In any fleet business — small or large — efficiency should be a top tier goal. By being a more efficient fleet, you’ll accomplish more, grow in prominence, and keep your customers and fleet drivers happy. But many fleet managers don’t realize that one of the best fleet management tools to boost fleet efficiency is a GPS tracker. Here are some of the top ways that GPS tracking for fleets can make your operation more efficient.
Better Routing
The first and most obvious way that GPS can help improve commercial fleet efficiency is by providing routing improvements. When your drivers are stuck in traffic, taking the long way to get to their destination, or are otherwise detained, fleet efficiency suffers.
With an advanced fleet GPS system like Azuga Fleet, your drivers will always know the best way to get to each job on their daily schedule. They’ll be routed around road construction, accidents, and other hazards. It can also help your techs and drivers avoid heavy traffic and provide a more accurate ETA to clients, which will boost customer satisfaction.
Boost Road Safety
Few things impact fleet efficiency as seriously as an accident. Even if it’s just a minor fender-bender, any accident is likely to take up hours of a fleet manager’s time with paperwork and insurance claims, not to mention the time lost by the driver who must deal with the situation. And no fleet company wants to be responsible for an accident in which someone was injured or killed. For these reasons and many more, safety should be priority number one.
But how can GPS fleet tracking make your fleet safer? Yes, it can route your drivers around road hazards as mentioned above, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg. A fully-featured GPS tracking system can also report dangerous driving behaviors like hard braking or speeding. This allows you to implement corrective training for your drivers before an accident happens.
Here at Azuga, we believe that fleet safety benefits everyone, from your drivers to the motorists who share the road with them. That’s why we offer some outstanding add-ons to help you create a complete culture of safety within your fleet business. Our fleet safety training programs are designed to help drivers develop good driving habits that will protect everyone on the road. And with our Driver Safety Rewards program, you can create friendly competition among drivers toward the best driver safety score. All of this adds up to fewer accidents and better fleet efficiency.
Preventative Maintenance
Just like an accident, a breakdown on the road can throw your entire daily schedule off course. While your driver deals with the problem or their vehicle gets towed back to your garage for repairs, appointments are missed and customers disappointed. And this does not even consider the safety hazards involved with a roadside breakdown. The best option is to avoid these challenges as much as possible with a preventative maintenance program.
Because Azuga’s fleet GPS tracking devices plug directly into the onboard computer in each vehicle, they can monitor engine diagnostics and catch minor mechanical issues before they become larger problems. You can also use the software to schedule routine maintenance tasks like oil changes and tire rotations, based on actual mileage driven rather than an arbitrary timeline. By staying ahead of maintenance tasks, you can save time and money and keep your vehicles on the road instead of in the garage bay.
Recover Stolen Vehicles Quickly
If you’ve ever had to deal with the frustration of vehicle theft, you understand just how much of a time drain it can be. There’s the initial police contact, waiting to see if the vehicle will be recovered (most won’t), and the seemingly endless paperwork involved. Not to mention the cost of replacing the vehicle, any cargo or tools that were on board, and the time lost if you don’t have another vehicle available to replace it immediately.
With a GPS fleet tracking system installed, you can see exactly where each vehicle is at any point in time. This means stolen vehicles can often be recovered quickly, with accurate data to provide to the police. You can also take advantage of geofencing features that alert you whenever a vehicle leaves the yard or other location where it should be. So, the next time a truck or van goes missing, you’ll know immediately that it’s on the move and be able to follow its route on a map in real-time, leading to a quick return and far less time lost.
Avoid Compliance Problems
Nobody wants to have to deal with compliance issues and their related fines and penalties. For fleet managers, simple compliance issues can be a huge time sink if not kept in check. Fortunately, a good fleet GPS system can help here too.
Azuga’s trackers keep your fleet in compliance with the ELD Mandate by keeping track of driver hours of service (HOS) automatically. They can also remind drivers to do their daily Driver Vehicle Inspection Report (DVIR) before and after each shift. We can even help you keep track of US and Canadian driving rules, ensuring you stay ahead of the latest laws and regulations.
If you’re not making the most of your GPS tracking devices to improve fleet efficiency, you’re missing out. It’s time to explore all that GPS can offer to your fleet. Need some help? Contact Azuga today and learn about all the ways our GPS technology can benefit your fleet.
