Telstra and its fleet management subsidiary MTData (acquired in November 2017) are to provide telematics and management services to Linfox’s Australian truck fleet. Telstra said the system would “deliver advanced transport and logistics data and quality benchmarking information to enhance public and driver safety on Australian roads.”

The system will include Samsung tablets mounted in Linfox heavy vehicles so drivers can access logbooks, complete safety checklists and have capability, in some vehicles, for in-cabin recording of road safety incidents.

Linfox CIO Conrad Harvey said: “The devices will enable us to coordinate our vehicles efficiently, reduce congestion on the roads and above all, ensure a higher level of safety for the community.”

Writing in Linfox’s customer magazine, Harvey said: “The data collected from [the system] will allow us to predict future events and create tailored alerts for our drivers and maintenance teams.

“In the future, machine learning and artificial intelligence will combine sensors and high-speed central data processing to increase productivity and unlock new business opportunities.”