Top 5 Reasons Universities Should Use GPS Tracking for Fleet Services Rastrac Team | Dec 17, 2015 9:00:00 AM

At first glance, it might not seem likely to the layman that a university would need to use GPS tracking for a vehicle fleet. After all, most university students either live on campus or take their personal vehicles to school rather than use a university-owned bus.

However, many universities have security, delivery, and maintenance vehicles that are used on a daily basis. Additionally, some universities do have special needs students that rely on university-provided transport to get to the campus grounds. Especially large universities with multiple campuses might even provide transport between campuses.

So, why should a university use GPS tracking for fleet services? Here are a few of the top reasons:

#1: Improving Antitheft Measures

As much as any university staff member might want to hope otherwise, theft of university property can be a serious issue on any campus.

For example, on a University of Nevada webpage dedicated to auto theft, it was revealed that “36 auto thefts were reported on campus between 2012 and 2014.” That’s about one vehicle stolen each month on that campus alone.

University-owned vehicles are no exception to the risk of being stolen. In fact, maintenance vehicles often have valuable tools that can make them a tempting target.

Using GPS tracking for vehicles owned by the university helps to reduce the impact of theft by allowing for faster recovery of stolen vehicles. In fact, if prospective thieves know that a stolen vehicle has a GPS tracking device on it, they may reconsider making the attempt.

Adding remote ignition kill switches to the tracker can allow you to halt the vehicle in its tracks before the thieves can get too far away or cause damage to the vehicle.

#2: Productivity Improvements

When you dispatch a maintenance vehicle to Dorm 2 or Lecture Hall B, how efficiently is the maintenance crew spending their time? With GPS tracking, you can see how long a vehicle is sitting idle in place while the crew resolves the issue.

Using this information, you can measure maintenance crew efficiency, and make sure that such crews are staying on task.

For transport vehicles, you can monitor shuttle/bus routes and make sure drivers are taking the best route for ensuring efficiency. This helps to reduce gas costs per trip, and get students where they need to go a little faster as well.

#3: Improved Road Safety for Campus-Owned Vehicles

People tend to behave very differently when they know they’re being monitored. With GPS tracking, you can see driver behaviors on the road for both regular route and for special university outings.

Monitoring speed, time spent at turns, and whether or not the vehicle is stopping for railroad crossings as it should can help you make sure drivers are adhering to road safety standards. This in turn, can make for safer students when they’re riding in university-owned vehicles.

If an emergency on the road does occur, having the accurate GPS coordinates of the bus allows you to give that location to emergency responders. This makes it easier for responders to find the vehicle and render aid, which can potentially save lives.

#4: Improved Maintenance Scheduling

Every university-owned vehicle, whether it’s an electric cart, a van, or a full-sized bus, will eventually need some form of maintenance to its engine.

GPS tracking for fleet services enable university campuses to monitor how far each vehicle has been driven and how long it has been in operation. Using this information, you can optimize your vehicle maintenance scheduling to eliminate the fat while avoiding costly breakdowns from engine failure.

#5: Getting More Done with Fewer Vehicles

Budgeting is a constant concern for many universities. Being able to get more work done with fewer resources is a key part of running a center of higher learning. With the GPS data you collect from your campus’ various trucks, vans, buses, and other vehicles, you can determine if the same work could be done with fewer vehicles, and make adjustments accordingly.

This helps your university to get more done with fewer resources, increasing how far the university’s budget will stretch.

Need help getting a GPS fleet tracking solution that’s scaled to your university’s needs? Contact Rastrac today to get started!