Bridgestone Mobility Solutions, a business unit of Bridgestone, has announced a partnership with RIO, a digital service provider, part of TRATON SE and sister to the commercial vehicle brands MAN, Scania and Volkswagen Truck & Bus.
As part of the agreement – announced at transport logistic 2023 –Webfleet, Bridgestone’s globally trusted fleet management solution, will enable the integration of its telematics solutions in all MAN trucks with the existing OEM hardware, RIO Box from MAN.
Adding the truck brand to the Webfleet OEM connect programme allows fleet owners of these vehicle brands to access Webfleet’s fleet management services and interface, helping them improve productivity, compliance and safety with no additional hardware or installation.
In addition, trucks and LCV from MAN with no pre-installed OEM hardware as well as other truck brands that desire to use the RIO portal, can be equipped with Webfleet hardware.
As a result of this collaboration, RIO and Webfleet will provide customers with easy access to advanced telematics solutions, as well as the possibility to work with leading fleet management applications independent of pre-installed hardware and mixed fleets.
“We are excited about this new partnership with RIO that clearly puts the customer first,” said Taco van der Leij, Vice President Webfleet Europe at Bridgestone Mobility Solutions.
“The decoupling of telematics hardware and service portal is another step towards making telematics solutions even more flexible and accessible for fleet owners and drivers, helping to shape a more safe, sustainable and efficient mobility future.”
Jan Kaumanns, CEO of RIO added: “We are happy to work with Webfleet to provide state-of-the-art telematics solutions for all MAN users. The two-way connection of each other’s telematics hardware and software allows customers to use their preferred telematics solutions despite mixed fleets or pre-installed hardware. These open approaches are the future of fleet management.”
The implementation of this new partnership is expected to commence in Europe in the second half of this year.
