Zero Telematics Mode (ZTM) for AI Dashcam Plus

Zero Telematics Mode (ZTM) allows eligible unregulated vehicles to use Motive tracking and safety features even when vehicle telematics data is unavailable. Instead of relying on ECU or CAN data, ZTM uses GPS and onboard sensors to keep core workflows like tracking, trips, and safety event detection available for supported use cases.

Overview

Zero Telematics Mode on AI Dashcam Plus (AIDC+) helps fleets maintain visibility and safety coverage in vehicles where usable telematics data is not available.

Key features include:

• Tracking continuity: Keeps live and historical GPS tracking available even without ECU or CAN data.
• Trip visibility: Continues generating trip history, trip details, and GPS-based mileage for supported vehicles.
• Safety coverage: Maintains supported road-facing and driver-facing safety features, video workflows, and safety score functionality.
• Broader vehicle support: Extends Motive coverage to yellow iron, specialty EVs, older vehicles, and other vehicles that do not have usable telematics support.
• Flexible deployment: Supports approved hardwired and side-by-side use cases where traditional telematics access is not available.

Basics

• GPS-based tracking: With Zero Telematics Mode, AI Dashcam Plus does not rely on vehicle ECU, CAN, J1708, or OBD data for core tracking behavior. Instead, it uses GPS plus onboard sensors such as the camera and IMU to generate trips, speed, distance, and odometer data.
• Vehicle eligibility: Zero Telematics Mode should only be used where the vehicle has no usable telematics support, such as yellow iron, construction equipment, golf carts, buggies, specialty EVs, and older vehicles without supported diagnostics coverage.

Hardware requirements 

• To enable Zero Telematics Mode, the vehicle must have AI Dashcam Plus installed on an unregulated vehicle, and the use case and vehicle must be eligible for ZTM.
• For vehicles without a usable diagnostics port, Motive may use the 6014 hardwired cable (VCBL-D-HW3W), which provides power and ignition only. However, the cable itself does not automatically place the device into Zero Telematics Mode.

Enabling Zero Telematics Mode 

• Customers cannot turn on Zero Telematics Mode themselves. Enablement is handled by Motive for eligible vehicles only. 
• If you believe your fleet has an eligible zero-telematics use case, contact your account manager or Motive Support to review if Zero Telematics Mode is appropriate for your vehicles and installation type. 
• When contacting Motive to enable or disable Zero Telematics Mode, provide the following information:
  • Fleet name
  • VG serial number(s)
  • Vehicle(s) VIN
  • Reason for enabling Zero Telematics Mode (must match approved use cases described above)

What works in Zero Telematics Mode

With Zero Telematics Mode enabled, eligible unregulated vehicles can continue using the following features:

Tracking, trips and driver assignment 

• Live & historical GPS tracking 
• Trip creation, history and details

• GPS-based odometer or mileage values
• View playback from Fleet View > History. 
• Follow-on mode from Fleet View > Live. 
• Historical telematics charting
• Low-power mode (only enabled on a need basis)
• Driver assignment via Mobile, Static, API, manual, and Driver ID 

Safety and video

• Road-facing AI events such as hard braking, harsh acceleration, speeding, etc. 
• Driver-facing AI events such as distracted driving, drowsiness, seatbelt violation, phone usage, etc.
• Motion-based safety events and collision reports with GPS fallback for speed where needed

• Video recall (camera-only)
• Live streaming
• Face Match (enabled on a need basis)
• Driver privacy controls
• Engine-off recording and safety score with GPS-based motion signals

What is not supported in Zero Telematics Mode

• Compliance and ELD: Compliance workflows are not supported in Zero Telematics Mode. This includes all the FMCSA required ELD and HOS tracking data for regulated CMVs. This is why regulated vehicles must never be placed in ZTM.
• Engine and telematics data: Zero Telematics Mode does not support engine or ECU-based telematics such as:
  • Fuel level
  • Fuel consumption
  • Engine temperature
  • DEF level
  • ECU-based odometer
  • Engine hours
  • Fault codes
  • CAN-based PTO and related signals
• IFTA and maintenance workflows: Fuel analytics, IFTA, and engine-based maintenance workflows that depend on telematics data are not supported in Zero Telematics Mode.

Important limitations

• Trip thresholds for slow-moving vehicles: Trips in ZTM are created using GPS-based movement thresholds. By default, a trip is created when the vehicle reaches about 5 mph and travels continuously for about 200 meters. So, if a vehicle moves very slowly, trips may not appear unless trip thresholds are adjusted as needed.
• No switching in or out of ZTM: Switching an existing vehicle in or out of ZTM is not supported because it can create data continuity risks, especially for odometer and other telematics-dependent metrics.
• Intermittent telematics issues: ZTM is not intended for vehicles with intermittent telematics connectivity. Vehicles that only experience delayed or inconsistent telematics signals should remain in normal telematics mode.
• Vision-based Collision detection: Collision detection can fall back to GPS speed when ECM speed is missing with the following limitations:
  • Collisions are not detected when the available speed signal, whether ECM or GPS, is at or below about 10 kilometers per hour or 6 miles per hour. 
  • Only collisions involving vehicles within the camera’s field of view are detected. Coverage for pedestrians, cyclists, motorcyclists, animals, or roadside objects outside the camera’s field of view is not currently detected. 

Zero Telematics Mode eligible use cases

ZTM is a good fit when a fleet needs tracking and safety visibility on unregulated vehicles with no usable telematics connection.

Approved use cases include:

• Vehicles with no telematics support such as yellow iron, construction equipment, golf carts, buggies, small equipment, older vehicles without telematics coverage, and EVs with no telematics coverage. 
• Hardwired deployments where the vehicle has no supported diagnostic port or no usable telematics connection.
• Certain approved side-by-side OBD-II evaluations on unregulated vehicles when the Motive device is installed alongside another telematics provider and ZTM is needed to avoid bus contention.
• Other approved cases where telematics cannot be supported, such as some wheelchair-lift vehicle setups.

ZTM should not be used for regulated vehicles, for ELD or HOS workflows, or as a workaround for vehicles that still have usable telematics support.

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