Fleetr, a Jooycar company, is the leader in small fleet management and insurance solutions. We have built an AI-powered platform that provides actionable insights to fleet owners with our GPS tracker. We are proud to serve nearly 40,000 connected vehicles via our OBD II device with affordable and easy solutions across several countries. We believe in the power of telematics and big data to address the pressing needs of the small fleet owner and are working tirelessly to reduce costs, improve efficiency and increase safety.
City Driving: With Or Without Fleet Tracking?
Without GPS, tracking a bunch of private or commercial vehicles with perfection is near-impossible. Fleet tracking is becoming increasingly relevant today because of the growing competitiveness in the business arena and alarming security concerns.
Vehicle tracking is a necessity in the transportations business if you wish to impress your clients with punctuality, save up on fuel and other expenses, and most of all: get the best out of your drivers.
But to get the whole picture, we must consider both sides of the argument, so let’s do that!
Understanding Advanced Fleet Tracking Systems
The fleet tracking technology was relatively unknown just a few years back, go a bit farther in history, and it did not even exist. Still, today, it has dominated the transportation business like nothing before it. This system owes its emergence and evolution to the rise of the internet and the accessibility of GPS technology for users.
This rise to fame is accounted for by the many features that fleet tracking software provides their users with, the most important one being delivering live updates about a said vehicle’s positions from the fleet.
But this is merely the tip of the iceberg. Fleet management systems go much beyond, simply pointing out the location of your vehicles. They also deliver useful stats and help in planning the most appropriate route for reaching a certain destination.
Fleet tracking has become mainstream because of its many virtues, which are detailed in the following section.
Benefits Of Using Fleet Tracking Systems
The biggest hindrance in the path of success for transportation businesses is communication – if you ace this level, it’s sweet sailing from thereon. A poorly coordinated team will never beat the clock, save fuel expenditures, or perform well in general.
You need to put everything on one page or perhaps one screen – and that screen may belong to your mobile or computer.
Here are the benefits of using a fleet management system:
1. You Can Save Considerable Time
In transportation, as with any other business, the adage’ time is money’ is more literal than what you may fathom. Even the slightest delay can set a negative impression of you in the mind of your client, souring your business relationship before it has even ripened.
While causes and excuses for such delays are numerous, you can tackle them all with effective management and constant monitoring. Perhaps your drivers choose crowded routes by mistake, or they may be uninterested in the job.
Whatever it is, you’ll be able to track their performance via a fleet tracking system, and you can let them know about any shortcomings from their side. You can also help them out with better route planning and create an easy-to-follow schedule to help them bet better at their jobs.
2. You Will Make Data-Based Decisions
The most potent weapon in the information and digital age is data. With the right stats, you can apprehend anyone for being negligent at their duty or reward those who’ve worked hard with consistency.
Fleet tracking systems will constantly send over reports from your drivers, detailing their conviction to duty, any cases of recklessness on their part, or if they’ve been idling unnecessarily. These reports are highly detailed, and hence when you use these numbers in one-on-one sessions with your employees.
Moreover, you can use the stats to point out any problem areas in your protocol and start fixing them!
3. You Will Ensure The Safety Of Your Drivers
Like anyone else, your drivers are also prone to mistakes. After all, they’re only human. But carelessness, no matter how minor, can result in serious consequences on the road. Make it clear to all of your employees that you will not compromise on road safety at all.
Fleet trackers will share insights about your drivers’ performances and whether they’ve acted recklessly. If the vehicle is over-speeding, or accelerating quick, or getting braked harshly, or making speedy turns, you will be notified. You can then contact the driver immediately to let them know that they need to drive safely.
4. You Will Be Able To Organize Better
With the power of GPS by your side, you will be better able to manage your fleet by integrating all the data and assigning convenient travel plans. Such an organized approach is one of the principles of success in the transportation business. Still, it becomes even more effective when you can constantly keep yourself in the loop of what’s happening.
Thus, your leadership skills will blossom like never before.
5. You Will Save Money
Through better route planning and monitoring fuel consumption, fleet management will help you make statistically significant savings down the road. The system will also let you know if one of your drivers is idling the vehicle unnecessarily.
Smoother and shorter routes will ensure that your fleet is always on time and guarantee statistical savings on fuel consumption. Remember that fuel costs are the major drain for any transportation business.
Thus, time and money, you get to keep both of these elements from the earlier quoted proverb.
6. You Won’t Have Trouble With The Payroll
Payroll calculations suck!
Technically, all calculations can be bothersome, but figuring out the payroll can get highly complicated when you’ve got so many drivers with so many assignments. Luckily, you need not dig through written records and then spend hours working on the math.
With fleet tracking, you get detailed information about the time spent by your workers on the actual work, and through this data, you can make fair calculations. Try to reward people for going the extra mile, and it will encourage the rest to do the same.
7. You Will Improve Your Customer Service
Customers love on-time service.
Being late for something important can jeopardize your reputation in their eyes, and in the modern business era, you better not let any spots fall on your credibility. Sites like Yelp and Google Business allow users to leave reviews and remarks about a company’s services.
Strive to make these reviews as positive as they can be!
Through GPS tracking, you can ensure that all of your fleet vehicles are following optimal routes and that they all reach their destinations on time and not a minute late!
8. You Will Enjoy Theft Protection
Vehicle theft is nothing unheard of.
But you can do a couple of things to preempt such an event. For instance, consider adding a couple of antitheft features to the vehicle. There is one thing that acts as a perfect deterrent, and that is GPS. Luckily, your car will already have one if you’re going for a fleet management system.
A safe fleet equals a safe business.
The Debate Against Tracking Drivers
Some drivers may not be all that thrilled about your decision to get a fleet monitoring system. While the underlying reason may be (for some) any performance issue on their part which they feel like keeping all wrapped up, but they may put forward some solid arguments against GPS tracking:
- They may call it an invasion of their privacy
- They may express discomfort over being constantly monitored
- They may feel offended by the thought that you are questioning their loyalty
- They may question the effectiveness of the technology itself
- They may say that they know their way around town well enough
But based on all of the stuff that GPS tracking brings to the table, you can certainly answer these objections by listing down the reasons you need such a system. Don’t be aggressive. Instead, show your drivers that they also need GPS monitoring to stay safe.
Tell them how such a system will promote communication and improve the business’s profitability, which will ultimately benefit everyone involved.
Fleetr Can Help Your Business
As of 2020, Fleetr has helped thousands of clients monitor over 20,000 vehicles through our intuitive and highly effective fleet tracking system.
Ours is a revolutionary approach to fleet management as we offer our services to both small startups and high-end businesses. After all, they both can benefit from our services.
Our subscription charges start from $12.99 per month for a single vehicle, and that’s all there is to our deal – no contracts, delays, or complications!
Feel free to reach out to us, and we’ll show you what we can do for you.
