GPS technology has come a long way from showing a little dot moving around a map. Today, the best telematics systems can tell fleet managers how their vehicles are being driven, when maintenance is required, how efficiently assets are being used, and where significant operational savings might be hiding.
And when it comes to delivering that intelligence, Geotab continues to stand out as one of the world’s leading telematics providers.
For Formbird, that’s particularly good news. Geotab’s powerful GPS and vehicle data technology is integrated with our Australian-developed Formbird FLEET management platform, helping councils turn real-time vehicle information into practical management decisions.
Recent awards, industry recognition and Australian research provide some compelling reasons to be enthusiastic about that partnership.
Another Year of Recognition for Geotab
Geotab’s track record of industry recognition continues to grow.
In its 2025 Commercial Telematics Vendors Competitive Assessment, independent technology intelligence firm ABI Research ranked Geotab the world’s No. 1 commercial telematics vendor for the fourth consecutive assessment.
The assessment examined major telematics providers across innovation, implementation, analytics, open-platform capabilities and integration. Geotab achieved an overall score of 88.1 out of 100.
That recognition has been followed by a remarkable series of awards in 2026.
In January, Frost & Sullivan announced that Geotab had received its 2025 North American Company of the Year recognition for commercial vehicle fleet management, highlighting its innovation, market leadership and customer value.
In April, Geotab won the Innovation in Risk Management award at the Great British Fleet Awards for the third consecutive year. The award recognised real improvements in driver safety through connected vehicle data and AI-supported risk management.
Geotab also won Innovation in Telematics at the 2026 Motor Trader Commercial Industry Awards, recognising developments in predictive maintenance and driver safety.
Then in June, Geotab Ace, the company’s generative AI fleet assistant, was named AI-based Transportation Solution of the Year in the 2026 AI Breakthrough Awards.
And most recently, in September, Geotab received a Business Intelligence Group Sustainability Award for its own sustainable transportation initiatives, which helped avoid more than 285 tonnes of CO₂-equivalent emissions over 12 months.
These are different awards recognising different achievements. Together, they demonstrate a company investing heavily in technology, fleet safety, innovation and sustainability.
Six Million Connected Vehicles – and an Enormous Amount of Intelligence
Geotab now reports connecting approximately six million vehicles and assets worldwide, processing around 100 billion data points every day.
That scale matters.
Vehicle data can reveal patterns in maintenance requirements, driver behaviour, fuel consumption, utilisation and vehicle performance that might otherwise be difficult to identify.
Rather than simply knowing where a vehicle has travelled, fleet managers can understand how it is being used and whether it is performing as expected.
For Australian councils managing everything from passenger cars and utilities to waste collection vehicles, heavy plant and specialised equipment, this represents a major opportunity.
A vehicle’s location is useful. Its operational history can be considerably more valuable.
Australian Research Confirms the Value of GPS and Telematics
In June 2026, Geotab released its inaugural Connected Fleets in Australia Report, based on research conducted by ABI Research on its behalf involving 517 Australian fleet professionals.
The findings reinforce the practical value of connected fleet technology.
Among the reported results:
- 75% of businesses using GPS tracking solutions considered them highly beneficial for fleet management.
- 70% reported reductions in fleet costs.
- 57% reported improved productivity.
- More than half reported achieving a positive return on investment within 12 months.
The survey also highlighted improvements reported by organisations using video telematics, particularly in driver safety and incident management.
These are survey findings rather than guaranteed outcomes for every fleet, but they provide encouraging evidence of the value Australian organisations are finding in connected vehicle technology.
Read Geotab’s Connected Fleets in Australia Report announcement
Real Australian Fleet Safety Results
One particularly impressive example comes from Essential Energy, which was recognised as a Safety Champion in the 2026 Geotab Innovation Awards.
Essential Energy’s workers travel an average of 35 million kilometres annually across regional, rural and remote New South Wales.
By using connected vehicle monitoring to help drivers identify and correct risky driving behaviour, the organisation reported nearly halving accident claims, alongside reductions in maintenance costs, fuel consumption and emissions.
Essential Energy’s recognition is an example of a Geotab-connected fleet achieving measurable results, rather than a Formbird customer case study. Nevertheless, it demonstrates what can be achieved when good technology is supported by a genuine commitment to driver safety.
Read about the 2026 Geotab Innovation Award winners
Where Geotab and Formbird FLEET Work Together
At Formbird, we have always believed that collecting information is only part of the job.
The real value comes from making that information useful to the people responsible for operating a fleet.
Through our collaboration with Geosecure, an authorised Geotab partner, Formbird FLEET integrates Geotab telematics into everyday fleet management workflows.
This connects GPS and vehicle information with the operational records and activities that councils already need to manage.
Smarter maintenance: Geotab provides accurate odometer and engine-hour readings, allowing Formbird FLEET to automate service scheduling based on actual vehicle use. Diagnostic information can also support earlier identification of faults.
Better safety management: Information about vehicle activity and driver behaviour complements Formbird FLEET’s digital pre-start inspections, incident reporting and safety workflows.
Improved asset utilisation: Location, distance travelled, operating hours and other telematics information help identify assets that are being overused, underused or deployed inefficiently.
Fuel and operating costs: Vehicle data supports analysis of fuel consumption, excessive idling and operational efficiency, while accurate location and usage records can assist with fuel tax credit reporting.
Planning for electric vehicles: Real-world usage information helps fleet managers assess travel requirements and consider where electric vehicles may be suitable replacements.
The important distinction is that Geotab provides the connected vehicle intelligence, while Formbird FLEET links that information to asset records, maintenance, bookings, compliance and management reporting.
Together, they help turn data into action.
Our Latest Fleet Meet-Up Shows Exactly Why This Matters
At our most recent Formbird FLEET Professionals Community Meet-Up on 1 October, Adam Gristwood demonstrated a particularly practical example of this integration.
The session focused on pool vehicle utilisation and data-driven fleet planning.
By bringing together Formbird FLEET booking information, KeyWatcher electronic key management records and Geotab telematics, fleet managers can compare what people book with what vehicles actually do.
A vehicle might be booked for an entire day but driven for only an hour. Another vehicle might appear consistently busy, while actual movement data reveals significant periods of inactivity.
Formbird FLEET’s reporting can examine distance travelled, driving time, stopped time, unused booking time and vehicle utilisation.
Those insights help answer an important question for every council:
How many pool vehicles do we actually need, and are they in the right locations?
The session also included a practical discussion involving Cardinia Shire Council about determining vehicle requirements using actual utilisation information.
For councils planning fleet replacements, redistributing vehicles between depots or assessing opportunities to introduce EVs, this is precisely the kind of information that supports better decisions.
Watch Formbird FLEET Meet-Up #34 – Pool Vehicle Utilisation and Data-Driven Fleet Planning
The Future of GPS Is About More Than Tracking
Geotab’s technology roadmap is also moving rapidly into artificial intelligence, predictive maintenance, advanced video safety and more sophisticated asset monitoring.
Its award-winning Geotab Ace assistant demonstrates how fleet managers can increasingly ask questions about complex vehicle datasets using everyday language.
Rather than spending time searching through reports, managers can use AI-supported tools to explore safety trends, vehicle health and operational performance.
Geotab’s newer AI and video capabilities are developments within its broader product ecosystem; their availability and integration with individual Formbird FLEET deployments depend on the products and configuration selected.
Nevertheless, the direction is clear. Fleet technology is moving beyond reporting what happened towards helping organisations anticipate what needs attention.
For Formbird, that direction aligns naturally with our low-code philosophy: flexible software that can adapt to changing operational requirements without forcing every organisation into the same processes.
World-Leading Telematics. Australian-Developed Fleet Management.
Geotab’s continued success is good news for the fleet industry and particularly encouraging for organisations already using its technology with Formbird FLEET.
We combine the strengths of a globally recognised telematics platform with Australian-developed and supported fleet management software designed around the real needs of local government and asset-intensive organisations.
And through our Formbird FLEET Professionals Community, customers regularly share their experiences, see new features demonstrated and help shape future improvements.
The result is more than GPS tracking and more than a fleet database.
It’s a connected approach to managing vehicles, people, maintenance, safety and investment.
Good GPS technology tells you where your vehicles are. Great fleet management helps you decide what to do next.
Discover What Formbird FLEET and Geotab Can Do for Your Organisation
Find out how connected vehicle data, automated maintenance, intelligent reporting and integrated pool vehicle booking can help your organisation manage its fleet more effectively.
Explore Formbird FLEET or contact us at gday@formbird.com to arrange a demonstration.
Want to see the technology in action and hear from other Australian fleet professionals? Register for the Formbird FLEET Professionals Community to receive an invitation to our next Zoom meet-up.
