If you haven’t invested in a fleet management system before then now could be the time. As commercial vehicles clock up more miles than ever before on our roads (a gigantic 48.5 billion miles last year), tracking systems can do more than ever to make your fleet more efficient.
If you haven’t invested in a fleet management system before then now could be the time. As commercial vehicles clock up more miles than ever before on our roads (a gigantic 48.5 billion miles last year), tracking systems can do more than ever to make your fleet more efficient.
Lets take a closer look at some of the benefits that a fleet management system can deliver to a your fleet.
A fleet management system can help to analyse a driver’s behaviour more effectively, looking at driving activities such as speeding and harsh braking. This tool will allow for any unwanted driving habits to be identified that could put the worker at risk of an accident or potentially cause the vehicle damage. The downtime caused by accidents often cause much greater costs for the company than the accident itself. Minimising risk is a key factor in keeping down costs too. A fleet management system can also identify if the vehicle is left idling in real-time. This may be due to the driver making a delivery or waiting to start a job, which both cause increased risk/maintenance and unnecessary fuel consumption. Using the detailed driver behaviour reports the fleet manager can then use this data to educate their team on ways to improve their driving performance – benefitting both the business and the driver.
Reducing downtime can be a key area to improve productivity. A fleet management system will allow businesses to make informed decisions and schedule trips more efficiently, which will assist in reducing the downtime of their vehicles. The system can help with optimising planning too as fleet managers will be able to assign tasks whenever they spot an idle vehicle and schedule jobs by proximity or any other metric. This means the number of trips each day can be increased by tackling the workload of a fleet in a strategic way.
A business can easily stay on top of vehicle maintenance with a range of alerts set up to the fleet manager. The data can help to identify if any maintenance or inspections are needed. Healthy vehicles waste less fuel and are more efficient, reducing the risk of any unwanted repairs that may come up. An immobilisation feature can provide extra security and reassurance if theft occurs. The innovative technology means it is as simple as sending an SMS to immobilise a vehicle. The time taken to identify the location and potentially recover the stolen vehicle can then be significantly decreased.
Paperwork is time consuming and reduces productivity. A fleet management system will help drivers, dispatchers and managers reduce paperwork as the system can automatically track and record the details of the time spent at a job. This takes away the need to rely on the worker to remember to log the details. Mileage records can also be recorded by an accurate turn-by-turn updated system, eliminating the use of paper records and ensuring a correct submission to the tax office every time. It also allows for accurate invoicing which reduces customer complaints and increases customer satisfaction.
Excess fuel consumption is bad news for a business and the environment. A fleet management system can provide fleets with the most efficient routes, saving time and eliminating unnecessary fuel expenses. A fleet manager can also set reports to inform them if engines are left running or vehicles are being used out of hours.
At Simplytrak we are delighted to be able to offer all the above features and more for your fleet as standard. Get in touch for a quote and you might be surprised how small the cost is, with no up-front fees and significant savings to be made for your business. For more information on our fleet management solution please contact Ian Wood our Business Development Manager at E: ian@simplytrak.com or on T: 01430879197.