Freight markets move in cycles. When volumes soften and cost pressures continue to rise, transport operators are forced to look inward for efficiency gains rather than outward for price increases.
According to Jonny Clarke, Director of Webfleet Australia and New Zealand, which is part of Bridgestone Mobility Solutions, that pressure is already evident among heavy vehicle customers.
“It’s a hugely competitive market for them,” Clarke said. “They can’t increase costs if they want to retain business. They need to drive efficiencies in their own business.”
For many operators, passing cost increases on to customers is not an option. Retaining contracts means holding rates steady while managing rising fuel, labour and compliance costs.
“How do they drive value?” Clarke asked. “How do they get more revenue coming from the vehicle?”
His view is that the answer lies in better use of data rather than simply adding more technology for the sake of it.
“And how they do that, of course, isn’t by spending more money on technology or adding this or adding that,” he said. “It’s how do they drive value?”
Turning Data Into Profit Protection
Clarke points to practical examples within day-to-day operations.
“If you’re driving the truck today and I’m driving the truck today, the same truck, the same model, the same load, but at the end of the day there’s a discrepancy in the fuel level between us, why is that?” he said.
Historically, telematics has been used to monitor driver behaviour. Clarke says the focus is now broader.
“Previously, telematics told you what the vehicle was doing based on driver behaviour, but we know that there’s a lot more to do with it than just driver behaviour.”
Jonny Clarke, Director of Webfleet Australia and New Zealand at Webfleet
Load management, vehicle mass, tyre placement and harsh braking all contribute to cost performance.
“We can actually really analyse that,” Clarke said. “We can see from the scales, from the weights, what’s actually been happening with the vehicle.”
For heavy vehicle fleets, small improvements in fuel efficiency or load optimisation, multiplied across dozens or hundreds of trucks, can materially affect margins.
“If they can get more freight into the vehicle by managing it properly, then what we’re actually going to see is that they can get more revenue coming per week, per truck, per month, per year.”
Jonny Clarke, Director of Webfleet Australia and New Zealand at Webfleet
In a soft freight market, that uplift becomes a margin defence rather than a growth strategy.
Global Volatility Adds to the Pressure
Marcelo Godinho, Vice President Fleet Management System – LATAM, Middle East, Africa, Australia and New Zealand, said the freight slowdown is not isolated to one region.
“It’s a bit of challenging years,” Godinho said.
He pointed to global instability, trade tariffs and shifting economic conditions as contributing factors.
“The volatility nowadays, it happens everywhere,” he said. “Everybody’s a bit more cautious nowadays.”
While some markets are showing signs of recovery, the uncertainty has changed how fleet operators approach investment decisions.
“I do believe we will take another one, two years before really, if nothing else crazy goes, it will improve,” Godinho said.
Marcelo Godinho, Vice President Fleet Management System – LATAM, Middle East, Africa, Australia and New Zealand
That environment makes return on investment scrutiny more intense.
From Track and Trace to Fleet Advisory
In a downturn, the conversation shifts from compliance and visibility to measurable performance improvement. Godinho said Webfleet’s strategic direction reflects that shift.
“It is moved towards become a fleet advisor,” he said.
The goal is not just to provide tracking data, but to help operators interpret their own data and extract operational value.
“It is, how can we help with the fleet own data, with the data we acquired and the knowledge, and bring more value to the customer,” Godinho said.
For Australian transport businesses operating long distances in demanding conditions, that value is linked directly to cost control. Clarke believes the technology conversation has matured.
“The only way they can do that is by getting data and analytics,” he said.
In a buoyant freight market, efficiency gains can translate into additional profit. In a downturn, those same gains can be the difference between maintaining and losing margin.
For fleet buyers and Fleet Managers, the message is clear: technology investment must now justify itself through measurable operational improvement.
As Clarke summed up, operators face a simple reality. “They need to drive efficiencies in their own business.”
In a freight slowdown, data is no longer a reporting tool. It becomes a defensive strategy.
