Category: Blog

Make Customers Even Happier With Taxi Fleet Management

Posted on | by Devin Johnson

Taxi Fleet Management Makes Customers Even Happier

Many taxi cab companies are discovering the use of taxi fleet management not only reduces costs and improves taxi management, it makes their customers even happier. Fleet managers get a better insight into their drivers’ behavior while they are on the road allowing them to better manage their fleet. Improved routing and dispatching improves efficiency and GPS taxi cab location information solves customer disputes ultimately improving the service they provide to their customers.

When Bell City Cabs implemented GoFleet’s taxi fleet management system, they reduced fuel costs, saved on vehicle maintenance and improved customer service within the first month. The taxi management software is used to keep their customers happy and increases their repeat business.

Improved Driver Behavior

With taxi fleet management, fleet managers can improve their drivers’ behavior. Customized reports and alerts can be set up to inform managers when their drivers speed, drive aggressively, drive out of the authorized area, and idle excessively. It is important for taxi cab companies to monitor their drivers because they need to ensure their customers are having a safe ride to their destination. Customers appreciate knowing when they call your company they will feel safe during their travel.

Efficient Routing And Dispatching

Taxi dispatch system provides more efficient routing and dispatching. Taxi cab companies can provide their customers with an accurate estimated time of arrival. In addition, dispatchers can send the closest taxi to the customer. This improved routing and dispatching makes customers happy because they will not be stuck waiting for the taxi cab for a long time. Once they call your taxi cab company, they can rest easy knowing the taxi cab will be there to pick them up shortly.

Quick Customer Dispute Resolution

GPS taxi location information from taxi fleet management allows fleet managers to quickly resolve any customer disputes. If a customer calls in with a compliant that they were charged too much, the fleet manager can easily determine the length and time of the trip. Using this information, they can determine if the customer was in fact overcharged. The taxi fleet management system can also be used to resolve customer disputes regarding routing, arrival times, pick up and drop off locations. Having a reliable taxi cab history available at the fleet manager’s fingertips will make customers happy because disputes can be resolved quickly.

Taxi cab companies are finding the best way to grow their business is to utilize a taxi fleet management system to make their customers happy. Improving your driver’s behaviors, efficient routing and dispatching and quick customer dispute resolutions will keep your customers happy and increase your repeat business. Also, new customers will be attracted to your taxi cab company when they hear about the great service you provide.

For more information about how GoFleet’s taxi fleet management can make your customer’s happy, Contact Us.

GPS Fleet Management Technology Cost Savings

Posted on | by Courtney redwell

GPS Fleet Management Technology: How to Realize Cost Savings

Something all companies can relate to is that they are always looking for ways to grow their profits. A proven way to reduce fleet costs and increase profits is through more efficient use of fleet vehicles. This can be achieved in multiple ways such as: reducing fuel costs, optimizing on-road driver productivity, and monitoring and improving vehicle maintenance. To assist fleet managers in developing a positive business case for investing in GPS fleet management technology, this articles will focus on some cost reducing and expense consideration elements. Through identification of these elements and associating the savings of managing them you will be able to put together a business case for taking action based on facts!

How will I justify an investment from my company in GPS fleet management technology?

 

Start by taking a look at the investment:

Calculate the one-time upfront costs for the GPS tracking device and the monthly reoccurring fees. Also consider whether or not the device is plug-and-play (self installed) or if you will have to install a professional installer (addition cost).

Then take a look at the cost savings:

GPS fleet management technology provides benefits from the utilization of valuable data.

1. Fuel Savings

Reduce fuel consumption by:

  • Reduced speeding – the system has the ability to remind drivers immediately when over speed limits.
  • Take advantage of in-vehicle driver coaching alerts to manage idling.
  • Utilize fuel reports to get fuel consumption data for your entire fleet and driver behavior reports/trends over time.
2. Route Optimization Cost & Time Savings

Reduce labor and fuel costs by:

  • Regularly review real-time information such as optimal daily delivery routes.
  • Fleet managers can view all vehicle locations in real-time and can provide important information to drivers to make fast and accurate deliveries.
  • Dispatch drivers effectively with our route optimization tool; locate and direct drivers to dispatch the closest driver to a destination, avoid traffic, or alter routes if additional stops become needed.
  • As a fleet manager you can track driver behavior that directly translates into increased fuel costs. Also, you can compare vehicles or drivers with one another to target improvement areas.
3. Maintenance Savings

Our GPS devices help determine a vehicle’s condition, performance, and when to schedule maintenance to avoid problems and breakdowns.

  • Completing maintenance at set time intervals is great but then it is done regardless of mileage or usage; scheduled maintenance is based on actual vehicle use and performance.
  • This will help determine when your vehicles will need to be taken off the road for maintenance, reducing wasted maintenance expenses (eg. oil change) and downtime.
  • The GPS fleet management technology will help to identify less efficient vehicles or when vehicles should be placed on a shorter route.
  • Avoid engine issues before they result in vehicle down-time or costly repairs by managing your engine fault code information. These codes explain the engine issues (what it is & where to locate it) to help save on vehicle inspection costs and time.
  • When focusing on predictive engine health you’ll realize savings through pro-actively working with service technicians to pinpoint core problem areas.

Synopsis
Data offers an invaluable power. It will allow your company to set standards for your business, achieve higher levels of customer service and identify spare and/or underused equipment. The return on investment is driving the demand for GPS fleet management technology and raising the standards in fleet management. If you would like more information please feel free to give one of our fleet optimization specialists a call at 1-888-998-1122 or use our contact form and we will get back to you asap!

 

Original Article Written by: Robert Mowat, Geotab
http://www.geotab.com/blog/realizing-cost-savings-gps-fleet-management-technology/

GPS Tracking Assets: Protect What’s Important

Posted on | by Devin Johnson

Protect What’s Important by GPS Tracking Assets

You might be surprised to hear that not only do we offer GPS locating services for vehicles, we also offer the SmartOne Satellite device to track your assets as well. Real-time GPS tracking assets allows you to know where every single piece of equipment is precisely located.

Many businesses do not keep track of their valuable assets which can lead to huge financial losses. Having a list of company assets and their value is simply not enough. Fortunately, this problem can be resolved with GPS tracking assets from GoFleet. The SmartOne LP is a military grade satellite tracking device specifically designed to track trailers and containers.

If your business uses trailers or containers to transport products for your customers, you realize that often times the items in those units can be worth a lot more than the vehicle transporting them. It is imperative that you know where your assets are located at all times. Our powerful device created for GPS tracking assets was built for years of satellite-managed, maintenance-free tracking.

The SmartOne device can be synchronized with GoFleet’s GPS fleet management software for easy asset location. If the assets are not in motion, you will receive daily notifications letting you know where your asset is located. When the asset is in continuous motion, you will get a notification every six hours. If you require more or less notifications of where your assets are located we can set that up as well.

Our device for GPS tracking assets installs easily and quickly using either industrial adhesive, screw mounts or brackets. There is no need for complicated installations, external antennas or external power. The SmartOne Satellite uses a long-lasting battery pack that performs well even under the most extreme weather conditions. If the battery gets low, you will be notified well in advance so you will always be tracking your assets.

For more information about our SmartOne device and other device options for GPS tracking assets, Contact Us today.

Fleet Monitoring Systems Watch Your Fleet For You

Fleet Monitoring Systems Watch Your Fleet For You

Posted on | by Devin Johnson

Watch Your Fleet With GoFleet’s Fleet Monitoring Systems

GoFleet’s fleet monitoring systems can provide your business with many features and benefits that watch your fleet for you so you do not have to. There is no reason you have to spend your days obsessed with watching over your fleet when you have a fleet monitoring system. Your time can be spent taking care of more important aspects of your business. You can easily set up automatic alerts and customized reports to let you know if something is happening with your fleet.

Maintenance Monitoring

With GoFleet’s fleet monitoring systems, you no longer have to spend countless hours making sure each vehicle has received its preventative maintenance. You can easily set up triggers to create work orders for each of your vehicles maintenance activities such as oil changes, tune-ups, brake work, etc. based on engine hours, time and mileage.

Live Vehicle Tracking

With GoFleet’s fleet monitoring systems, you will always know exactly where your vehicles are and where they have been. You can set up instant alerts to notify you if a driver goes out of an authorized zone, speeds, drives aggressively, stops harshly, uses the vehicle after work hours or idles excessively. This will ensure your drivers are doing what they are supposed to be doing and are driving safely. Improving driver safety reduces unnecessary costs and liability associated with an accident.

You can also use live vehicle tracking to prevent theft. In the case of a theft, the GPS data can be used to recover the vehicle quickly. This will reduce the vehicle and drivers downtime in the event of a theft. It will also help you reduce the chance you will have to replace expensive stolen assets.

GoFleet’s fleet monitoring systems work like a monitoring system during working hours and a security system when you are closed. It is always keeping tabs on your fleet even when you can’t.

Truck TPMS Made Simple with Drop & Hook

Truck TPMS Made Simple with Drop & Hook

Posted on | by Devin Johnson

Drop & Hook Makes Truck TPMS Simple

Finding the right truck TPMS can be a challenge when different trailers are constantly hooked up on the truck. It often creates extra work for the driver and the fleet to ensure all tires on the trailer are being properly monitored. With GoFleet’s true automatic drop & hook, the trailer sensors and the tractor are paired automatically and wirelessly through the transceiver.

Our true, automatic drop and hook system was designed for the trucking industry specifically to overcome the tire monitoring challenge. The driver does not have to do anything except the normal trailer changing procedure. The tractor recognizes the new trailer automatically as soon as the trailer is attached.

Your tractors can be paired with any trailer in your fleet and the truck TPMS will recognize it automatically. The tire pressure monitoring system sensors will send immediate alerts to the fleet manager if the tire pressure is high or low, there is a fast or slow leak and if the temperatures are high. The alerts can be sent via SMS text message, email or posted on the dashboard. This allows for proactive truck TPMS management.

The drop and hook saves your company time and money. Since your tires will be automatically monitored with the truck TPMS, your drivers will not have to manually inspect their vehicle’s tire pressure. You will also not have to rely on the driver to report any issues with their tire pressure or temperature. Receiving instant alerts will notify you of potentially dangerous and costly tire issues before they become a problem.

The best part about GoFleet’s truck TPMS add-on is that it is fully integrated with our GPS fleet management software. The fleet manager is able to proactively monitor tire pressure and temperatures in the same place they manage their fleet operations.

For more information about our true drop and hook truck TPMS add-on, Contact Us.

GPS Fleet Management Solutions Make Life Easier

Posted on | by Devin Johnson

Make Life Easier With GPS Fleet Management Solutions

A fleet manager’s job is usually stressful and complex. When the fleet is large, holds valuable cargo or is a critical component of the company’s operations, the task of managing the fleet is even more stressful. Regardless of the size of the fleet, GoFleet’s GPS fleet management solutions can make a fleet managers life easier through vehicle tracking, route planning, improved dispatching, Garmin integration, etc.

Vehicle Tracking

When people think about GPS fleet management solutions, they usually think about vehicle tracking. Fleet managers will be able to instantly see where each and every company vehicle is located from the convenience of their computer or mobile device with an internet connection. Not only are fleet managers able to see where each vehicle is, they can see were each vehicle has been, and the speed they are going.

Vehicle tracking also allows the fleet managers to see how their employees drive on the road. For example, they can see if their employees are driving aggressively, idling excessively, driving out of the authorized zone, deviating from the given route or making long stops. Instant alerts can be set up to notify the fleet manager or customized reports can be run at the manager’s convenience. These features help fleet managers improve productivity, save money and even improve customer service.

Improved Route Planning and Dispatching

With GoFleet’s fleet management solutions, automatic and efficient routes are created based on your drivers’ destinations. The routes are planned in a manner that reduces the amount of time the driver spends on the road and the total miles traveled. Drivers will be able to visit more customers in the same amount of working hours. In addition, efficient routing reduces the amount of overtime required by your drivers and the amount of fuel used.

Dispatchers will be able to see where each vehicle is when a customer calls for service. They will be able to send the closest driver to an urgent service call. Customers will no longer have to be given long service windows. Your dispatchers will be able to provide accurate estimated times of arrivals that your customers will really appreciate.

Garmin Integration

If your drivers are already using Garmin GPS devices for navigation, you can integrate them with your GoFleet GPS fleet management to improve your company’s efficiencies even further. It allows your drivers to get more done in less time and respond better to service calls. Garmin integration streamlines dispatching and communications, increases driver productivity, and boosts efficiency. Fleet managers love that it is simple to use, affordable and helps make their life easier.

For more information about how GoFleet solutions can make your life easier, Contact Us today.

Fleet Maintenance Software: 4 Important Benefits

Posted on | by Devin Johnson

4 Important Benefits Of Fleet Maintenance Software

Businesses with fleet operations can benefit greatly from utilizing fleet maintenance software. That is why GoFleet offers Maintenance Assistant CMMS as an add-on to their quality GPS fleet management solution.

1. Manage Your Vehicles

In addition to being able to manage and track all of your vehicles with GoFleet’s GPS fleet management system, you will be able to keep up with the critical preventative maintenance of your vehicles. The fleet maintenance software automatically tracks insurance and licenses information, warranty information, past work orders, vehicle usage and manufacturer reports. Automatically tracking this information will save you time as well as money.

2. Work Orders

With the Maintenance Assistant add-on, you can instantly create work orders for vehicle service and repairs. You can set up multiple triggers for any vehicle maintenance activity based on vehicle mileage, engine hours or time. Once the trigger is hit, the software will automatically create the work order on the maintenance task. You will never forget a preventative maintenance activity on one of your vehicles ever again.

3. Tire Management

When you are maintaining a healthy fleet, properly maintaining your vehicles’ tires and using a TPMS is a critical aspect. Our unique software add-ons will allow you to track PSI, tire history, tread depth, tire size, cost per mile, purchasing information, warranties and leasing information. In addition, it provides vital information including predictive failure analysis so you can take care of issues before they occur. This saves time, money and improves driver safety.

4. Improve Performance

Using fleet maintenance software will help your business adhere to the best maintenance practices for your fleet. This will help you improve your company’s performance because it will mean your drivers and vehicles will spend more time on the road and less time in the shop. It also improves driver and vehicle safety. When your vehicles are properly maintained, they will be less likely to break down or need service when your drivers are behind the wheel.

For more information on our GPS fleet tracking and management systems, and our Maintenance Assistant add-on, contact a fleet optimization specialist today.

Should Fleet Managers Repair Or Replace Damaged Vehicles

Posted on | by Devin Johnson

Damaged Vehicles: Should Fleet Managers Repair Or Replace?

When a fleet vehicle gets in an accident, the fleet manager must decide if the vehicle should be repaired or replaced. Unfortunately, this can often occur several times during the year. Although getting a call from the driver saying he was in an accident is a dreaded call for all fleet managers, they must be ready to get the situation taken care of quickly. If the fleet manager knows the value of the asset and collects the right data, the decision can be simple.

Of course, the first thing the fleet manager needs to do is make sure that nobody has been injured. Next the manager must begin gathering information about the parties involved, physical damage to the vehicle and what has to be done to get their driver back on the road. Once that information is obtained, the fleet manager must make the critical decision of whether the vehicle should be repaired or replaced.

Know The Basics

Fleet managers must know the market value of their mobile assets. Once the vehicle is in an accident, the damage will reduce its market value. If the vehicle is leased by the company, the unamortized principle balance is the remaining company investment in the vehicle. If the vehicle is owned by the company, the balance is the undepreciated value on the balance sheet.

Fleet managers must ask themselves, “If we repair the vehicle, will the investment value be greater, less than or equal to the value of the vehicle if it was not involved in the crash?”

Gather Critical Information

The next step for the fleet manager is to gather all information that is necessary to make the decision including:

– Repair estimates

– Book value

– Salvage value

– Used vehicle value

Calculate Your Options

The basic financial consequences must be determined for both options. Remember, if you choose to repair the vehicle, the investment in the vehicle will be increased by the amount of the repairs. If you replace the vehicle, you company would have to declare a total loss of the damaged vehicle.

It is important to move quickly and make the decision as soon as you have all of the data. Your goal is to keep your fleet moving. The decision should be treated more as an investment decision than a “car decision”.

New Fleet Management Technology Options

Posted on | by Devin Johnson

Technology Options For Fleet Management

Fleets today are constantly under pressure to be as efficient as possible when they are delivering services or products to the customer. While this can be difficult, there are many new technological options that can be used to keep a fleet productive and efficient.

Web-Based Analytics

Fleet managers can monitor where the vehicle is driven and how it is being driven using web-based analytics. The data derived from the web-based analytics can be used to monitor safety as well as efficiency. Fleet managers can provide feedback to the driver using customized reports or automatic alerts to monitor the drivers’ behaviors such as speeding, excessive idling, deviating from the authorized route, aggressive driving, and long stops. Additionally, a beeping alert can be set up in the vehicle to warn the driver that they are driving unsafely or inefficiently. This helps identify at-risk behavior and helps to coach the drivers.

Fleet managers get instant insight on how drivers are behaving when they are on the road. Each driver can be scored so the managers will know immediately which drivers performing well and which drivers need more training.

Preventive Maintenance Monitoring

When you have a large fleet of vehicles, it can be complex and difficult to perform the proper preventive maintenance on each vehicle. With preventive maintenance monitoring, fleet managers can set up reminders for each vehicle for all maintenance activities based on engine hours, time and mileage. The maintenance activities can be customized based on the companies individual needs for their vehicles.

One of the most recent innovations is a vehicle diagnostic tool. The goal for this tool is to predict engine failure or major maintenance before it occurs. This way the vehicle can be serviced before the vehicle is down for an extended period of time. This not only can save time and money, it can improve the safety of the vehicle because the maintenance issue will not occur when your driver is behind the wheel.

Vehicle Fleet Management Software: Forestry Industry

Posted on | by Devin Johnson

Using Vehicle Fleet Management Software Benefits Companies In The Forestry Industry

The forestry industry produces over $200 billion in sales each year in the United States alone. Companies in this industry have many trucks and heavy equipment to produce forest products. These companies can benefit greatly from GoFleet’s vehicle fleet management software.

Reduced Operating Expenses

Companies in the forestry industry can reduce many unnecessary overhead costs by eliminating unnecessary overtime, unauthorized vehicle usage, excessive fuel consumption and discrepancies with billing.

Maximize Labor Costs

With GoFleet’s vehicle fleet management software, you can increase efficiency and employee productivity with improved routing, reduced downtime, prevented dispatch inaccuracy and reduced tardiness.

Efficient Routing

Automated efficient route planning provides predictable schedules allowing you to reduce costs, reduce fuel consumption, increase driver productivity and stay competitive.

User Friendly Dashboard

GoFleet’s vehicle fleet management software has a user friendly dashboard that is extremely easy to use. The data can be accessed from any computer or mobile device with an internet connection. Customized reports and alerts can be set up based on your individual business needs.

Improve Driver Safety

Vehicle fleet management software allows you to closely monitor your drivers’ behaviors even when they are away from the office. You can set up customized alerts to be notified if your drivers are speeding, driving aggressively, breaking hard, accelerating fast or idling excessively. This gives you the opportunity to contact the driver immediately to correct the behavior.

Asset Location

When you use GoFleet’s vehicle fleet management software, you will always know where all of your assets are. You will not have to waste valuable time calling your drivers to find out their location or waiting for them to check in.

Maximize Vehicle Usage

Eliminate authorized use of vehicles and excessive idling to get the most from your fleet. Making sure your vehicles are only used on the job will increase their useful life.

For more information about how GoFleet can help your business’ fleet operations, Contact Us.