How to Keep Vehicles and Fleets Connected After the End of 3G

 Wireless carriers have already begun phasing out the 3G and 2G cellular networks that many fleets, especially trucking companies, continue to use.  These legacy cellular networks have provided fleets with a way to keep data transmission costs in check because the service plans for these devices tend to remain at lower price levels. 

The pace of change has disrupted this cost-control approach because wireless carriers are phasing out these older networks so they can reuse the bandwidth for their next-generation infrastructure. The carriers are hoping to spark a wave of sales of replacement devices. Find out more about telematics and IoT or 5G in fleet management

 There are an estimated 7.5 million IoT devices running on these networks, according to Transport Topics. The GSM and CDMA 3G networks were rolled out in 2002. But now, Verizon, T-Mobile, and AT&T are reclaiming spectrum, which will be used as they build out 5G networks that are now in their infancy. The carriers have already stopped activating new 3G devices. 

Verizon will be the first carrier to phase out its 3G network at the end of 2020. The carrier had previously planned the sunset for the end of 2019 and postponed it. Verizon will also shutter its 2G network by Dec. 31. The company includes this note on a service page: “Currently, 3G / 4G non-HD Voice CDMA devices can’t be activated for any new line of service.”

Not surprisingly, the size of your fleet will drive your replacement plan. And you’ll need to take action to avoid losing devices, which will cease pinging when the 3G infrastructure goes dark. You’ll need to develop a game plan fairly quickly, but it’s do-able. 

Larger fleets are monitoring tens of thousands of telematics devices, so taking inventory of the hardware will be the first step. If you manage vehicles in countries outside of the U.S., you’ll need to do some additional research about the 3G shutdowns in other countries. For an update about the plans of Canadian and European carriers, click here. 

De-centralized fleets such as DowDuPont, the American Red Cross, Coca-Cola, and others have vehicles spread around the U.S. being managed by regional divisions. These kinds of fleets will need to connect the dots. 

Smaller fleets are expected to bear the brunt of the transition, especially in rural areas, where network infrastructure is replaced more slowly, and coverage lapses are more common. Of the 30 million commercial vehicles in the U.S., about 15 million now use telematics, and many of these are in service in a fleet with less than 25 vehicles.

Does your TSP provide updates to its product lineup that reduce outages and keep you in compliance? 

Can you schedule time with a company advisor, who is responsive to your questions and concerns? 

Does your TSP help you manage the firehose of data from fleet vehicles with customized reporting and data visualizations? 

Is the cost of your current solution in-line with other comparable solutions in the marketplace? 

Develop a plan 

Replacing legacy devices requires two considerations – securing funding and managing the replacement schedule. This will help you reduce service disruptions. 

Setting aside funding to replace devices requires advanced planning, and smaller fleets may not have the same resources available to fleet managers in larger companies and agencies. For commercial fleets, the funding may be secured more quickly. TSPs may be able to help with financing terms. 

Government agencies usually move slower, because they may need approval from elected leaders as well as a Request for Proposal (RFP) process. However, agencies with cooperative procurement agreements via Sourcewell (formerly NJPA), Omnia, Naspo, and others may be able to move more quickly. 

Once you’ve secured funding to replace the devices and identified vehicles with 2G or 3G hardware, you’ll need to develop a schedule to manage vehicles that will be taken out of service. Of course, you’ll also need to work with your TSP to find an installer. 

Managing the replacements could be even more challenging as a result of the changes to the workforce brought on by Covid-19. 

Vehicles that were once garaged in central locations may now be operating remotely as many workers continue to use their homes as a base of operations. 

Involve all stakeholders 

A fleet-wide device replacement plan that doesn’t involve senior executives, drivers, senior executives, maintenance technicians, and potentially the insurance carrier may not go smoothly. 

Senior executives will need to sign off on the plan to ensure funding and coordination with legal stakeholders who may require new disclosures. 

Drivers will need to know when their vehicles will be taken out of service to swap out hardwired devices, so they can make other plans to continue their work. 

Maintenance technicians will need to develop the timetable for when and how fleet vehicles will undergo the replacement of devices to avoid widespread productivity dips for workers without vehicles. The company may need to consider a truck rental program, and government agencies may rely more heavily on their motor pools. 

Learn from the ELD mandate 

Trucking fleets may be most impacted by the 3G phaseout, because they have been focusing more on meeting a 2017 federal mandate that required electronic logging devices. However, these fleets may also be best positioned to deal with the issue, because they have the experience of recently completing the ELD technology upgrade. 

An ELD helps fleets manage the hours drivers spend behind the wheel by tracking the time electronically rather than via paper forms and records. 

When the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) began requiring ELDs in 2017, fleets with heavier duty (Class 4 and above) trucks began swapping out legacy 3G hardware. Other trucking fleets using automatic on-board recording devices were given an extension in 2017 to December of 2019. Over the past several years, those fleets also made the switch. 

These twin deadlines were seen as an opportunity for trucking fleets to take advantage of new services offered by telematics service providers. Cross-border fleets that operate in Canada must implement ELDs by June 12, 2021. This upcoming deadline represents another opportunity for fleets to switch out 2G and 3G devices.