If knowledge is power in general terms, then what is tracking in terms of a fleet of vehicles? Easy, it’s THE key to efficiency.
And, as a fleet manager or small to medium-sized business owner with a fleet of vehicles, if efficiency isn’t your number one priority, then you have to ask yourself if you’re doing something wrong.
There are many ways that tracking your fleet of vehicles helps your business. We recently covered this in part with a post about how a vehicle management app can boost efficiency. But there is more to it than meets the eye.
Get your fleet of vehicles on… track
At the end of the day, as a fleet manager you simply want to get the best out of your fleet; to help your customers and your business. And in order to do that, you need to get the best out of your fleet tracking solution.
With a vehicle management solution like our very own Veturilo, for example, you can achieve this. How? Well, for a start, you will know exactly what’s happening to all of your fleet of vehicles; at any given time, and from wherever you are. You have access to key data. Without a tracking solution to view and manage this data from your mobile phone, it would simply be info in no-man’s land. Your fleet of vehicles are just out there somewhere on the road. And if something happens with any of them, then it’s just a big problem waiting to happen. Engine failures and other issues alike.
Without any tracking, you have your drivers out there using your vehicles in any way they choose. You have no idea what’s happening; or whether the malfunctions that arise from time to time are just due to natural wear and tear or not. Ever worse when it comes to urgent and more serious ones.
If you have tracking in place for your fleet of vehicles, however, you’ve got all this information – and more! You can configure the notifications which are important for you, and thus make adjustments to receive notifications and alerts only for the urgent and important ones. This way, you don’t waste time, money or other resources.
Push it, push it real good
So, what’s important for you? There are many major issues your business faces that you need to be constantly updated on. Here are just a few we can think of where push notifications relating to tracking can help:
Security/Safety
If you have a fleet of taxis, school buses, or other service that involves the transportation of passengers, then you can set push notifications for when any of your fleet of vehicles shows bad driver behavior; such as harsh turns, accelerations and heavy braking. Safety should come before everything.
Heavy and/or fragile loads
Do your vehicles carry freight that is too heavy or/and is winter very harsh in your area? Setting push notifications on your fleet of vehicles for chassis with the ABS system will help you keep a close track on any issues. This way, you’ll have peace of mind that your vehicles, drivers and freight are just fine.
Drivers on/off Duty
Getting push notifications for ignition outside of business working hours will help you be aware that one of your vehicles is being used for no obvious reason. Maybe one of your drivers that has access to it decided to use for his own benefit. Or perhaps someone else is unlawfully removing it! Or it may be the exact opposite. For example, getting push notifications for “ignition on” may be of a great value for you. Especially when you own a fleet of taxis and you want to know such things early in the morning, when all your vehicles have just started work/shift and are out in the road. And, for when you’re away for business or at home, for any reason. You will know that everyone left the garage/parking area of your business; or has returned.
This one is also useful for scheduling the next shifts; it’s the first thing you need to be aware of before you start checking the map to see exactly where each one of your vehicles are. And, of course, get in touch with your drivers to see what happened, if they are not where they should be. With push notifications, you don’t need to keep your eyes on your phone, you just get notified. And you can still focus on other things. Like making phone calls to customers, etc.
Route accuracy
Here’s where your Idle Control System comes in. You can get a push notification when the vehicle is stationary and/or abandoned for some unexpected reason. Or when the vehicle has been stuck in traffic for a certain amount of time/km. This is vital for a fleet business. Accuracy on your routes is really important. Especially when there are passengers/customers waiting.
Stop thief!
You can be made aware of potential frauds/thefts by getting a push notification when the ODB device is removed or tampered with.
Avoid being towed
If your vehicles are operating in a busy city environment then setting push notifications for when the vehicle is being moved without the engine being on is important if you want to avoid being towed or at least act in time.
Systems health check
The fuel, battery and air levels of your fleet of vehicles are some of the things you measure as a fleet owner for performance. This kind of features is very useful for companies in which there is more than one driver responsible for a specific vehicle. In this case, each vehicle is being used almost 24-7. And, sometimes, a vehicle may become neglected. That’s in the sense that it may not be clear who needs to check the battery, fuel and air levels, etc. Drivers may be overwhelmed or busy with other tasks (unloading etc.) And by setting up push notifications, you make sure that all of your vehicles are always primed; and ready to deliver.
Check your speed
Having the ability to regularly check and track the speeds at which your fleet vehicles are travelling, using a Vehicle Speed Control, is really useful for many business types. Think school bus fleets, taxis an other passenger vehicles. You want to make sure your drivers aren’t breaking any laws or putting themselves, their passengers and other road users at risk.
This is by no means a comprehensive list, but it covers all the main points where using a tracking solution for your fleet of vehicles can help your business. You may be able to think of a few others from your own experience. Please share them with us!
Notify to optimize
One thing is for sure. By configuring push notifications that are important for daily routine tasks, you will be able to make sure that you monitor your fleet of vehicles as best as possible. You can check the whole list of alerts here. And remember, tracking is the key to your efficiency!