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(In our last blog - Part 1 - we highlighted the challenges of fleet management. This blog focuses on the solutions)
In today's world of fluctuating fuel costs and tight budgets, being average isn't good enough for fleet managers. They are under constant scrutiny, which is why it is essential for them to find smart ways to work better and smarter to eliminate redundancies, reduce operational expenses, and improve the organization's bottom line.
By taking advantage of the industry's effective best practices and investing in technology, fleet managers can easily maintain and improve the efficiency of their fleet operation.
Here are some of the best fleet management solutions:
- Employing cloud-based platform
- Tracking vehicles with GPS
- Tracking assets with GPS and IoT devices
- Tracking vehicle routes and employing scheduling models
- Integrating the fuel management system
- Integrating driver management services
- Implementing insurance management best practices
- Utilizing geo-fencing feature
- Ensuring safety and compliance
- Analyzing reports and analytics
Employing Cloud-based Platform
Cloud-based platforms are always more reliable and scalable than web-based applications. Global Positioning System (GPS) enabled cloud infrastructure helps to manage data of any size while working with any fleet management system.
Anytime from anywhere, fleet managers get access to their fleet information that gives them visibility and control across their fleet operations. They have a bird's eye view on their fleet and can access data through any device such as web browsers, tablets, or smartphones from anywhere at any time.
Tracking Vehicles with GPS
By installing GPS tracking devices in the vehicles that are connected to a fleet management system, fleet managers get crucial information such as excessive idling, aggressive driving behavior, and improper shifting or deactivating of safety controls. These real-time tracking updates help them make informed business decisions to achieve significant cost savings such as:
Tracking Assets with GPS and IoT Devices
By installing GPS and Internet of Things (IoT) devices and sensors in and around fixed and mobile assets, fleet managers track the exact location of assets in real-time in the field or on the road. This gives them increased accessibility that helps them in making effective asset utilization. It also helps them get informed about any unauthorized usage of the vehicle, prevent vehicle theft, and reduce damage caused to the vehicle while stolen.
Tracking Vehicle Routes and Employing Scheduling Models
An intelligent vehicle routing system helps the fleet managers plan and optimize daily vehicle routes effectively. This in turns enables them to reduce both fuel cost and fleet size.
With scheduling models automatically, fleet managers schedule an efficient set of vehicle routes to serve the delivery points. Better routes lead to less distance traveled overall, thereby significantly reducing the overall costs and better utilization of vehicles and drivers with less or the same resources.
Key benefits:
Integrating the Fuel Management System
Many factors affect fuel consumption such as vehicle type, weather, aerodynamics, tire resistance, driving style, excessive idling, route planning, and maintenance practices. By integrating fuel management software with the GPS fleet management system, fleet managers can easily save on fuel costs and consumption by controlling the influencing factors.
Key benefits:
Integrating Driver Management Services
Drivers are the most crucial part of a supply chain, therefore integrating driver management services is vital for fleet managers. GPS-enabled fleet management system gives information about the drivers that are collected through different devices and components. This information enables fleet managers to monitor overall compliance, driver behavior, and suggest remedial training applicable to the issues.
By implementing driver safety programs and monitoring their activities and behavior, fleet managers can easily reduce the violations and minimize overall risk. What's more, implementing comprehensive programs and best practices will improve drivers' skills.
Key benefits:
Implementing Insurance Management Best Practices
Fleet insurance protects the businesses against any claims for any accidental damage caused because of a driver's negligence. It is perfect for any growing business throughout the lifetime of the policy.
By implementing insurance management best practices, fleet managers can reduce accident risks and the number of annual claims and premiums.
Some of the best practices are ensuring that the insurance policy is up-to-date for the new vehicles and applying theft prevention measures that lead to a reduction in insurance cost and reduction in downtime and asset replacement cost.
Key benefits:
Utilizing Geo-Fencing Feature
Fleet managers can take the fleet management to the next level by utilizing the geofencing feature. This feature helps them deliver correct information to the customers such as the exact vehicle location and the estimated time of arrival.
The geofencing feature also helps the fleet managers to increase efficiency. It provides information such as how long a vehicle is in a specified location. Such important information enables them to make informed decisions that thereby help them save money and improve safety and security of the fleet.
Key features:
Ensuring Safety and Compliance
Everyone in the supply chain, from fleet managers to drivers, is responsible for ensuring fleet operations run safely and are always compliant. Therefore, it is important to have the right tools and information at disposal. The data generated by the drivers and vehicles enables organizations to manage compliance proactively and prevent policy violations.
By implementing driver safety and compliance initiatives, fleet operations can be streamlined effortlessly. In these initiatives, licensing, inspections, environmental regulations, tax regulations, and international operations play a key role. Also, monitoring of fuel usage, distance traveled, and vehicle emissions help to address various government regulations and policies regarding fleet size, CO2 emission, vehicle utilization, safety, etc.
Key benefits:
Analyzing Reports and Analytics
In a robust fleet management system, analytics generates real-time reports containing information related to driver behavior, fuel efficiency, vehicle health, maintenance, and vehicle break downs, etc. These reports are a powerful tool for productivity.
By analyzing these custom reports in-depth, fleet managers get real-time and actionable insights into the operations of the fleet.
Report types:
Conclusion
Well, now you know how data-driven fleet management solutions can provide key insights that you need to automate, monitor, and manage your fleet and mobile workforce.
Still not sure what you are looking for?
Tell us about your business challenges and we'll give you solutions.
We, at Cybage, can provide you with uniquely architected solutions, which you can utilize on your fleets of any size. Our solutions will help you proactively monitor your fleets and continuously recognize improvements and cost savings opportunities.
