Businesses across all sectors are expanding at a mind-boggling rate, thanks to the internet. The internet and other technological advancements have helped companies amass more customers than ever before. That being said, most businesses fail to thrive due to a lack of management skills. This applies to trucking companies as well. Fleet managers tend to face a plethora of challenges.
Challenges of Managing a Fleet
Fleet managers face the following challenges:
Shortage in the Number of Drivers
The acute shortage in the number of available drivers seems to rank among the top concerns for most fleet managers. As companies expand and the demand for transportation of freight goes up, they are going to need more drivers.
However, there has been a dip in the number of new driver applicants. Also, freight companies cannot afford to recruit inexperienced drivers, as this can lead to safety issues.
Improving Fleet Safety
A significant part of a fleet manager’s job is to ensure the safety of the fleet. Fleet managers are always on the lookout for new and improved ways to prevent accidents and, subsequently, vehicle repair. Two ways to do this are implementing an improved training regimen for the drivers and making use of GPS fleet tracking systems to monitor and improve the driver’s behavior on the road.
Increasing Productivity
As your company expands, it can be incredibly difficult to formulate and follow a productive strategy, especially if your company runs large operations. With many processes to manage, fleet managers have to make sure everything runs smoothly despite the amount of paperwork there may be.
Change in Fuel Prices
Fleet managers also have the pressure of driving down the overall fuel costs. Most companies are depending on GPS vehicle trackers to monitor, address, and improve driver behavior and routing so that fuel is used efficiently.
Also, companies tend to go for high-mileage vehicles and utilize fuel cards to analyze their fuel purchases. However, there is no telling when and how fuel prices can go up or down.
GPS Fleet Tracking System
The Global Positioning System (GPS) is used to find the exact location of a target. The GPS system is commonly used in mobile phones, vehicles, and so forth.
It is highly effective in tracking the movement of a person or a vehicle. GPS finds itself used in a multitude of operations across a wide variety of sectors.
This system runs on the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS), which includes a plethora of satellites that use the microwave signals sent to GPS devices to extract information on parameters like vehicle speed, location, direction, and time. Simply put, a GPS tracking system can yield historical information and real-time results.
A GPS tracking system is primarily of two types. GPS tracking systems that store data within themselves are known as passive GPS tracking systems. GPS tracking systems that send information to a centralized system regularly are known as active GPS tracking systems.
Why Use a GPS Tracking System?
GPS systems are widely used in this day and age. They help you locate your current location and the route to your destination when you travel. GPS systems have rendered the use of physical maps obsolete.
Once the GPS closes in on your current location, it can quickly determine other factors like the distance to your destination, current speed, time of sunrise and sunset, and a whole lot more.
Features of a GPS Fleet Tracker
Here are a bunch of features that make GPS an integral part of the fleet management sector:
The Geo-Fencing Feature
With this feature, you can mark specific areas and place your vehicles in these areas. Geo-fencing allows you to monitor your vehicles and receive alerts when they enter or exit these areas.
Automation for Reporting
Monitoring and managing your fleet manually is too tedious a process. Adding automation to procedures like these can save you a lot of time and energy while simultaneously delivering accurate reports.
Receive Updates on Time
Making well-informed decisions is crucial while managing a fleet. GPS offers 10-second updates to prove to be essential while tracking places, routes, and many other parameters.
A Concise Dashboard Summary
An easy to comprehend summary of the dashboard that displays essential parameters, including stop time, mileage, and so on can simplify the process of correcting errors and smoothen your operation and minimize costs.
Controlling Access and User Management
This feature enables you to add and manipulate any user’s profile and their access levels. You also have the option of assigning fixed roles to a user and put users in a group if required. Tracking and monitoring a group of vehicles and looking up the report for the same is no problem.
Easy-to-use User Interface
Companies tend to underestimate the value of having an accessible interface. An intuitive and easy-to-navigate interface can make it drastically easy for users to use them. Couple this with exceptional features like a group-access option without creating more than one account and a bird’s eye view of the fleet. Accessing the information you need and making calculated decisions is a breeze.
The Option of User-Defined Logins
GPS also allows you to manipulate user access and choose what kind of information and vehicle users are allowed to access.
GPS has proven to be an irreplaceable asset in just about every sector. Businesses have been able to streamline their operations at scale and reap the benefits. If you are interested in learning about GPS in detail, read more at samsara.com.
