It’s almost the end of the year, which is always a time for reflection. We look at the goals we set back in January, full of optimism. We probably talked about achieving “full digital transformation” or maybe hitting 100% predictive maintenance adoption.
But honestly, if you talk to most fleet managers, 2025 wasn’t defined by those huge, splashy leaps. Industry reports still show a primary focus on core technologies like GPS tracking and in-cab video. It was defined by a slower, quieter shift—a kind of foundational work that’s less about a revolutionary method and more about finally getting the basics right.
The Foundational Wins That Actually Mattered
Everyone wants the sexy headline about artificial intelligence, right? But the real win for many operations this year wasn’t a new algorithm. It was getting rid of the clipboard.
Think about it:
- Mobile Adoption: Getting the digital inspection forms to stop breaking on older tablets and making sure everyone, even the newest techs, was actually using the mobile app.
- Cleaning Up the Mess: Finally sitting down and standardizing parts names in the CMMS or reconciling old, conflicting asset data. You can’t build a smart system on shaky ground, and cleaning up that “data debt” took serious effort.
- Process Standardization: Making sure the workflow for a tire replacement was exactly the same at Depot A as it was at Depot B. Simple stuff, but that consistency is what saves money and time in the long run.
That huge leap to full predictive maintenance? Perhaps it was a little too optimistic for a lot of companies. Most of us are still stuck in a sort of sophisticated preventive world, and maybe that’s okay for now. These smaller, foundational shifts were the real needle movers.
Why We Didn’t Go Full Predictive (And Why That’s Okay)
I think for many of us, we hit a wall that has nothing to do with technology: data quality and the skill gap.
You can have the best sensors in the world, but if the underlying data—the history of past repairs, the actual asset utilization—is messy, the AI predictions will be messy, too. We were told AI was the key, but in 2025, many realized that clean data was the prerequisite. It takes time to get there.
Additionally, the technician shortage is real. You can’t jump from paper checklists to managing AI alerts without proper training. We had to focus on giving our current crews simple, dependable mobile tools that make their daily job easier first, before overloading them with complex new systems. That’s a reasonable, human approach to change management.
Realistic Goals for 2026
So, as we look to the new year, let’s leave the over-hyped resolutions behind. Instead of aiming for something vague like “achieve digital transformation,” let’s set goals that are practical and measurable, focusing on execution quality.
Our thought? Focus on these three, because they are achievable and directly improve your ROI:
- Eliminate Paper Inspections: Commit to 100% digital Daily Vehicle Inspection Reports (DVIRs). If a truck comes back with paper, the process failed. That ensures compliance and gets real-time data capture.
- Increase Data Accuracy: Measure your PM Compliance Rate and aim for 95%. This shows you’re using your mobile tools to execute the schedule set by your CMMS, creating clean, verifiable data for the future.
- Boost Wrench Time: Figure out how much time your techs spend walking around or sitting at a desktop. Then, focus on cutting that down by giving them all the information they need (parts inventory, history, work order details) right on their mobile device.
The quiet shift in 2025 wasn’t about a sudden, revolutionary change. It was about organizations settling in and realizing that smart maintenance is a marathon of smarter execution, not a sprint to an impossible automation goal. Let’s celebrate the hard work of building that strong foundation, because that’s what will make the big leaps possible in 2026.
References
Trimble Introduces Transformative AI-Powered Innovations at 2025 Trimble Insight Tech Conference
iMarq + Trimble TMT for Preventive Maintenance – Integration
2025 Fleet Technology Trends Report
2025 Fleet Maintenance Trends & Challenges
