OEM Telematics: What It Is and Why Integrated Systems Win

While OEM telematics systems provide valuable machine data directly from manufacturers, relying solely on these individual platforms limits your ability to maximize fleet performance and operational efficiency. Construction companies with mixed fleets face the challenge of managing multiple manufacturer portals, inconsistent data formats, and disconnected workflows that prevent comprehensive fleet analysis.

The solution lies in integrating your existing OEM telematics data into a centralized equipment management platform like Tenna. Rather than replacing your OEM systems, this approach leverages the valuable data you're already collecting along with insights for the rest of your fleet, and allows you to turn that total fleet data into actionable insights through unified reporting, enhanced maintenance workflows, and seamless business system integrations.

This article explores how OEM telematics technology works and demonstrates why integrating this data into a centralized equipment management platform delivers the comprehensive fleet analysis and streamlined workflows that individual manufacturer systems simply cannot provide.

How OEM Telematics Works

OEM telematics systems are designed by vehicle manufacturers to integrate directly into the vehicle's architecture during production. These systems combine hardware (like GPS, sensors, and communication modules) with software (a cloud platform and fleet management software) to collect, transmit, and analyze vehicle data. This allows for real-time monitoring of vehicle performance, location, and driver behavior, as well as over-the-air updates and integration with other fleet management tools.

In essence, OEM telematics systems are designed to be a comprehensive solution for managing and optimizing vehicle fleets by leveraging integrated hardware and software, providing real-time data and insights, and enabling seamless integration with other fleet management tools.

Because OEM systems use the manufacturer's protocols and have direct ECU access, they can access certain proprietary data points. Aftermarket systems like Tenna (which we’ll talk about in more detail below) excel at providing consistent data formats and features across mixed fleets, regardless of manufacturer.

Essential Telematics Capabilities for Construction Fleets 

Let's look at a few essential capabilities you'll find in a telematics system built for construction fleets.

Real-Time Location Tracking & Geofencing 

• • Continuous GPS positioning that automatically updates the vehicle's location without manual intervention or check-ins
  • Basic geofence creation around job sites with automatic entry and exit notifications
  • Historical location data showing where equipment operated throughout the day

Engine-Hour, Runtime & Diagnostic Alerts 

• • Calibrated hour meters that distinguish actual runtime from idle time
  • Instant alerts and notifications for both generic diagnostic trouble codes (DTCs) and manufacturer-specific fault alerts
  • Real-time engine performance monitoring with alerts for abnormal operation that help prevent breakdowns

Preventive Maintenance Scheduling

• • Automated maintenance alerts triggered by engine hours or calendar dates
  • Proactive alerts for upcoming oil changes, filter replacements, and scheduled inspections
  • Maintenance history tracking tied to specific machines
  • Visibility into manufacturer warranty requirements at the asset level to ensure compliance while maximizing equipment lifespan

Fuel Usage & Vehicle Health Monitoring

• • Real-time fuel efficiency data pulled directly from CAN bus or flow sensors
  • Live monitoring of critical systems including battery voltage, coolant temperature, and DEF fluid levels
  • Early warning alerts for potential issues before they cause equipment downtime
  • Idle time tracking to identify inefficient operating patterns and opportunities for operator training

Basic Reporting & Data Export 

• • Standard CSV and PDF exports covering machine hours, fault codes, and location history
  • Preconfigured dashboards showing equipment utilization rates and downtime analysis
  • Basic fleet composition and overview reports suitable for equipment managers and accounting teams managing any fleet size
  • Maintenance cost tracking and trend analysis to help forecast site needs and identify problematic assets

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The Benefits of Integrating OEM Telematics Systems  

Using a third-party platform like Tenna to pull in OEM data from multiple manufacturers offers several advantages over relying solely on each manufacturer's native software. Rather than managing separate systems for different vehicle types, you get a centralized platform that addresses the real-world challenges of mixed-fleet operations.

Consolidating logistics, operations, equipment maintenance, and reporting into one system can transform how construction fleet managers handle daily operations and long-term planning. Let's look at the high-level benefits of integrating construction telematics systems.

Unified, Cross-Brand Visibility

Managing an entire fleet becomes exponentially more complex when you're juggling multiple manufacturer portals. Instead of logging into separate telematics systems for each of the manufacturers that make up your fleet, Tenna displays them all on a single pane of glass. That means you see GPS location, engine hours, fault codes, fuel burn, and other critical metrics side by side, regardless of brand.

The real value lies in streamlined data schemas. Every OEM exposes telematics data differently, using varying parameter names, update intervals, and units of measure. Tenna pulls this data into a central place for total visibility and comprehensive reporting.

As a result, teams develop consistent habits when interpreting data, which reduces errors and improves decision-making speed.

Enhanced Data Integration and Workflow Management

OEM portals typically focus on basic service reminders like notifying you when an oil change is due at a specific hour threshold. Tenna adds advanced maintenance workflows, providing configurable preventive maintenance schedules and automatically generating maintenance requests for failed inspection criteria. The platform also triggers missed inspection notifications when drivers and operators fail to perform their digital vehicle inspection reports (DVIRs) or other custom inspections in the Tenna App. These capabilities transform raw maintenance data into actionable workflows for the field and shop that prevent costly breakdowns.

Cost allocation and job-level reporting represent another significant advantage of managing a fleet on a centralized equipment management system. By connecting each machine to each jobsite, Tenna calculates hours worked per job, generates comprehensive job cost reports, and exposes trends around fleet operation across locations.

For example, if you're running three excavators on a road construction project, you can see exactly how many hours each machine worked, how much fuel they consumed, and any performance issues that arose. This data flows directly into your project accounting system without manual data entry.

Manufacturer software rarely integrates with your accounting or project-management systems, forcing you to export CSV files and manually reconcile data. However, Tenna's integrations are particularly valuable for construction operations where accurate cost tracking directly impacts profitability.

While OEM platforms usually limit their telematics data to machine health and location only, Tenna also compiles additional insights into driver behavior and operator performance metrics like idle time, and hours spent in Power Takeoff mode versus idle conditions.

Broader Integrations & Vendor-Agnostic Flexibility

Tenna offers integrations to construction enterprise resource planning and accounting systems like Sage, Vista, Coins and more. That means machine-hours and corresponding billing data can easily flow into your key business systems. OEM software rarely extends beyond basic maintenance reporting, creating gaps in your operational workflow that require manual intervention.

In addition, Tenna’s flexibility prevents data islands and allows you to phase in your entire mixed construction fleet over time without switching platforms or disrupting established workflows.

While each OEM's API tends to be proprietary, limited, or inconsistent, Tenna provides reliable access to standardized metrics. This approach eliminates the complexity of managing multiple manufacturer interfaces while maintaining the valuable insights that drive better fleet management decisions across your entire fleet.

 Learn more about Tenna’s OEM Telematics Integrations here, along with integrations with systems like your ERP and project management software.