Weather changes impact the efficiency of your fleet operations, especially when you are delivering temperature-sensitive cargo. As a fleet manager, you are responsible for ensuring your perishable products are delivered to their destination on time while traveling under the correct temperature conditions. Spoiled or damaged goods can cost a business thousands (or tens of thousands) of dollars in lost product.
With remote GPS tracking, you gain full visibility into the activities of your drivers and the operating conditions of your refrigerated truck fleets. Most modern GPS devices track a variety of environmental conditions, including:
- Temperature
- Pressure
- Refrigeration levels
- Noise
- Ambient light
Let’s take a look at how GPS tracking helps maintain the efficiency of your refrigerated truck fleet from improved temperature monitoring.
More Accurate Temperature Reporting
With Rastrac’s fleet management software, you receive automated reports on the temperature conditions of your fleet vehicles in real time to help you manage the refrigeration levels of your reefer trucks. Manual temperature reporting leaves significant room for clerical errors, whether accidental or intentional to disguise a mistake and avoid blame.
The temperature monitoring capabilities of GPS tracking provides you with an impartial and accurate record that shows your temperature-sensitive assets remained at the appropriate temperature for the duration of their trip. It also offers extra assurance to your customers that their products are being properly managed, which can increase customer satisfaction and lead to repeat business.
Remote Temperature Monitoring in Real-Time
Typically, the temperature gauge on a refrigerated truck can only be viewed from the cargo section. This forces a driver to continually stop to manually check the truck’s temperature levels. Without remote tracking and vehicle monitoring, if there are errors or the refrigeration unit malfunctions, the driver will be unaware of the problem until he makes another stop — increasing the risk of the shipment being compromised.
In your GPS tracking software dashboard, you can set custom alerts to notify you either by email or text message if a refrigeration unit falls out of its preset temperature range. You can then contact the driver to immediately address the issue before it impacts the temperature-sensitive assets.
GPS tracking can help monitor temperature and other general reefer truck diagnostics such as:
- Humidity levels
- Defrost cycles
- Openings and closings of cargo doors
- Vehicle location
- Power fluctuations and disconnections
Optimize Operations and Labor
Using a fleet tracking device for temperature tracking eliminates the need for drivers to make unnecessary stops to check the cargo’s temperature gauge. This reduces downtime, allows more miles to be covered in a day, and ensures the shipments arrive on time and in good condition.
Another benefit of GPS tracking is the ability to monitor the location and conditions of your fleet vehicles in real time. With a fleet management system, you can:
- Improve Route Optimization: Receive up-to-date traffic reports and plan the most efficient routes based on traffic conditions and weather patterns.
- Monitor Driver Behaviors: Reduce hard braking, rapid acceleration, and other unsafe driving habits to increase the safety and productivity of your operations.
- Reduce Fuel Consumption: Avoiding excessive engine idling, poor driving habits, and improper maintenance scheduling keeps fleet vehicles operating correctly for better fuel efficiency.
- Schedule Maintenance Checks: Set alerts for when fleet vehicles need preventative maintenance and minimize breakdowns by preventing small fixes from becoming a larger, more expensive problem.
Track Temperature-Sensitive Assets of Any Size
Rastrac makes it possible for GPS tracking to track any temperature-sensitive assets, regardless of size. RastracGo is a portable fleet tracking device that can be placed in containers or packages traveling anywhere — even overseas. The device integrates with your existing fleet management software and has built-in accelerometers, as well as temperature and pressure sensors that provide asset data on light, noise, humidity, and temperature.
By remotely tracking the temperatures of your refrigerated fleet trucks, you can better monitor the conditions of your temperature-sensitive shipments so they arrive in a safe condition. GPS fleet tracking increases the productivity and efficiency of your operations by protecting your investment and lowering fleet costs.
Learn more about the benefits of GPS tracking and temperature monitoring capabilities by checking out our resources on fleet management solutions, or contact us with any questions about how to improve your temperature tracking system.
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