Fleet management involves keeping a check on multiple moving parts – the staff, the machines, consumers, the shipments, and more. Electronic tracking devices like GPS units help an organization monitor all these limbs from a single point.
GPS tracking units, with the help of satellites, can detect the exact location of the fleet and then echo this signal to a server in real-time. The receiver calculates the distance, speed, and position based on this information.
Some GPS systems can also be programmed to track other essential information. You can check this article about the global positioning system to understand its function better.
Before the incorporation of GPS devices, paper-logs, and telephonic communication were the tracking methods. The real-time location of the driver and the fleet was not detectable. Only the entry and exit points of the fleet were registered, and the rest of the information was up to interpretation.
If you are part of the fleet or transportation business, then it’s impractical to ignore GPS units. Their benefits boil down to these seven exemplary applications:
1. Better Time Management
Time saved is money made. The more punctual your business, the more beneficial it is in the long run. The use of tracking devices enables you to keep an eye on the whole fleet and ensure that no shipments (or passengers) are running late. It also gives you the time to plan upcoming orders, arrivals, and departures.
The use of GPS tracking can also enhance your route management. For example, by knowing the arrival time of a shuttle, the next set of routes can be set on course. Advanced fleet management systems provide all the information on a single dashboard, so the manager does not need to make calls and coordinate with each individual entity.
2. Maximum Efficiency From Staff
Knowing the position of each limb of your fleet will help derive better efficiency from your workforce. The drives and managers will be able to better estimate routes and set realistic deadlines. Better planning also ensures that a fleet is never running on low or empty load.
The ground-workforce for a logistics business will also benefit from tracking. The company can plan the workforce based on shipment arrival time. Based on the trucks’ position, the staff can be called into work, leading to minimal waste of time.
3. Improved Consumer Support
The end goal of any business is consumer satisfaction. When your organization is aware of its fleet’s position, this information can be presented to the consumer to estimate arrival and departure times.
GPS tracking is also a real-time feature, which provides the users with minute-by-minute updates on the fleet’s location for safety reassurance. Consider the example of a school bus fleet. If a parent is aware of the bus’s position at all times, it gives a better sense of trust towards the service provider.
4. Staff Safety
Having a watchful eye on the drivers will enable the manager to monitor their safety and behavior. The real-time location of the fleet helps drivers stay on track. More advanced technology also gives a warning if it notices any roadblocks, and suggests alternate routes. Staff and truck safety should remain high in the list of priorities for any trucking business.
The use of ELD is also a government mandate for most fleet operations. These are electronic logging devices that ensure that a driver’s hours of operations are within the legal limits. Additionally, If any of the fleets are running behind schedule, the fleet manager can easily refer to the tracking information and promptly raise any concerns.
5. Vehicle Maintenance
The health of the fleet is quintessential to run smooth and glitch-free operations. Superior GPS devices that work in correspondence to a fleet management software are programmed to keep a check on the fleet’s minor details. They feed this information to the manager’s dashboard in real-time.
They cover details like fuel consumption, engine run-time, idling time, power distribution, etc. The maintenance team of the fleet can better assess a truck’s condition with the help of this information. The tracking information concerning bad-terrain-driving can also be a helpful aid to the mechanics.
6. Analytics
The tracking unit provides robust information in a very usable format. This data can help the organization plan better routes and study the finer details of the operation. This data can help find problem points in the network and give the company room to improve.
If the information portrays the fleet positively, the data can be used as a marketing tool. For example, if your data-dashboard shows that your fleet has arrived on time for the last three months, this information provides your brand with a favorable public image.
7. Cost Savings
The final and most significant benefit from a business point-of-view are the massive savings in operational costs. When the fleet positions are always in check, better outcomes occur, resulting in higher revenue. High-end tracking is also a selling point to bring in new consumers.
The use of technology can also cut down the cost of manual labor, eliminate the chance for calculation errors, and cut the time taken to process mundane tasks. Having monitoring systems also significantly reduces the cost of insurance.
Final Thoughts
Using tracking is beneficial for everyone involved. Managers can track their staff, the drivers can drive free of stress, and the consumer can feel informed. Simple technological additions can propel your business to new heights and guarantee employee satisfaction.
Using GPS is the first step towards efficient automation. The driver and the dispatcher will find this easy to use and cut-down a significant volume of paper-work. Computers, as we all know, are not affected by boredom or exhaustion.
The cost of adding a GPS unit to your transportation business is a fraction compared to the benefits you can obtain from it. These are self-sufficient devices that need only a one-time investment and will continue to receive multiple software updates for steady improvement.
Failing to invest in a GPS network today might lead to a wide range of managerial and financial troubles. Get ahead of the curve with advanced fleet management today and give your business the power of cutting-edge innovation.
