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A common question we get is “I already have telematics, how is this different to route optimization?”
The thing is they’re two different platforms that work alongside each other. Telematics tells you where your trucks went. Route optimization decides where they should go.
Two different jobs
Telematics hardware tracks what already happened. GPS pings, fuel burn, speed, hard braking, engine idle time, all streamed back in near real time from a device stuck into the vehicle. It's a complex monitoring layer where most large fleets have had it for years.
Route optimization is a planning layer for the future. It determines the best order for stops, so that the actual driven route is faster, shorter, more cost efficient, and emits less emissions. Telematics wasn’t built to solve this, it was built to report on what’s already happened.
Bolting a routing module onto a telemetry platform after the fact tends to produce weak outcomes. Each of these technologies are purpose built and should be used in tandem rather than one trying to do the role of both.
What results does route optimization actually produce?
StarTrack Courier runs both a telematics layer and Adiona's routing engine. Chris Cano, their National Business Improvement and Implementation Manager, described the shift in our case study: "If a run was not sequenced and unoptimised, we would just give it to a driver and say 'do your best.' Now, we look at an old route that took eight hours, see how it could be optimised, and do it in seven."
That result came from the routing layer. Where the telematics confirmed what Adiona knows to be true when the systems work together.
Why fuel-based emissions estimates don’t hold up
Most telematics-based emissions estimates work from fuel spend, vehicle type, and distance travelled. That's a workable proxy at the fleet level, but it can't produce a figure by consignment, customer, or SKU, because telemetry has no visibility into what was actually on the truck.
Payload is a routing-layer input, not a telemetry-layer one. A route plan knows what's being carried on every leg of every route, which is why payload-adjusted Scope 1 and Scope 3 reporting has to come from the planning layer rather than the monitoring layer. For FMCG and freight fleets where load factors shift route by route, that distinction separates an estimate from an auditable number.
Adiona's EmissionSense module uses the same data a route plan already has to produce parcel-level Scope 3 attribution. It's built to work alongside existing telematics data as a validation layer, not a replacement for it.
Do I need to replace my telematics system to add route optimization?
No. Adiona is hardware-agnostic. It runs from mobile devices and existing data feeds, so there's no new hardware to install and no telemetry contract to undo.
In practice, the two layers work like this:
- Adiona plans the route: sequencing stops, assigning vehicles, calculating expected emissions before departure.
- Telematics confirms what happened: tracking, fuel burn, state of charge, driver behaviour, against the plan.
Each layer does the job it's built for. Adiona doesn't need telemetry hardware to function, and a telematics provider doesn't need to build a routing engine to stay useful.
Why does this matter more as fleets add EVs and autonomous vehicles?
Electric vehicles need routes that account for driving range and charging time, something a routing engine built only around distance and fuel can't handle. Self-driving trucks have yet another, unique challenge. A fully autonomous truck still needs someone to decide which stops it makes and in what order.
The routing layer has to reason about payload, range, charge windows, and vehicle type together, something Adiona’s routing system takes care of.
FAQ
Do I still need telematics if I have route optimization software? Yes. Telematics shows what happened on the road including fuel burn, driver behaviour, vehicle state. Route optimization decides where the vehicle should go. Large fleets need both.
What is payload-adjusted Scope 3 emissions reporting? It's an emissions calculation that factors in what's actually being carried on each route leg, rather than estimating from fuel spend and distance alone. Because payload data lives in the route plan, not the telemetry stream, this level of detail requires a planning-layer tool like Adiona’s EmissionSense.
Can route optimization work with my existing telematics system? Yes. Adiona runs from mobile devices and existing data feeds, so it doesn't require new hardware or a change to your current telematics contract.
Does route optimization replace telematics? No. Both route optimization and telematics work together to optimize fleets.