The Benefits of Fleet Management Technology
Fleet management is one of the key strategies businesses use to optimize their operations and save money. It involves the monitoring, development, deployment, and operation of fleets of vehicles, with the goal of optimizing the organization's capital budget. Fleet management has evolved from being just a matter of road mapping and traffic management to managing fleets of vehicles and their drivers in real time, with a wide variety of tools and information available to managers at all levels. The following are some elements of fleet management technology.
Vehicle Information Technology (IVT) is the strategic business application of data collected through field surveys, GPS tracking systems, traffic analysis, real time processing, and other data analysis technologies. Vehicle data is used to create efficient routes, reduce costs, detect problems before they occur, and provide feedback to fleet management company managers. Fleet management technology is specifically designed to benefit both customers and business owners. By installing a GPS navigation tracking system, fleet managers are able to monitor vehicle speeds, route, miles logged, vehicle stop times, employee hours, fuel consumption, vehicle maintenance, and much more. The enhanced efficiency results in cost savings, which results in an increase in profitability.
Telematics is another element of fleet management technology that has improved in recent years. Telematics systems, which include GPS/RFID technologies, provide the means for vehicles to be tracked in real time. This enables fleet managers to locate vehicles that may have been involved in a collision or other incident, locate old or retired vehicles, and locate vehicles that are out of service. Many modern GPS/RFID vehicle trackers can retain and transmit data over long distances, even outside of the vehicle. This data is then downloaded by the fleet management company, which can make use of it for analysis purposes such as calculating the fuel efficiency of each vehicle. In addition, certain fleet management software can also determine how long each vehicle is out on the road, what its average speed is throughout the day, and if it is using fuel unnecessarily.
Vehicle telematics is only one component of GPS tracking systems. This component, however, is invaluable to fleet managers. Through this component, fleet managers are able to manage and budget resources, such as driver training, upkeep, and maintenance. In addition, fleet managers are now able to monitor driver productivity and efficiency. They are able to see exactly how each driver is doing, where they are going, and what their average efficiency level is. By using this technology, fleet managers have the ability to implement greater driver productivity and efficiency by simply monitoring the activities of individual drivers.
A final piece of fleet management technology that has increased in popularity is fleet management software. This software, also called a digital dashboard, offers fleet managers a comprehensive overview of all of the activities that are occurring with all vehicles in a fleet. This dashboard serves as not only a means of monitoring vehicles and drivers, but it also monitors many other aspects of fleet operations. Some fleet management software allows fleet managers to view detailed information about vehicle repairs, preventive maintenance, and even real-time reports detailing vehicle mileage. Most importantly, fleet management software is also used to determine which vehicle is being used for which service.
By using fleet management technology, fleet managers are able to accurately determine the optimal number of vehicles to be operated in a given period of time. This is critical, especially in terms of reducing overall vehicle wear and tear. By offering accurate statistics detailing vehicle use, fleet management companies can improve driver efficiency and, ultimately, save money on vehicle repair costs. Some fleet management software allows fleet managers to analyze specific areas of vehicle use and suggest corrective actions.
As fleet managers implement fleet management technologies, it is important for them to remember that the data they collect is extremely valuable. By monitoring how each driver is driving each vehicle, fleet managers can establish precisely what activities are responsible for poor driver performance and pinpointing why a driver is not meeting required performance standards. In addition, a fleet manager can use data provided by a vehicle tracking device to determine whether a driver is actually using a vehicle or simply idling the engine. If the driver is idling, that driver could be significantly improving the efficiency of the fleet but idling for too long can create a safety issue. By analyzing data provided by an on-board or remote tracking device, fleet managers have the ability to reduce the overall impact of idling on a fleet by nearly 40 percent.
Fleet management technology can be used to create a very detailed history of all vehicle usage by an entire fleet. By gathering this information, managers can determine which drivers are consistently making mistakes that negatively impact the efficiency of the entire fleet. By creating reports detailing each driver's habits and activities, fleet managers have the ability to pinpoint poor habits by drivers, which can then be changed. In addition, by identifying specific driver issues, fleet managers may be able to take action against drivers who are repeatedly breaking company policy or protocol. By implementing these tools and techniques as part of a continuous improvement strategy, fleet managers stand to significantly improve the overall efficiency of their organization.