Fleet management technologies: benefits and solutions for your business
Technological advancements within the fleet industry make optimizing operations a seamless experience that can save companies time and money.
By applying fleet management technologies, supervisors can quickly adapt to the market's changing conditions. Any of the industry's obstacles, such as driver retention, fueling issues, and new compliance regulations, can be addressed once fleet technologies are integrated into a company's operations.
Here, we'll discuss what fleet management technologies are and how they can benefit your company.
Fleet management technology: how does It work?
Fleet management technology is a combination of vehicle technology, computer science, and telecommunication used to develop actionable plans. These plans incorporate information derived from fleet data technologies and can be used to enhance safety protocols, resource management, and driver behavior.
Equipment, such as telematics devices built into an engine, can relay data through various onboard sensors. Managers can monitor engine speed, hours of use, location data, and maintenance schedules in real time.
Fleet technology combines all of this data and provides a live feed to supervisors through a single online portal. Creating reports, analyzing data, and recording driver information becomes a streamlined process with a single point of contact.
Exciting trends in fleet management technologies
Fleet management technologies have been a part of the industry for years. However, as is the case with all technology, it advances at an exponential rate and becomes more sophisticated. The data retrieved from telematics becomes more useful every year, allowing companies to manage fleets more efficiently.
Advances in internet-connected vehicles
Internet-provided functionality is infiltrating every aspect of daily life more each day. This includes vehicle equipment.
With internet-connected vehicles, cross-fleet communication is clearer, and traffic pattern navigation is more intelligent. These advancements in fleet technology are transforming the industry in a number of ways, including improving the safety of drivers and fostering a more efficient fleet that benefits both fleet owners and the customers they serve.
Eco-friendly vehicles
An easy trend to see growing alongside fleet management technologies is eco-friendly or electric vehicle technology.
While electric vehicles have existed for decades, until recently, they were impractical. However, improvements within the field have made them a viable option. It may still be a few years before fleets can capitalize on this trend. Yet, when they do, it will mean better fuel economy, fewer repairs, and fewer taxes toward mitigating and offsetting greenhouse gases.
With the latest fleet management technologies, a company can use the data it receives to evaluate when the appropriate time comes to switch over to "greener" alternatives.
Fleet management technology advantages
The primary advantage any form of technology brings to an industry is the ability to minimize waste. Whether the waste comes in the form of redundant processes, tedious tasks, or inefficient operating models, technology optimizes aspects of a business that don't require human intervention.
The advantages of fleet management technologies are easy to see. Hours spent pouring over logs, managing fuel consumption, scheduling maintenance, and repairs, or measuring driver performance can instead be achieved instantaneously.
Fleet software solutions enable supervisors to access all necessary data from a single platform. Fleets are alleviated from the need for dozens of spreadsheets, hard copy paper documents, and managing a schedule.
eDVIR
Systems such as the electronic driver vehicle reports (eDVIR) make managing vehicle inspections a seamless affair. They alleviate the need for paper copy and can mitigate human error when recording data.
Manage maintenance records
A manager can use fleet technology to monitor, schedule, and maintain maintenance records. By switching to a digital platform, work orders, invoices, and approvals can all be addressed on the fly.
Fleet technologies can help schedule preventive maintenance using custom alerts to signify when a vehicle or asset needs to be checked. This can be done effortlessly and efficiently. The capacity to reduce preventable breakdowns renders drivers more able to accomplish their tasks.
Driver performance
One benefit of implementing fleet management technologies into operations, which many supervisors are unaware of, is how these technologies can enhance driver performance.
With onboard devices, sensors connected to an engine can send real-time information to managers concerning a driver's behavior. Whether the driver is performing many hard brakes, speeding, or engaging in risky driving, a telematics system can instantly send this information to a dedicated platform.
These systems can also be integrated into a reward scheme that can help driver retention by rewarding good driving habits.
What is the best fleet technology for you?
Using fleet management technologies to track your fleet's data helps you make sound decisions to optimize your business, granting you a better ROI.
Lytx provides a system designed specifically for the fleet industry. Lytx fleet management technology can help you improve driver safety with fleet safety solutions, improve productivity with GPS Fleet Tracking, and stay on top of changing regulations with DOT compliance services.
Contact us today to learn how Lytx technology can enhance your business’s bottom line.