When you are managing a fleet it is vital that you know where your vehicles are and what they are doing at all times. This helps the logistics portion of the business run much smoother. Communication with drivers and having GPS units within the vehicles are two items that will help fleet management to be much easier. Staying on schedule and planning routes aids in lessening vehicle wear and tear along with utilizing fuel economy practices.
Implementing the use of Telematics
There are several ways for tracking for your fleet with Telematics. First, telematics integrates the use of telecommunications with technology for the sending, receiving and maintaining of the delivery of products to clients. This technology allows a company to control routes and prevent vehicles from deviating from those routes without command permission. A company can essentially send a message directly to the vehicle with this technology.
Vehicle Tracking
Using GPS devices that are set to report in real time are hugely beneficial to fleet managers. At any point a manager or authorized staff member can login to see exactly where a vehicle is at any time. Some of these programs will also tell the company how fast the driver is going, if they are driving safely and if parked, for how long. While delivering on time is important, safe driving and productive drivers are also a requirement.
More Efficient Service
Managing your fleet is important for a more efficient service. The entire team has to work as one in order to maintain productivity, incoming revenue and client satisfaction. When a company hires a fleet to deliver goods to another service or orders from a specific business, their trust is in those drivers to ensure that the products arrive in perfect condition and on schedule.
Less Mismanaged Time
When you use telematics and GPS systems, time is managed better as far as the length of stops for restroom breaks, fuel or food. If these stops are scheduled in to the trip planner for a specific period of time, a driver can be alerted when they have sat too long and how much time they need to make up on the next stop. Providing fleet drivers with a timed and mapped route prevents them from going off course for personal reasons such as shopping, an unscheduled rest period or to stop to make a personal phone call. Unscheduled stops for any reason other than a personal emergency should not take place.
Fleet management is an essential part of a business where the delivery of goods is a portion of the service. A poorly managed fleet often costs the business money and leaves many customers unsatisfied. A structured fleet that has strict guidelines and programs in place functions like a clock. There is little room for error when the management team is on top of every move. This includes mapping the routes and planning stops for drivers. It also includes monitoring driving habits and checking GPS locations along the route. These are just a few items that will help the fleet function as it should.
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