The commercial vehicle manufacturer Ford Pro surveyed 3,000 van drivers and 150 fleet managers in Europe and the United States about the use of vehicle data and found that more than a third of drivers and a quarter of fleet managers do not view data from their connected vehicles daily. As a result, large potentials remained untapped.
"Data are regarded as digital gold in the commercial vehicle industry as well. The increasing collection and use of vehicle data is changing the entire sector and at the same time driving it forward," the manufacturer outlines the problem.
There are today more than 29.5 million vans in Europe. By 2028, most of them are expected to be equipped with modems, according to the forecast. However, companies would not come close to exploiting the optimization potentials enabled by data usage. This means time and money are being wasted, says the manufacturer. According to the study “Knowledge Gap in Fleet Data: Much Potential for Productivity,” a lack of knowledge—especially among smaller companies—as well as data privacy concerns hinder an efficient use of the data from connected commercial vehicles or fleets. The study provides pointers to understand customers' attitudes toward data usage and their accompanying reluctance. The respondents mainly showed deficits in three areas:
- Value creation: Almost half of van drivers (46%) and a quarter of fleet managers (25%) do not tap the potential of vehicle condition data in daily operations. They do not use it, for example, to plan upcoming maintenance — and this despite respondents placing high priority on the good technical condition of their vehicles.
- Knowledge: Worldwide,
- fewer than a third (32%) of van drivers and just over half of fleet managers (57%) know a lot about how to use telematics to save time and money. Among drivers of small companies (1 to 10 vehicles), the share falls to one tenth of respondents.
- Data privacy: 94 percent of van drivers and 97 percent of fleet managers express concerns about data privacy and data security.
Maintenance information
By daily analysis of the data that a vehicle with a modem can collect, fleet operators can be informed about a potential maintenance or repair need, the manufacturer advertises. An additional advantage: The authorized service workshop can pre-order all required parts based on the vehicle data. This should minimize downtime for service visits and enable better planning. In addition, fleet managers can, with the help of Ford Pro services, track the trips of their vans to optimize routing, receive real-time safety warnings, and conduct driver training. According to the provider's estimates, companies can reduce planned and unplanned downtimes of vans by 60 percent through smarter vehicle maintenance and monitoring.
"The data from connected company vehicles are the key to managing fleets more efficiently. They essentially serve as a fitness tracker for the fleet and help optimize the efficiency of vehicles and drivers. For they provide both real-time updates and cumulative data for deeper analyses and broader operational insights," emphasizes Hans Schep, General Manager Ford Pro Europe.
The new study, in his view, demonstrates a gap between the most experienced users who leverage the opportunities of connected data and those who still rely exclusively on traditional management
tools and do not exploit the potential of data for time and cost savings. "As an industry, we must close this gap – and quickly," urges Schep.
Connectivity drives change
Connected vehicle data are driving a rapid transformation across the entire commercial vehicle industry in 2025. Berg Insight forecasts a strong increase in active fleet management systems in Europe from 16.3 million units in 2023 to an expected 27.6 million in 2028. Ford Pro already provides software, charging, maintenance, and financing solutions for commercial vehicles, through which customers can optimize the productivity of their fleets. The commercial vehicle specialist continues to expand its offering and customer base. In the second quarter of 2025, the manufacturer increased the number of paying subscribers to almost 757,000, representing a growth of 24 percent compared with the previous year’s period.
Data privacy concerns
Worldwide, 94 percent of van drivers and 97 percent of fleet managers express concerns about data privacy and the security of their data. At the same time, however, the survey revealed that connected commercial vehicles still enjoy the greatest trust compared with other data-collection software – more than mobile phones, laptops, cars, and household devices. The provider had in 2025 obtained ISO 27001 certification, the internationally recognized data security standard. This confirms that the company protects its customers' data effectively and processes it securely. As a whole company, it does not sell customer data to third parties. In addition, it is regarded as the only manufacturer whose vehicles display on-screen an icon indicating when a driver shares data.
"The automotive industry must better explain the true
value of data from connected vehicles," says Jeremy Gould, Director Ford Pro Intelligence Europe.
Clearly, the study shows that the described “gaps” exist especially in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). This finding is particularly worrying because a prior Ford Pro study, published in collaboration with the Centre for Economic and Business Research (Cebr), had already found that SMEs account for around 99 percent of all businesses in Europe. With their vans they contributed around one trillion euros to GDP across Europe in 2023.
"We give fleet operators all the tools they need to fully exploit the possibilities of connected data for their business," summarizes Hans Schep.
Thus the "Ford Pro Intelligence Platform" is supposed to provide a comprehensive overview of fleet operations based on data collected from vehicle components, sensors, dashcams, and charging devices for electric vehicles, Schep outlines.
Case study: How Lloyds British benefits from Ford Pro Mobile Service
A practical example shows how firms can benefit: The inspection and certification service provider Lloyds British operates a fleet of 70 Transit Custom vehicles in the United Kingdom. The company maintains the productivity of its fleet with "Ford Pro Telematics Essentials" and ensures maximum uptime of the vehicles. Its fleet managers securely log into the vehicle system and can, based on real-time data, see which fleet vehicles require service or repair. For most maintenance or repair work, they can then use the provider's mobile service teams — at a time and place that best suits their drivers. In this way, the Lloyds British fleet can save or avoid up to 60 days of downtime.
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