Fleet tracking is often an arduous job because there are numerous challenges that can—and do—frequently arise. These challenges can thwart their fleet managers’ efforts to maintain a productive fleet of vehicles and drivers who successfully deliver their company’s products or services in a timely manner. From vehicles breaking down to drivers getting lost and a thousand other scenarios, effective fleet tracking is needed to ensure that your operations continue as planned.
However, keeping on top of everything that a fleet needs is extremely difficult; that’s where GPS tracking systems, combined with fleet management software, empower fleet managers to track and monitor every aspect of their fleet’s activity. Efficient fleets maximize fleet profits—it's as simple as that.
At Rastrac, we understand. That’s why we’ve compiled this foundational checklist to get your bases covered with the power of GPS tracking.
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What Is Fleet Tracking?
Fleet tracking entails managing every component of your fleet’s operations, ranging from the financial, operational, physical, and intangible. Effective fleet tracking analyzes current fleet performance to understand points of improvement and develop goals that streamline operations for more efficiency.
Fleet managers are tasked with maximizing the productivity of their fleet while simultaneously reducing costs where possible and ensuring that both drivers and vehicles are taken care of along the way. Good fleet management is a cornerstone component for companies to deliver stellar service to their customers since there are so many factors to consider.
A fleet manager’s responsibilities might include:
- Scheduling preventive maintenance for vehicles
- Staying updated with laws and regulations
- Analyzing fleet metrics
- Increasing fleet efficiency
- Monitoring driver behaviors and locations
- Reducing fuel costs
- And more!
Plus, a typical fleet manager is often pressured to do more with fewer resources, struggles to overcome a lack of driver accountability, deals with inefficient routes, and more, nearly every day on the job—that’s why fleet managers play an invaluable role in the success of fleet operations.
Your Checklist for Streamlined Fleet Tracking
Get your fleet on the path to efficient operations by considering the following foundations of streamlined fleet tracking:
Adhere to Fleet Maintenance
Preventive maintenance is considered by many to be the single most important aspect of running efficient fleets; this vital practice keeps vehicles in service longer, increases driver safety, and lowers total repair costs. GPS tracking systems can be used to automate maintenance reminders like upcoming oil changes and tune-ups, as well as integrate all the vehicle’s service records.
With GPS tracking, preventive maintenance is streamlined and simplified. This means you can enjoy:
- Elimination of paperwork
- Service record management for an unlimited number of vehicles
- Easy tracking of the entire fleet maintenance histories and schedules
- Accurate service records with the maintenance performed, the date, and who provided the service
Part of performing regular maintenance includes knowing when a fleet vehicle is simply at the end of its life. A replacement cycle may be determined by a variety of factors, including the fleet vehicle’s age, engine miles, or service and repair issues. Fleet vehicles that are kept past their replacement cycle date can result in greater long-term expenses, such as increased repairs and longer turnaround times. Unexpected vehicle downtime is extremely costly—both directly and indirectly.
Initially, there may be penalties, missed appointment fees, and towing costs, but other risk factors include loss of reputation and lower employee morale. Not only do older vehicles cost more to maintain, but they also increase the safety risk for drivers.
Overall, establishing and ensuring fleet maintenance programs are followed is a tremendous step towards making your fleet operations more efficient.
Ensure Cost-Effective Fleet Routing
Is your fleet constantly stuck in traffic? Do you notice that your fleet drivers criss-cross all over your community instead of moving in a logical pattern? Taking a look at your fleet’s route efficiency is an important step in streamlining your fleet’s operations.
GPS tracking solutions with routing optimization that selects the shortest, most economical route for fleets, whether there is one destination or many, saves valuable time for dispatchers and drivers. This means more jobs can be completed, drivers are more productive, fewer miles are being driven, and less fuel is consumed.
Often, when drivers know that their routes are being analyzed for efficiency, they adhere more closely to their assigned schedule and eliminate unnecessary trips. This means you won’t be on the paying end of personal errands late at night or in the middle of their routes, which saves your company’s bottom line and your fleet budget.
As a whole, GPS tracking systems give real-time visibility of all vehicles, which swiftly leads to more efficient fleets. With these systems, fleet managers know that drivers are on time, safe, and on task. Prior to GPS tracking, fleet managers had no way of precisely knowing a vehicle’s location or monitoring the progress of a job. This lack of driver accountability can significantly impact your fleet operations without you knowing exactly how. Now, managers can choose to be automatically alerted every time a vehicle arrives or departs from a specific location.
Boost Driver Safety & Compliance
As a fleet manager, you can’t be in the passenger seat with each one of your fleet drivers—so how can you know for sure that they’re being courteous drivers? Well, without leveraging a GPS tracking solution, you simply can’t know that they’re obeying traffic laws and practicing good defensive driving techniques.
Risky driver behavior, including speeding, following too closely, and hard braking can endanger your community and pose a threat to your reputation. Without knowing about it—and therefore addressing it with that driver—your business could be losing customers left and right due to a negative perception of your company out in the world.
However, with the power of GPS tracking, you can be alerted to unsafe driving behaviors so that you’re sure your fleet drivers are safe out on the roads. For example, geofencing can help ensure that your drivers and property aren’t taken beyond established boundaries; or, if they are, you can immediately follow up and check in on that situation to see if all is well.
Another component to GPS tracking systems is staying current with legal stipulations. Fleet managers who do not stay up to date with legal regulations may face disastrous consequences, including fines, penalties, and legal fees. GPS tracking can help fleet managers stay current with the newest regulation laws, such as:
- Compliance with Hours of Service (HOS/Driver Log) and Driver Vehicle Inspection Reports (DVIR) requirements
- Electronic logging device (ELD) compliance for records of duty status
- Additionally, reducing the number of tickets, accidents, or claims by identifying driver risk, and implementing driver procedures and training for high-risk drivers
Optimize Your Fleet Management Workload with Rastrac’s GPS Tracking Solutions Today!
Since 1993, Rastrac has been empowering fleet managers to streamline their fleet operations from start to finish. With our comprehensive GPS tracking solutions, you can:
- Pinpoint the exact location of all of your tagged vehicles and assets in real-time
- Receive notifications when preventative maintenance is necessary
- Get comprehensive reports on the condition of each vehicle in your fleet
- Monitor conditions inside a fleet vehicle, including temperature, noise, light, and pressure
- Identify wasteful idling, fuel consumption, and related costs
- Reduce vehicle and asset theft
- Monitor driver safety remotely so you can correct poor habits in real-time before they cause an accident
Ready to streamline your fleet operations? Partner with Rastrac today to see how our solutions can help you know your fleet inside and out so you can maximize your operations!
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