Are you a carrier or freight company? Then you know this problem: you’re struggling because of the many challenges facing the fleet industry. Those challenges include: rising fuel prices, changing regulations and a shortage of skills. All these challenges make it difficult to be efficient, competitive and profitable. A fleet management system is the solution to make your job easier and more profitable.
What is fleet management?
Fleet management is a way to manage your fleet of vehicles. By means of vehicle tracking, you can check the location, driving behavior and maintenance status of vehicles. In this way you ensure improved safety for drivers and more efficient logistical business processes.
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When is a fleet management system the solution for me?
A fleet management system is the solution for you if:
- You have many employees in different places and therefore sometimes lose the overview of the daily activities
- You want to be kept informed about the status of the vehicle. For example: speeding, vehicles not arriving at destination or stationary vehicles
- You want to communicate quickly with drivers to send instructions or share commands and messages about specific routes
- You want to be able to respond quickly to your customers’ demands. A fleet management system allows you to quickly and easily send the nearest driver to a job
- You want to keep your customers well informed. You can use a fleet management system to specify an accurate time for delivery
- Want to comply with the law without thinking too much about it
Which fleet management system should I choose?
To gain more control over your business activities, you can use a fleet management system. Which system is suitable for you depends on your wishes, activities and goals. You should therefore map out what is important to you. Below are a number of points which you can take into consideration when choosing a particular fleet management system:
1 | Does it contribute to a safe working environment for my drivers?
Many fleet management systems can identify reckless driving behavior and recognize problem areas. They can also often monitor vehicle maintenance status, so your drivers can get on the road safely.
2 | Will it help me reduce fuel consumption and maintenance costs?
As mentioned earlier, fuel consumption and maintenance costs are factors that can make it difficult to make more profit as a carrier/trucking company. Therefore, pay attention to whether you can track fuel consumption. This way you can see when an engine is idling unnecessarily and wastefully. If you can track all this data through a fleet management system, you can also set up a preventive maintenance schedule.
3 | Are there clear reports?
See if clear reports are available of various factors such as: distances traveled, duration of idling, stopping times, hours worked, and hazardous driving behavior.
4 | Does it increase my customer satisfaction?
Can you send appointment reminders, reservations and notifications to customers? This way customers can track their order, receive status updates and see expected arrival times.
5 | Do I have direct contact with my drivers?
If you want to have direct contact with your drivers, real time interaction is useful. This allows you to provide the driver with additional safety information.
6 | Are the regulations being followed?
Live tachograph technology is possible with some fleet management systems. This allows you to stay compliant and also productive. With this technology, you can download data remotely, receive automated reports (on drivers’ rest periods, breaks and working hours) and receive notifications when drivers exceed permitted driving times.
Check out and compare multiple parties on these points. Be sure to include the party Verizon Connect, they play well on the above points and offer more, such as easy-to-use dashboards and smart automations to optimize internal processes like payroll and billing.