Whether dealing with a half dozen trucks traveling around town or a fleet in the hundreds across the country, GPS-based vehicle tracking software helps uncover the vehicle-usage details impacting a fleet’s productivity.
GPS Tracking is often used to pinpoint vehicles on maps in real time, granting the peace of mind of knowing the exact location of a fleet at any given moment. However, telematics data provides much more information and insight that goes beyond pinpointing vehicles. A telematics system should also collect and analyze drivers’ behavior and fleet usage, turning this data into actionable reports. At the core of data collection is accuracy to enhance the trust in the data by drivers, fleet managers, and company directors.
FLEET MANAGEMENT
GPS Tracking can help identify key areas of potential cost savings as well as identify areas of risk that need to be addressed. A key objective is to run a fleet at full capacity in a safe and cost-effective way. A fleet management dashboard built on telematics data can help with:
- Vehicle use: Telematics data identifies unused vehicles to avoid unnecessary leasing costs. Keeping a productive fleet requires data to identify where a growth in capacity is needed and identify needs to invest in multi-purpose vehicles. As a bonus, setting targets and receiving alerts when these are not met is a feature of some telematics systems.
- Maintenance, insurance, and inspection: Telematics allows fleet managers to track usage and set reminders to ensure maintenance and paperwork are up-to-date to avoid unexpected downtime.
- Vehicle route maps and logs allow fleet managers to check that no unscheduled stops or detours are made by drivers and gives the ability to quickly re-route a truck in case of an emergency.
- Reducing unauthorized vehicle use: Telematics helps define approved driving zones, operation times, and which company vehicles may not be used without triggering an alert.
RISK, COST MANAGEMENT
Vehicle tracking solutions provide driving metrics as key indicators of risky driving behavior associated with higher vehicle maintenance costs. Metrics such as speed, acceleration, braking, idling, and the ability to “score” these based on best versus worst drivers are key factors influencing safety and cost. Looking more closely at these metrics can help you:
- Incentivize safe driving: Each driver is scored, and these scores provide an opportunity for driver briefings at the end of day to share feedback. Some solutions provide mobile apps for drivers to access personalized driving reports. Reward programs are becoming the norm in order to retain top drivers in today’s competitive market.
- Reduce costs: With improved driving, insurance costs may be reduced due to fewer violations and accidents, while fuel and maintenance costs may lower through improved driving habits such as less speeding, reduced heavy braking, and elimination of unnecessary idling; fuel savings can be as high as 15 percent.
- Meet driving-safety regulations: Track hours and mileage to ensure drivers are getting the breaks they need to properly rest between jobs.
- Protect drivers: In addition to reducing accident and injury risk, vehicle tracking protects drivers from false claims. Professional fleets sometimes fall victim to members of the public who make false accusations. With Quartix GPS Tracking, fleet managers can search data by zip code and time to establish if a driver was in the area. Or if a customer reports that a driver didn’t turn up as expected and the driver is unresponsive, the vehicle can be located and assistance sent.
FIND YOUR SOLUTION
There is a wide range of systems to choose from, so it is key to identify the areas where improvement is needed and establish goals before signing with any provider. Take into consideration how long the company has been in business, how much industry experience it has, and the quality of its after sales support, which should be a must on the checklist.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Quartix has delivered real-time vehicle tracking and telematics solutions since 2001. More than 12,000 businesses with 350,000 tracked vehicles chose Quartix because it offers easy-to-use products, 12-month contracts with no hidden fees or auto-renewal, and fast and direct access to customer services. Find out more, visit www.quartix.com or email sales@quartix.com.
MODERN WORKTRUCK SOLUTIONS: NOVEMBER 2018 ISSUE
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