How Can Fleet Tracking Cut Down Unnecessary Drive Time?

Your business will only be as successful as your team’s response time. If you’re due for a client’s place and arrive hours late, imagine the frustration and disappointment on their part. They’d be well in their rights to cancel the deal, and that means disaster for your business and reputation.

Things may not get to this extent, but being on time is the one thing you can’t compromise on. If you were a lone-ranger out there, things might have been much simpler. But alas, that’s not the case for business owners seeking to expand across new horizons.

Fleet management, which becomes frustrating at times, can be simplified by integrating fleet management solutions in your setup and monitoring your entire fleet’s routine.

GPS and telematics are all in the hype now, and in this article, we will help you understand how they can cut unnecessary drive times and ensure that your fleet is never late!

Let’s get started.

Understanding Telematics

Time is money, but the sad truth is that most people don’t realize that this adage is not metaphorical.

In the fast-paced modern business world, time is money – quite literally!

It is more important than ever to optimize travel times for any service provider, and this is where telematics kicks in. The word itself is a mixture of telecommunications and informatics.

As the more perceptive among you may have already guessed, it means joining cables, telephones, and computer systems altogether.

Well, yeah, sort of…

The Black Box Analogy

Most of you might’ve heard of black boxes, but not in a very positive light (thank you, airplane crash TV shows!) In an ideal situation, however, where the aircraft is not plummeting to the ground, about to burst into a torrent of blazing flames, the black box serves several purposes besides telling you “what went wrong.”

It records all the communications and assorted data entries and allows the crew to make all necessary maintenance checks to ensure that the vehicle is in pristine condition. It also helps with route selection and optimization.

This is pretty much what ELDs and fleet tracking systems do with your fleet cars.

Telematics & Fleet Management

Fleet management systems are all the hype now because they allow business owners to closely monitor every aspect of the traveling and ensure top-notch service for their clients. This coordination puts you in a better position for scrutinizing any issues and optimizing your business protocol.

Not only does this system give you a bird’s eye view of your fleet’s movements, but it also keeps you in the loop of everything. You can communicate with your drivers and see for yourself what their status is, and then there’s the onboard diagnostic feature to come up with any problems that need fixing.

In short, you can see everything.

From the acceleration of the vehicle to any harsh braking incidents and from fuel levels to idling times, you’ll know everything. No longer will careless drivers escape your ever-vigilant watch!

How Does GPS Work?

Telematics is much beyond GPS, or global positioning system, but it does form an integral part of the process. You need to know exactly where your fleet members are and where they’re headed, and this is what GPS allows you to do.

The operation of GPS is pretty simple in theory. All the trackers placed in your fleet will transmit signals that will point to their location. On your end, the software will pinpoint their location relative to familiar landmarks (on a map).

The drivers will also have a similar view on their screens to help them plot their route smartly.

Reasons For Unnecessary Drive Times

Why do drivers lose precious time?

It may not always be because of their lack of interest or carelessness, but sometimes, things can happen purely due to unforeseen circumstances.

Let’s dive deeper into some of the common reasons:

Wrong Turn

A single detour can ruin your day and not to mention, the anger and frustration on the part of your client who’s been expecting you this whole time. This is more likely to happen when the drivers are headed towards relatively less known locations or if they’re inexperienced (or new in town).

Bad Traffic

Sometimes, fate alone is to blame. But nothing good will come out of assigning the blame. We need a workaround. Luckily, GPS applications can help us circumnavigate busy routes and reach the destination faster than otherwise.

Careless Drivers

If the drivers are not taking their jobs seriously, expect all sorts of delays and other problems. There is no single reason for this indifference, and you’ll have to talk it out like adults with those who are consistently down-performing.

Maintenance Problems

Imagine one of your fleet’s vehicle heading straight for the destination point, getting near and near, but is forced to stop. There was a technical issue with the car that you failed to address in time because of not knowing anything about it.

It may be as petty as the fuel tank running dry, but without proper maintenance, your fleet will never perform at top-notch rates, and getting to the destination on time will be out of the question!

Route Optimization Saves Your Drive Time

As complicated as fleet management is, you can minimize the hassle via route optimization.

If you haven’t heard of it before, we don’t blame you because it is a relatively new deal. Your one solution for cutting down unnecessary drive times and costs, and to ensure that you reach your clients in time, is in this one simple process.

Route optimization helps you pick the most appropriate and relatively smoother route to ensure that your travel is hassle-free and that no time is wasted on detours or traffic jams. The factors involved in this optimization process are:

Intersections cutting the route in question
The number of turns that lay ahead, especially the left ones
The destination point and its reachability for all available drivers
The state of traffic along the route

And many more…

The point is: route optimization allows you to have a smooth and uninterrupted journey.

With a couple of drivers at your disposal, the options for route plotting are many more than what you can fathom. But based on the transmissions of ELDs (location of the vehicle) and the available data, telematics software will help you with the most appropriate one.

Fleet Tracking & Cutting Down Unnecessary Drive Time

So how do we optimize your fleet management protocol to ensure that every vehicle in your fleet always on time, without fail? Fleet tracking systems can help you here:

Monitoring The Fleet & Drivers Remotely

With advanced fleet tracking systems, you will be able to remotely monitor your driver as if you were sitting in the car.

You’ll spot any carelessness on their part in an instant. If a driver is over speeding or hard pressing the brakes now and then, you’ll be able to see it.

Any idleness on their part won’t go unnoticed either.

Direct Communication With Field Agents

You can remind the drivers of their task priorities if you think that they’re confused, and even notify them if you spot any problem from your end. Effective communication will not only ensure better work results but also give your drivers the realization of being constantly monitored.

They will be on their best behavior.

Route Mapping & Optimization

Fleet tracking software will also plot the smoothest routes for your fleet, allowing your drivers to cover the distance with relative ease. And, if the ELD shows that they’re getting off-track, you can always assist them from your end.

Avoiding Traffic Issues

The GPS and fleet monitoring software are both configured to help drivers avoid busy routes, and hence you can say goodbye to delays due to traffic issues.

That’s one less excuse from their side now!

Stay On Top Of Maintenance Requirements

The black box analogy we mentioned earlier becomes relevant once again.

Fleet tracking systems also allow you to monitor the condition of your fleet vehicles and act accordingly. If you preempt such problems, even the little ones such as filling up the gas tank, you’ll save a lot of precious time when it counts.

Fleetr Can Help Your Business

Serving well over 20,000 fleet vehicles as of 2020, Fleetr is a leading tracking services provider for businesses throughout the USA. We understand that even small businesses require simple but effective fleet management services, and we offer just that.

There are no complications, no delays, and no annoying contracts.

Just a $12.99 payment per vehicle every month, and you’re set with monitoring your fleet, no matter how small, from your office. Our system helps small businesses grow and expand through customer satisfaction by being on time without fail.