CAN Bus & OBD-II Data in Fleet Telematics

Controller Area Network (CAN Bus)

The Controller Area Network, universally known as CAN bus, is the communication protocol that lets a vehicle's electronic control units (ECUs) talk to each other without needing a central host computer. It's the de-facto standard across every major automotive manufacturer.

CAN bus runs over a simple two-wire differential signalling system, which makes it both highly reliable and fast enough for real-time control and diagnostics. Inside a modern truck or commercial vehicle, dozens of ECUs share the bus — engine management, transmission, brakes, instrument cluster, body electronics — each broadcasting its own data.

For a telematics platform, CAN bus data is where the rich detail lives:

• Engine speed (RPM) and load
• Vehicle speed and odometer
• Fuel level, consumption rate, and fuel system status
• Coolant and oil temperatures
• Brake and throttle position
• Transmission gear and clutch state
• Warning lamps and fault codes

On-Board Diagnostics (OBD-II)

OBD-II is the standardised self-diagnostic interface built into every modern passenger vehicle and light commercial — mandatory on all vehicles sold in the United States since 1996 and adopted globally soon after. The interface exposes a common set of diagnostic trouble codes (DTCs) and sensor readings regardless of vehicle make.

Where CAN bus is the vehicle's internal network, OBD-II is the standard external port that lets external devices read selected data from that network — fault codes, emissions data, engine RPM, throttle position, fuel system status, and a range of other parameters.

For fleet managers, OBD-II is the foundation of remote diagnostics: you can know a vehicle has a fault the moment the dashboard warning light illuminates, rather than hearing about it when the driver gets back to base.

How Netcorp Integrates CAN Bus and OBD-II Data

Netcorp's telematics platform combines data from both sources to give you a single, comprehensive view of every vehicle in your fleet. Our hardware taps into the CAN bus or OBD-II port (depending on vehicle type), packages the data, and streams it to the platform in real time over the mobile network.

This combined data set powers features across the Netcorp platform:

• Real-time vehicle tracking with live engine and driver behaviour metrics
• Remote fault detection and automatic alerts on diagnostic trouble codes
• Fuel efficiency reporting at driver and vehicle level
• Predictive maintenance scheduling based on actual engine hours and usage
• Chain of Responsibility evidence through accurate, tamper-resistant records

Australian-Built, Australian-Supported

Netcorp's telematics platform is designed, developed, and maintained in Australia by our in-house team of software engineers. This gives us complete control over data integration, customisation, and Australian data privacy requirements.

We are an ISO 9001 and ISO 27001 certified company, and our platform is used by over 1,000 companies across 20,000+ assets nationwide.