Scheduling Service Routes And Fleet Tracking

The transportation business can be run successfully only if you’re willing to dedicate the time to lead the fleet responsibly and adhere to a tight schedule, much like a clockwork ship. Selecting the best route and setting up a bullet-proof schedule is no walk in a park.

But modern technology has made fleet management much easier than it ever was in the past, and this ease of operation has made all the difference for private and commercial fleet owners.

In this article, we will discuss the inter-relation between fleet tracking and scheduling service routes.

The Importance Of Modern Fleet Tracking Software

Modern fleet tracking software is all the hype for small businesses and large enterprises alike. Managing a vast fleet has never been so simple yet so effective at the same time in the history of transportation. Modern telematics systems employ GPS technology’s power to share the precise location of every car in your fleet.

That’s not all. You get to see all the relevant stats, driver’s behavior patterns, fuel consumption rates, idling times, and so much more. But perhaps the biggest strength of such systems is that they allow managers to plot the optimal courses for their fleets to minimize hassle and allow the drivers to reach their destination on time, always, without fail.

Scheduling such routes is also no problem at all with such sophisticated systems at your disposal.

Abilities Of A Good Fleet Management System

Any capable fleet management system will be endowed with the following features and abilities, keep them in consideration when picking an option:

Creating travel and transportation plans (i.e., pick-up or delivery)
Helping you minimize travel times and costs
Providing constant reports and stats to help you improve your performance
Delivering a log of your drivers’ performance and reporting any instances of recklessness
Notifying you about any impending maintenance issues to preempt

And so much more…

With such software, you can get more done in less time and with minimal effort.

Importance Of Route Optimization & Scheduling

With so much going on with your business, it is only natural for you to lose track of stuff. Fortunately, you won’t have to dig through your memory to prioritize tasks and planning the route. Fleet management software can do that for you.

Route optimization is the intricate process of choosing the most appropriate, smoothest, and simplest course to reach your destination. Fleet management software is often coupled with such algorithms that can plot such optimal routes using data from your fleet (their location) and the information available about the various route options available.

Using such optimal courses, your fleet will never fail to show up before the client on-time.

Then there’s the scheduling business.

If you have plotted the optimal routes and prioritize them, all that remains will be there on time. Scheduling software can help you ensure that you’re following the tasks in terms of priorities and that you’re not late for even one of them.

You have several options for such systems in the market, but only effective and powerful tools deserve your investment. Modern fleet management systems offer sets of features, each prized according to their effectiveness.

You should never go cheap in this case, and instead, choose wisely.

Features Of A Decent Routing & Scheduling Software

An effective routing and scheduling software do much more than what you may fathom upon hearing the name for the first time. The idea behind this advancement is to help you optimize every part of your transportation business.

You should look for the following features in any scheduling software:

1. Effective Route Optimization Prowess

Any scheduling software needs to be the best it can in route optimization. Without ensuring that your fleet adopts the best possible course for reaching the destination, you cannot ensure that all of your operations will complete on time.

Algorithms for route optimization are not all the same. You must consider factors like how much input they get, whether they factor in traffic-related issues, or consider stuff like fuel consumption rates and distance traveled.

2. Intuitive UI

The user interface is one of the key aspects of determining the effectiveness of the software. What would you rather have, a sophisticated system beyond comprehension or something simpler but with the same level of effectiveness? Of course, the latter.

High-performing and top-rated software are always the easiest to use and yet the most powerful ones for delivering results.

3. Accurate & High-Res Maps

The map data is another factor that you should consider when choosing scheduling software.

Unless it uses updated high-resolution maps for its display, there’s no point having it on board. Why? The graphical interface of GPS tracking will only be as good as the quality of the map on which it is being displayed.

Moreover, the maps should be accompanied by updated (and constantly updating) information about traffic conditions, weather problems, speed limits, vehicle restrictions, and so on.

4. Adaptability

The biggest strength of any app is adaptability. There can be a discrepancy between performance and plan, and in the end, it is the performance that matters the most. Why else do we plan stuff other than to get the best performance?

But things change constantly, and there’s no way to ensure that your plan will hold the test of change.

Consider this: you’ve planned your route a certain way because it made sense when you planned it, but later on, the course became loaded with traffic due to an accident. Your app must track traffic density and other performance parameters and update your drivers to redirect themselves.

This flexibility is needed to perform on your peak, consistently.

5. Interoperable With The Rest Of Your Systems

Your scheduling software will have to work in coherence with all of your present hardware and software. Otherwise, it will be of no use to you.

Integration of all processes is vital to your operation’s success, and for this, you must check the compatibility features of any app that you’re planning on subscribing to.

The fleet management app will have to integrate perfectly with your IT setup and all the hardware you’ve set in place, especially the trackers and GPS technology.

If your candidate app has all, or at least, most of these features, you can expect it to be a worthwhile investment.

Fleetr Can Help Your Business

Fleet management is not an option but rather a necessity for both private and commercial parties. Small businesses and huge enterprises both need to stay on top of their fleets and ensure that everything runs according to schedule without unnecessary delays or wastage of fuel and money.

Fleetr has helped thousands of business owners optimize their fleet’s travel plans and delivery times through our intuitive fleet management system. We will not force you to sign boring contracts, neither will we toss you into anything uncomfortable, and there won’t be any delays on our part either.

As of 2020, we have served over 20,000 vehicles, and our business circle is growing still. For as little as $12.99 per month (single vehicle), you can start your fleet management operations with an efficiency unmatched by that of anything you’ve done before!