of telematics. Telematics also covers engine diagnostics and fault codes, driver behaviour, fuel and idle data and compliance logging, all transmitted from a device in the vehicle to a software platform. In a fleet, the term describes the whole system: device, connection and software.
Who owns and can see my fleet's telematics data?
On the High Point GPS platform, the fleet's own administrators control who can see the data through user permissions. Under High Point GPS's terms, vehicle information that identifies you or your drivers is not shared with third parties unless the law, a court or a regulator requires it. With any provider, read the contract's data ownership and access terms before you sign.
Does every vehicle support telematics?
Most vehicles built in the last two decades have an OBD-II or 9-pin diagnostic port that a telematics device can connect to. Some newer vehicles also ship with factory-embedded telematics, but commercial fleets usually still prefer a dedicated aftermarket device, because it gives consistent data across a mixed fleet of makes, model years and vehicle types.