As your business grows, managing your fleet becomes an increasingly complex task that, if done correctly, can have a significant positive impact on your profitability. Fortunately, smart technology has transformed transportation and the many tasks tied up in administering this important cost center. From vehicle tracking to predictive maintenance, fleet owners and administrators who want to save time and money increasingly rely on a variety of software tools to help them remain in compliance, reduce paperwork, improve customer satisfaction, and keep things running smoothly.
Read on to learn more about the major categories of fleet technologies and how they help streamline fleet operations.
Telematics Software
Telematics combines the best of informatics and GPS technology to tell you where your vehicles are in real time, how the vehicles are performing, and what your drivers are doing. Popular brands like Verizon Connect, Geotab, and Fleetio track send alerts about the location, speed, and performance of individual vehicles as well as diagnostics for vehicle maintenance.
Consider implementing telematics software if you need proactive alerts on driver and vehicle location, or need real-time data about vehicle on-board diagnostics.
Fleet Maintenance Software
Breakdowns and unexpected repairs can upend service delivery, but manually tracking each vehicle’s maintenance history and schedule becomes overwhelming once you have more than a few vehicles. Fleet maintenance software, including options from Fleetio, UpKeep, and ManagerPlus, eliminates the need for you to keep a calendar, automating preventative maintenance and helping minimize downtime. Some features include onboard sensors to provide helpful diagnostics that detect faults and generate alerts.
Consider using a fleet maintenance solution if you find yourself reacting to maintenance needs rather than proactively pursuing preventative maintenance.
Dispatch Software
Real-time routing and dispatch software solutions like those from Samsara, Omnitracs, and Routific can significantly improve your scheduling and routing. By tracking where your vehicles are, you can provide clients with automatic alerts of route progress, send messages to drivers about rerouting, and perform helpful analytics to identify trends that make the best use of your vehicles and assess driver performance.
Consider using dispatch software if you run a field service business and need to assign jobs, track technician locations, and manage work orders efficiently.
Fuel Management Software
Fuel cards and software options help drivers use their cards more efficiently while reducing paperwork and providing invaluable analytics and insights. You can monitor usage to ensure that employees are using company cards as they’re intended while quickly addressing any issues in real time, preventing costly delays and putting an end to gas card frustration. With Coast, you can track key data points like miles per gallon per vehicle, and even integrate with fleet management and telematics software.
Consider a fuel management solution if you need to manage fuel card misuse and abuse, or are looking to get more insights into your fuel spending.
Safety Software
Driver behaviors can have a real impact on your bottom line. Speeding, harsh braking, and aggressive or careless driving increase the incidence of accidents and liability risks, and have the potential for affecting your company’s reputation. Safety software from Lytx, SmartDrive, and Samsara includes dashcam and driver monitoring technologies that encourage adherence to traffic rules and alert you to when driver training and coaching is required.
Consider safety software if you are hiring new drivers frequently and need to adhere to rigorous compliance policies.
Fleet Analytics Software
If you started your business with just you and your car or truck, it was easy enough to track mileage and expenses. But once your business is big enough to operate a fleet, analytics software like options from Fleetio, Azuga, and Omnitracs are the best way to ensure you’re operating at peak efficiency. This sophisticated software helps you track fleet uptime and maintenance costs, monitor driver behavior, and provide valuable insights to facilitate data-driven decision-making.
Consider fleet analytics software if you want to better track fleet uptime, or get a holistic view of your fleet health and operations.
With so many types of technologies available, the best place to start is with assessing your fleet needs, then identifying the software solutions best suited to your business. No matter which you choose, adding real-time analytics and monitoring technologies can save you time, improve operational efficiency, enhance safety, and boost your bottom line.
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