The logistics industry is an integral part of the global supply chain management sector. Without it, the entire market would collapse and cause chaos in the trading world. Thus, there is a constant effort to develop tools and technology that will help the logistics industry to perform smoother and more efficiently.
The fleet and its drivers are the backbones of a logistics company. The modern-day technology that helps in the smooth functioning of all vehicles, drivers, fleet managers, and owner-operators is called the fleet management system.
What Is A Fleet Management System?
A fleet management system is the combination of all the software and hardware tools that work in unison by seamlessly integrating with your business and making the fleet management process smoother for your company. To explore the fundamental premises of fleet management, read more on Samsara.com
A fleet management software helps to maximize the productivity of the fleet and its drivers while lowering the operational costs. Here are seven changes your company will witness if you upgrade your fleet management system:
Provides A Greater Return On Investment (ROI)
By shelling out a few dollars more for a better fleet management system, your company’s annual savings will increase by a significant factor.
Telematics tools like dashboard cameras for trucks with embedded artificial intelligence (AI) help to prevent accidents and assists the drivers in real-time.
This is achieved by built-in speakers, and the cameras’ computer vision helps it to accurately make decisions that enable the driver to prevent accidents before they happen. Their cloud-based technology also helps them store information securely, which the fleet managers can access from anywhere.
This assisted driver coaching helps to minimize fuel consumption and improve driving behaviors that add to your ROI.
Reduces The Maintenance And Repair Costs
It is not only essential to get the most out of your commercial motor vehicle in its lifespan but also to extend its lifespan as much as possible. Your upgraded fleet management system would also help you reduce your maintenance and repair costs.
Industrial internet of things (IIoT) devices like electronic logging devices (ELDs) help to monitor and securely store all of your vehicles’ diagnostic data such as engine data and driving hours. Fleet managers and operators can then take a look at them by quickly plugging into your trucks’ onboard diagnostics (OBD) port.
Your powerful telematics software then carefully analyzes this diagnostic information and presents a detailed analysis using its built-in advanced analytics tools and cloud computing. This helps managers and owner-operators to identify potential areas of problems in the vehicle that may later lead to crashes or breakdowns.
Thus, these problems and dangers can be avoided long before there even comes a chance of occurrence through preventive maintenance processes. Commercial fleet owners can steer clear of repair costs that can be four to five times higher than maintenance costs or even be saved from completely discarding the vehicle and buying a new one.
Provides Better Driver And Road Safety
Safety is always a priority for all businesses. Your fleet’s upgraded telematics software should be able to maximize the security of your drivers on the road and prevent chaotic road accidents. Boston car accident lawyers tell us that statistically speaking, if a larger vehicle like a semi-trailer is involved in an accident, the higher the chance of fatalities.
With extensive cloud computing, AI, and machine learning algorithms, thousands of people benefit every year from accident prevention, thereby saving millions of dollars for logistics companies all over the United States of America (USA).
Benefits of improved road safety include:
- Decreased insurance claims from drivers
- Lower collateral damage
- Lower compensatory amounts for damaged goods
- Improved reputation and public relations
- Lower repair costs
- Smaller carbon footprint and environmental impact
Increases Productivity Using Dispatch Tracking Software
A dispatch track or a dispatching software is a great utilitarian productivity tool primarily for fleet managers and owner-operators. They can use this software to communicate with their drivers, customer, and clients quickly. This decreases errors and also improves customer satisfaction.
Fleet managers and customers can get live updates on their shipments. This minimizes the customer’s need to frequently contact the managers to know the whereabouts of their deliveries. This feature of sharing live tracking reduces route inquiries, and managers can focus more on the other aspects of their roles.
Rerouting the shipment and communicating to the drivers about any changes in stops or cancellations also becomes more manageable. If you are looking for one, you can buy dispatch software here.
Makes Reporting Faster And Easier
Paperwork only slows down companies. Your fleet management software will help you minimize mountains of paperwork that typically takes days to complete into a work of just a few minutes. All your fleet data and driver data can be accessed in a few clicks to input into your quarterly or annual reports.
Paperless DVIRs help drivers and fleet managers to work together and create vehicle reports that lower the cost of maintenance and repairs. Through customizable reports, you can conveniently display data that you want to emphasize and neglect additional data that you might not need.
Streamlines Workflow Of All Businesses
A reputed fleet management system does not require your business to adapt to it but instead, tunes itself to adapt to your business. This seamless integration of technology and software into your high-performance business model will save you a lot of time and improve productivity.
The system brings the drivers, managers, and the owners onto one platform, which enables error-free, concise communication among them. This helps to streamline all the managerial and other business processes within the company by allowing inter-division cooperation.
Improves Fuel Efficiency And Lowers The IFTA Tax Balance
As mentioned before, fleet management systems can help you increase your vehicle’s lifespan and performance. The result of this is improved vehicle mileage, enabling you to get more miles per gallon of fuel than ever before. This further leads to a lower IFTA tax balance every quarter and potentially saves your company thousands of dollars annually.
Conclusion
These are the seven changes you can expect to witness when you upgrade your fleet management system. If these features and benefits are not available in your present system or in the one you are planning to upgrade to, then you should probably consider exploring more options that give you more for your money.