The Ways Fleet Management and Tracking Saves Money and Increases Profitability
Every fleet manager has the same goals:
- Increase the overall profit of the business
- Keep drivers, vehicles, and everyone else safe on the road
- Provide the best services without a detriment to the business
- Run the best fleet in town
Sure, management might have an entire list of goals they have for their company and employees, but the chances are high that these four make the list – every time! Thanks to technology and its evolution, it is easy to see why more fleet managers are turning to upgraded GPS tracking and other technological solutions to try and save money and increase the overall profitability of the business. Small fleet owners are especially vulnerable to taking significant losses when the profit margin isn’t high enough to sustain the resources they use – finding a solution (like Fleetr) that caters to the small fleet owners can help to extend the bottom line and create savings that management has never seen before.
We are narrowing it down to the top six ways that using fleet tracking can help your company save money – then we will tell you exactly how Fleetr factors into the grand scheme of things. We promise you aren’t going to be disappointed with the additional earnings when all is said and done.
1. Fleet Tracking Helps You Create Better Driving Routes
We’ve all been there, taking a wrong turn or winding up in road construction with a detour that takes us 50 miles out of our way. You can’t always avoid it, except when you can – using GPS-enabled fleet tracking software.
Nowadays, most GPS-enabled devices offer a real-time account of the roadways. For example, if you ever use Google Maps to get directions, you have probably heard the lady say “speed trap ahead” and then pass a police officer sitting on the side of the road with his radar gun; or there are the colors that indicate traffic at a standstill or road closure. Reliable GPS on the roads today is a Godsend!
Imagine how much you could save (in fuel and maintenance) if you aren’t driving those extra miles out of your way. An intuitive GPS-enabled fleet tracking software can do just that.
2. More Efficient Dispatch Calls
Depending on what your business does, your fleet might be required to make emergency house calls. When these calls come in, there is usually a member of the team that is designated to handle these emergency calls, meaning they are not on a scheduled route during their on-call shift. What if it was possible to utilize all of your manpower in the field and still be able to handle these emergency dispatch calls?
GPS-enabled fleet tracking lets you see where each of the vehicles in your fleet is located at any given time. If Mrs. Browning calls because her furnace is on the brink of death for the third time this month, you can look at your map and see which technician is closest to her address. Instead of having someone sitting around the office waiting for a call, you can use everyone in the field and send the closest one, saving time and money in the process.
3. Reduce Driver Idle Time
Nothing says “wasted fuel” like drivers who idle. It is almost impossible to know which drivers spend a lot of time idling and wasting fuel, or at least it was impossible to know which drivers were until you incorporated a fleet tracking service. With this resource, you are now able to see who is idling and where they idle at. Maybe it is just a case of being stuck in traffic at the same times each day and finding a new route – or maybe it is deliberate. Either way, you can use the information you gain to reduce idle time and save on your fuel costs.
4. Reduced Maintenance and Operational Costs
Your fleet is a big investment, no matter what size it is. You spend the money to maintain it or replace vehicles when necessary. The more vehicles you have on your fleet, the harder it is to keep track of all the routine maintenance. If a driver doesn’t report accurate mileage, you may not be changing the oil in each vehicle when it needs to be changed.
The lack of routine maintenance can lead the way to major vehicle problems in the future. Using a fleet tracking service that allows you to keep track of your vehicle maintenance can help you decrease the amount you would spend trying to fix or even replace a vehicle down the road. These features also tend to alert you to check engine lights when they come on, allowing you to get them in the shop as quickly as possible.
5. Improved Driver Behavior Behind the Wheel
You want people you can trust behind the wheel of your fleet. These people are the ones who are not only driving the vehicle that represents your brand, but they are also representing your brand when they are not in the vehicles as well. Having a driver engaging in road rage or other unsafe driving only leaves a poor impression of your brand and may even hurt your business.
Drivers who are alert and attentive to their surroundings are less likely to get into an accident. Even if the accident is not the fault of your driver, the downtime of one of your fleet vehicles will cut into your profit margin. Drivers who know that they are being monitored (and that you received notifications of unsafe driving) are more likely to act better on the roadways, saving you money in the long run.
6. Fleet Insurance Savings
Paying for car insurance of any kind is not a cheap expense, let alone for a fleet of vehicles. When accidents occur, your rates go up – the same applies to your fleet. When something happens, whether it be vandalism, theft, or just an accident, the amount of risk for your fleet goes up, and so does your premium.
If you implement a fleet tracking solution for your company, you may be able to save a little bit on your premiums if your insurance company offers the discount. The insurance company sees the fleet tracking service as an insurance policy of its own – it lowers the risk of accidents by increasing driver awareness and can help recovery efforts in the event of a theft. If you haven’t already asked about a discount on your premium for this, it never hurts to try!
Why You Should Consider Fleetr as a Fleet Tracking Option
Fleetr was designed for the small fleets of America – the ones who do not benefit from the same contractual obligations of those corporate fleets that consist of hundreds of vehicles. Instead, Fleetr takes the contract out of the equation, creating a “pay-as-you-go” type of fleet tracking service. Like other fleet tracking services, Fleetr can provide savings through all the avenues above and then some.
Fleetr Reduces Fuel Costs
Probably one of the best examples of Fleetr helping your fleet save money is through our reports. We take a good look at your driver’s driving patterns and narrow down the reasons why your fleet isn’t as fuel-efficient as it could be.
From there, we look at the ways that you could bounce back from this, being more fuel-efficient and potentially saving hundreds of dollars per month on each of your fleet vehicles. We know it is almost impossible to be perfect, but we do our best to provide you with tips on what you can do to change the overall efficiency of your fleet.
Fleetr Keeps Up with Maintenance
Fleetr’s dedication to your fleet is more than just about keeping track of where your fleet is, but it also tracks the wellbeing of your vehicles. Fleet vehicles are not a cheap investment, and if you are lucky to get more than five to seven years out of a vehicle, consider yourself a lottery winner. Most fleet vehicles get retired early due to the high mileage that gets put on them. The higher the mileage, the higher the risk of mechanical problems.
Trying to keep up with maintenance can be exhausting, and if you have a decent amount of vehicles to monitor, you may never get to leave your desk. Fleetr takes the information that you input about each vehicle and pairs it with the information it acquires after each use – alerting you when it is time for routine maintenance or if something else has popped up.
Fleetr Is An Easy Fleet Tracking Option
When you own a fleet, you don’t want things to be more complicated after implementing the solution than they were before implementing it. Fleetr takes complicated out of the situation and replaces it with easy – really easy. When you go online to www.fleetr.com and select the “buy now” tab, you will be given an input area for the number of vehicles in your fleet. Depending on the number of vehicles in your fleet, you may be eligible for an additional bonus.
After you complete the payment of $9.99 per vehicle per month, we ship you your hardware. It takes anywhere from three to five business days for these to arrive, so be patient and, in the meantime, begin adding your information to the Fleetr app. Here, you will input your vehicles’ information and the drivers’ information and set up what reports you want to have each week/month.
Once the hardware comes, remove it from the envelope and plug it into the vehicle’s OBD II port. From this port, the hardware will transmit data through wireless networks, updating your app in real-time. You can opt for push notifications to find out when a driver is speeding or driving erratically. Fleetr keeps you in control of your fleet, even if you aren’t the one driving!
