The most important benefit of any digital management solution implementation is the ability to automate and optimize workflows. Fleet solutions make it easier to identify bottlenecks and streamline the work of field service personnel. They also trigger continuous improvements based on data analytics. GPS tracking, telematics programs, and vehicle diagnostics and maintenance features are all smoothly integrated into the fleet management solution. Additionally, fuel management, telematics, and GPS monitoring capabilities are all easily integrated.
The digital fleet management app provides actionable insights into business processes and allows for in-depth analysis of operating costs.
The fleet management system will be simpler for end users if the process of digital system orchestration is more carefully thought out before implementation. We begin by comprehending your company's requirements. Then we use these to determine which systems need to be built, how to automate them, what data should be collected and analyzed, and what tools and resources Fleet Managers require. The project can be developed once we thoroughly understand your company's objectives.
What are Fleet Management Apps?
Before diving into this topic, it is essential to start with the basics. Logistics management also includes fleet management. This is an essential part of logistics. This can include tracking the best routes for trucks, their fuel consumption, the technical condition of trucks, etc. The industry and the company's operations will affect the parameters being monitored.
Fleet management apps are designed to make tracking fleet performance and other criteria easier and more efficient.
Different types of Fleet Management Software
You should first choose the right type of app to fit your needs before you begin thinking about developing a fleet management app for your company. There are three options available. You can also combine them all if you have the resources.
GPS fleet tracking
This is a popular option for optimizing fleet performance. This software includes all the features necessary to track each car's location in real-time, create optimal transport routes, and allocate vehicles quickly if needed. This software makes it easy to share and maintain information about vehicles' arrival times and save travel history for future analysis.
Speed management and fuel apps
Fuel costs always dominate fleet budgets. Many business owners want to optimize this aspect of their fleet. These apps help fleets monitor fuel consumption more intelligently and optimize areas that can reduce fuel costs (such as tracking the driver's driving style, for example). These apps often include convenient analytical features that allow a more transparent display of the costs associated with servicing the vehicle fleet.
Apps with video recording capabilities
This video can help you see what can happen on the roads with your fleet. This software can connect to the cloud, where videos taken from drivers' cars are uploaded. The video may be analyzed by cutting-edge software, which can warn drivers about speeding offenses.
Why does your business need a fleet management solution?
What are you doing to manage your truck fleet? Rather than using numerous applications, programs, or devices to process data manually, there is a better method to manage your fleet. Here are two reasons your company can benefit from a logistic on demand application.
Manage Huge Data Streams
You probably know that every truck you manage generates an enormous amount of data each day. You can track the driving routes, fuel consumption, current orders, undelivered and delivered orders, driver behavior, and working hours.
With a comprehensive dashboard, tracking all the telematics data daily can be more accessible, especially when you have multiple solutions. Fleet management systems allow you to collect all data in one place. This gives you more visibility and clarity to each operation and automates workflows.
All Operations in One Place
All data can be accessed in one location, allowing you to make better, faster, more efficient, and more reasonable decisions. Artificial intelligence (AI) is frequently used in fleet management systems, providing you with even more data-driven insight for short- and long-term business decisions.
Fleet Management System: Top 10 Benefits
Here are some additional benefits that fleet tracking services can offer.
1. The performance of drivers improved.
Fleet managers face a difficult task when drivers are out on the roads transporting goods and delivering them. Poor driving habits can reduce the fleet's lifespan and cause fatal accidents.
Telematics provides viable options to track driving patterns and improve driver behavior. GPS tracking, for example, is an integral part of telematics. Dispatchers and managers can utilize this to monitor location, speed, driving style (hard braking, idling, and cornering), and vehicle diagnostics. Fleet managers can plan their strategies to reduce risks and increase durability by having access to this information.
After nine months of adopting fleet management software from Cyber Infrastructure Inc. Reading Buses witnessed a 27% decrease in abrupt braking, a 44% increase in acceleration, and a 2% decrease in fuel usage. A 35% increase was also seen in the number of drivers who met green standards.
Geofencing, another essential feature of telematics, allows fleet managers to monitor vehicles' location in real-time and to mark territory for drivers.
This was extremely useful during the COVID-19 epidemic. Managers erected a fence to warn drivers and delivery staff not to enter high-risk areas or quarantine zones. Fleet managers immediately asked employees to stop contacting people from these areas and directed them to control the spread.
Gamifying the monthly or weekly targets is another way to increase drivers' performance. Based on safety precautions, delivery timings, and vehicle upkeep, a system dashboard can show driver incentive points. Managers can also share information via a mobile devices app with drivers to help them set their weekly targets. Incentives for drivers who excel will motivate them to do their best and still meet your KPIs.
2. Reduced costs
Fleet management software has a lot of automation features. You can set up a plan for vehicle maintenance, repairs, and fleet audits with automated reminders and emails. This helps to extend the life of your fleet and reduces unnecessary expenses for purchasing new vehicles that are damaged beyond repair. This reduces administrative burden and the need for additional staff.
Another critical component to lowering fuel costs is fuel management. Fleet managers can keep track of the actual fuel consumption for specific routes and distances to identify vehicles that use more fuel or drive techniques that cause fuel wastage. Automating fuel management can help organizations achieve this. FLEETCOR, for example, is integrated with the system with an API. Organizations can now facilitate direct transactions with gasoline service providers thanks to this. You can compare your total consumption to previous transactions to get an idea of how much waste.
FleetWave is a fleet management system that allows staff from Hitachi Construction Company to send out quotation requests via email notifications. Users can also update details about order confirmation and delivery via the same platform. This has allowed the company to save considerable time and reduce costs.
3. Automated reporting and analytics
The fleet management software provides insight, and not only does it collect valuable data. The system creates reports on vehicle maintenance, driving habits, rest breaks, delivery times, and other information using GPS tracking systems and onboard devices such as the odometer or Electronic Logbooks. Managers can use this information to help them understand their drivers performance and then instruct them accordingly.
Integration of APIs in the system will increase information-sharing efficiency and cost-effectiveness. FourKites, for example, is a platform that provides real-time visibility to supply chains. Combining advanced AI and machine learning, FourKites provides comprehensive analytics and predictive ETAs. This platform is used by large fleets such as Nestle, Coca-Cola, and Henkel.
Read more: Custom transport management solutions cover all areas of fleet management
4. Improved Customer Satisfaction
Customers will often abandon a brand because of poor delivery services. A dealer management system in SAP can optimize routing, reduce ETAs and ensure that deliveries are error-free. Fleet managers can easily prioritize deliveries to customers. Hence, they are most privileged to receive real-time traffic updates and information about transit delays.
Drivers can also view customer locations from their dashboards and adjust working hours to accommodate delivery times. This technique has the dual advantages of freeing fleet management to focus on other crucial concerns and allowing drivers to operate following delivery specifications.
5. Intelligent Solutions with Machine Learning
Machine Learning and AI have revolutionized many industries, including fleet management. introductions of intelligent video and dashcams have positively impacted how fleet managers evaluate accidents, acceleration, and harsh braking. AI separates such incidents from the extensive data collected during engine runs. The system shares these updates in real-time, which is even better. These data can be combined with fleet data from OBDs or GPS Fleet tracking systems.
DigiFleet from TCS also works with IoT- and Machine Learning algorithms. These technologies optimize routes and monitor lane conditions, allowing drivers to receive predictive updates. Fleet management systems use data from other vehicles to determine the fastest routes. They also avoid peak traffic hours and are based on the climate in a specific region.
6. Efficient Fuel Consumption
Fleet managers have always had to worry about inefficient fuel consumption because it is often higher than the budget. A survey found fleet managers can make 31% more profit if they consume 10% less fuel. Contrary to popular perception, fuel consumption does not depend on fuel mileage (KM/L). A fleet management system can be utilized to provide comprehensive information regarding fuel usage patterns because multiple components are involved.
Fleet managers can use this system to identify areas where excessive or unnecessary idling is occurring and take steps to reduce stoppages. It can also train drivers to use an efficient and fuel-efficient pattern for their fleet.
Frisch and Sons was a California-based excavation and landscaping business with eight vehicles. They desired to monitor their fleets and drivers. They picked Mix Solution's GPS-based fleet management software since it was the ideal partner for them. They found that long-standing vehicles were costing them 50+ hours each week. They could reduce their work hours and save $300 each week on fuel.
7. Improved Vehicle Maintenance
Maintaining a fleet on a budget is a priority for fleet managers. The most extraordinary fleet vehicle upkeep demands careful preparation and execution. You may plan preventive maintenance with a fleet management system using vehicle size, mileage, weather, and other considerations.
It will help you track vehicle downtime and the root cause. The fleet maintenance system will use these data points to develop a timetable that pays enough priority to vehicle maintenance. Fleet management software will likely be more expensive upfront than it will save in maintenance costs.
Frontier Technologies, a maritime-owned and managed company, has used our Solutions for over a decade to manage its fleet. They needed a data-driven, high-tech solution for fleet management. This increased the efficiency of fleet managers by allowing them to schedule vehicle repairs in a proactive manner.
8. Fleet Safety: Better
You will likely be involved in a logistics or transportation company and understand the importance of driver and fleet safety. It is vital to improving the safety of drivers in all weather conditions. A fleet management system with a thorough driver monitoring program can handle this issue successfully. These systems alert and notify drivers about comment errors, which can help to avoid fatal accidents.
Imagine your driver speeding up on a hilly road that has sharp turns. Drivers will be alerted by the system via visual and audible signals. The fleet managers will be informed if the issue continues. Finally, fleet managers will have access to information about various drivers and be able to examine their driving habits.
The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) sought to set up a system that would notify truck drivers when they exceed a highway's acceptable speed limit. TxDOT sought to reduce the frequency of rollovers brought on by motorists attempting to accelerate at risky rates of speed. SmartSensor HD helped with its special radar beam. They also created fleet maintenance software, which detects vehicle speed and flashes an indicator if it is exceeded. Fleet managers can also be alerted by the radar, communicating with drivers to warn them of their unsafe driving habits and inform them to lower their rates. TxDOT was able to improve safety for its fleets by doing this.
9. Fraud Prevention
Driver fraud is a significant problem in the fleet industry. Many drivers try to get lost fuel cards. This issue can be solved if you have a fleet management system. This AI-powered software detects fraud in minutes and informs fleet managers of the current vehicle condition.
Fleet managers can use this data to determine whether the fuel card claim was valid. Fleet managers can thus prevent fraud and save time and money.
10. Increase Vehicle Timespan
High-quality fleet management software allows you to monitor your vehicle's health. The fleet management software provides real-time information about vehicle health, including engine hours, mileage, and service history. This information will allow you to plan preventative maintenance when needed, saving you money, extending your fleet's life, and reducing any further damage.
Fleet Management Software Features Checklist
Fleet management solutions have various advantages. When choosing the right system for your company, it is essential to consider all factors. Although GPS trackers, data analytics, HOS compliances, and data analytics are essential features of fleet management systems, some key elements will determine the system's long-term functioning.
Cloud-based Solutions for Better Connectivity
Cloud deployment is crucial and advantageous when using fleet management software. Cloud technology is the only way to secure, scaleable, and afford software that can be used worldwide.
You can also create information access restrictions for your employees. The inventory and incoming orders may be completely accessible to your asset management staff. They might need help to see the payments that the accounts department has made or received. It is possible to ensure information security.
Your drivers can access a cloud-based system via a mobile app. This will allow them to keep track of their daily tasks and responsibilities. The app also displays route information and specific location information offline, which is essential for safety in areas without internet access.
Cloud technology offers a significant advantage in leveraging best-in-class cloud services. Fleet Complete, a global fleet operations management software provider, uses AWS to offer best-in-class services to fleet owners in 15 countries. The business can examine 50 terabytes of IoT data, which is helpful for fleet owners and managers. With the help of AWS, the platform can scale to more than 50,000,000 requests globally and publish weekly rather than monthly software upgrades.
AWS also offers Connected Vehicle Solution, which uses IoT technology to allow developers to create software systems for fleet vehicles. AWS services allow developers to create serverless IoT apps that connect to the AWS cloud and enable vehicles to interact with each other. It can also detect driver safety and location.
Data Integration for Streamlined Communications
A fleet management system can do more than vehicle and driver management. Data generation can be extensive when multiple systems are working together in an organization. You can save time and effort by ensuring that information is exchanged seamlessly between systems.
Telematics gives information on the accident to determine factors such as driver speed, vehicle maintenance, climate conditions, and other potential factors. This data is shared with the accounts department, human resources, and other departments that use automated real-time data transfer to process insurance claims and employee compensation.
Data integration allows you to make vital information easily accessible to the right people at the right time, avoiding communication delays. Boyle Transportation is a US national trucking company that delivers hazardous and defense cargo. The company's fleet management technology system helped reduce vehicle downtime, saving its technicians 30 minutes of maintenance time. The company offered a mobile app to its drivers that provided data for vehicle inspections and maintenance issues.
For example - Atlas Air, an airline delivery company, owns more than 400 assets. The company was able to replace its on-premise servers with a cloud-based solution accessible via web and mobile apps worldwide through proper fleet management.
Fleet management software can be utilized as a single entry point to manage product availability, dispatch, delivery, and payment. Data from pre-existing accounting software can be automatically blended with the fleet management software using API interfaces rather than having to be scrapped.
Data integration is essential to ensure this fluidity among different departments and teams.
Customization to Optimized Functionality
It is impossible to stress enough the importance of custom functionality within an organization. Each business needs different supply chain management solutions for its fleets. This can be achieved by thorough research and analysis. Think about the chaos that could result if a fleet of construction workers and perishable food delivery businesses use the same off-the-shelf software. A fleet management system should include live chat functionality to allow managers to keep drivers updated on the timeframe. Perishable food requires immediate delivery. Drivers may need to be made aware of the urgency and delayed deliveries, leading to losses for the company.
All off-the-shelf software was created with the business needs in mind. They are cheaper than custom software, but they provide different services, and clients end up with inconsistent performance. Custom software development services allows you to add, delete, or modify elements not present in a typical fleet management package. You will not only save money, but you can also optimize every feature in the software. Custom software can also be used to meet the ELD and HOS compliance requirements for different countries.
Conclusion
An organization needs several responsibilities and decision-makers to manage a fleet of vehicles. The software cannot replace human effort, but it can make the process easier by taking many time-consuming tasks off your plate. Your fleet drivers can make better decisions because of automation and simplified communication. Managers will constantly be updated about their employees' well-being and status. They will have less to worry about and can do more work in a shorter time, reaching their goals faster
