As a business manager, having a fleet can seem exciting and boost your operations. It allows you to have more flexibility in your deliveries. However, it can be challenging to ensure your business remains profitable and stands out. There are a few ways to boost your fleet management process.
Using Vehicle Telematics
With some of the advanced technology available today, you can be more aware of each vehicle in your fleet, as well as driver behavior and vehicle performance. You can use telematics to look for driving patterns that could lead to an accident if not corrected. Using this technology in the right way can save fuel and reduce the chances of an accident. Some of the benefits of options like Samsara’s GPS tracking capabilities is real-time GPS data, fleet optimisation, and increased productivity and compliance.
Vehicle Tracking
If you want to be as efficient as possible, you should consider a solution that allows you to track each vehicle in real-time. GPS tracking can give you peace of mind since you will know where the fleet is at any given time. And if something happens while on the road, you can figure out the exact location to alert the authorities or take other steps in time.
You can look for options like geo-fencing, which let you know when drivers are in a specific geographic area and when they leave that location. Your customers will also have a better idea of when they can expect their goods or driver to arrive. It is possible to use a navigation feature connected with an online mapping program to allow your fleet to choose the fastest and best route when going to a destination. Plus, this is useful for predicting the best route to avoid hitting too much traffic.
Reducing Fuel Costs
Fleet management software can help reduce the amount of fuel each vehicle requires. You can track whether or not each driver is taking an efficient route. Plus, many kinds of software allow you to track both speed and idle time to see how efficiently they are using the resources.
Keeping Up on Maintenance
It’s a good idea to be proactive in your maintenance schedule since this can prevent minor issues from becoming major. For example, replacing the tires at or slightly before the recommended time can prevent a blown tire while a driver is on the road. And you can be the one to decide when to have this routine service done, preventing unplanned downtime. You can also have parts inspected, oil changed, and fluid changed out.
It might seem more expensive to do these things now, but it will actually save you money in the long run. You won’t be as likely to have bigger issues right when you need the vehicle the most. You can use a fleet management system to figure out the half-life of each vehicle part. That simply means you will have a better idea of when you need to replace each of the parts. You will also be more likely to get a higher price when it is time to think about selling it.