Recreational vehicles, commonly known as RVs, are in increasingly high demand with a record number of 11.2 million households owning one in 2021. In the same survey, 25% of respondents say they planned to take some kind of RV action in the next 12 months; 13% specified that they planned to rent an RV.
This is great news for your RV rental company! However, with extra demand comes the need for enhanced security measures and streamlined operations.
GPS tracking is an effective and efficient way to manage your fleet of RVs, with advantages including increased security, better maintenance scheduling, and customer satisfaction. Keep reading to learn more!
Quick Links:
- Why Fleet Management Is Important for RV Rental Companies
- 2 Common RV Security Issues
- 3 Tips for Increasing RV Security for Your Rental Company
- Top Benefits of Fleet Management Software for RV Companies
Why Fleet Management Is Important for RV Rental Companies
Fleet management is essential for RV rental companies to boost operational and financial performance. By utilizing GPS tracking software to manage your individual RVs and your fleet as a whole, you can make informed budgeting decisions and monitor patterns about usage.
This also empowers you to automate maintenance scheduling, which results in your RVs getting properly serviced and thus extends the life of your vehicles.
Not to mention the added security benefits to provide you with peace of mind while your RVs are out in the world! With fleet management software and GPS tracking systems in place, you’ll always know where your assets are located.
In the event of RV theft or an emergency with one of your renters, you’ll be able to track the exact location of the RV to communicate to authorities or emergency responders.
2 Common RV Security Issues
When it comes to RV rental companies, there are certain security issues that you and your team have to navigate on a daily basis. Some common security issues include:
Preventing Theft
You can’t afford to have units go missing in the middle of the night. That’s why it’s important to follow security initiatives that will prevent RV theft, like fifth wheel locks and emphasize security to your customers so they are reminded that vehicle theft can happen to anyone, anywhere.
In fact, 20% of all fleets experience three or more stolen vehicle incidents per year!
Unexpected Breakdowns
An RV rental company is wholly reliant on its RV rentals functioning properly for its success, which is why unexpected breakdowns are a huge stressor!
The last thing you want to hear from a customer is that they’re stranded on the side of a road because the RV is overdue on its oil change, or for some other reason that could have been avoided with proper preventative maintenance.
3 Tips for Increasing RV Security for Your Rental Company
These three tips are foundational for managing your RV fleet’s security. Be sure to:
Install A Fifth Wheel Lock On Every Unit
When not in use, hitch locks are a solid first step toward fortified RV security. The device encapsulates the hitch, beneath the trailer, and ensures the fifth wheel can’t be locked onto a thief’s car. Criminals will see that your unit’s hitch is unavailable and they’ll move on to an easier target—saving you time, money, and headache.
Park RVs in Secured, Well-Lit Areas
Thieves are trying to get in and get out as quickly and stealthily as possible; make it their worst nightmare to try and steal your unit by storing your RVs in a secured, well-lit area.
Try to utilize a parking lot with a fence around it that requires approval to enter, either via key card or passcode. This locked gateway coupled with bright lights that light up with any movement will make it nearly impossible for a thief to steal an RV.
Utilize A Security System
Just as you might have a security system in place for your house, consider purchasing a security system of cameras and alerts at your RV rental lot. Be sure to advertise that your units are surveilled and protected by a system so that thieves know to avoid messing with your property.
Top Benefits of Fleet Management Software for RV Companies
There are multiple benefits of implementing fleet management software at your RV rental company, including better safety precautions for your customers and ensuring you get as much use out of your RV units as possible!
Comprehensive Tracking
GPS tracking utilizes satellites to ping the exact location of your RV anywhere in the world. This ensures the security of your unit since thieves won’t risk messing with a target that can be traced back to them.
In the event your asset does get stolen, it can be easily and swiftly tracked and returned—no matter where thieves think they’ve hidden it! Tracking also ensures customer safety; in the event of an emergency, you can quickly find their location and communicate it to authorities if needed.
Remote GPS tracking has a few different modes of operation to really customize your fleet management strategy, including:
- Live tracking: This provides real-time insight into location, movement, mileage, and even travel speeds
- Passive tracking: This mode enables fleet managers to follow-up on the RV without needing the live data; passive tracking can provide either hourly or daily updates
- Satellite tracking: This type of tracking is crucial for theft prevention and gives constant updates regarding the location data of all assets
A GPS tracking solution in conjunction with fleet management software addresses several important components of your RV rental company all in one!
Boosted Fuel Savings
Did you know that you could reduce fuel consumption by 25% at your RV rental company with GPS tracking? It’s true! GPS tracking empowers you to see into your RV units’ metrics like never before with insight into:
- Idle time and idling averages per vehicle
- Comprehensive reports tracking fuel consumption in terms of gallons or dollars
- Optimize routes with map access to destinations
This last point is essentially helpful to your customers since you’ll be providing them with the best way to get to where they’re going. Offering route optimization demonstrates consideration of their time and money, since they won’t risk going the long way around and won’t have to stop to fuel up unnecessarily.
Automated Maintenance Scheduling
RVs aren’t exactly cheap to purchase and managing multiple units when it comes to maintenance schedules can be incredibly expensive, too!
That’s why it’s crucial to keep each individual unit up on servicings—and fleet management software can make this simple and easy. With automated reminders to oil changes and other important services, plus keep a comprehensive history of service records, fleet management software takes this headache off of your daily operations.
Geofencing Capabilities
Geofencing is the ability to create and enforce artificial boundaries around a designated area in fleet management software; when a unit enters or leaves the established boundary, an alert is generated for the fleet manager.
For RV rental companies, this is useful to help customers know when they’ve entered into private or forbidden property, and can help them avoid routes that are too dangerous to drive an RV.
Want to boost your RV rental company’s security, in addition to gaining operational efficiency and promoting customer safety? Use a GPS tracking system in conjunction with fleet management software to streamline your operations and protect your assets!
Since 1993, Rastrac has been a global leader in using telematics to improve and optimize fleet operations across industries. Contact us today!
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