Category: Fleet Management

Measure Fleet Standards with Exception Reporting

Posted on | by Vishal Singh

Generate reports based on Exception Rules

Understanding where and when an issue arises with your vehicle can be made simple by creating rules within your solution. Fleet managers are capable of setting specific fleet standards (rules) within the database, these standards can then act as a benchmark to effectively manage and improve on road driver behaviours. Therefore, when a vehicle event occurs around the rule set, an exception is recorded which can then optionally notify one or more people, alert the responsible driver in their vehicle, or easily log the event in your account.

Our solution offers a robust suite of built in exception rules separated into easy to understand categories. In addition to these, you can create an unlimited number of custom rules which combine different various conditions to suit your needs.

The types of built in exceptions offered are available in three categories:

Safety:
Enables fleet wide safety, driver safety, and changes to driver behavior which increases accident risk such as harsh braking, seat belt use, speed violations, accident detection and more.

Productivity:
Driver measurements related to time spent performing specific actions such as excessive idling, late arrivals, early departures and more.

Fleet:
Responsive vehicle monitoring Engine issues, battery drain, tracking device tamper detection and more.

Generating Exception Reports

Exception rules can also be accessed within the database by running reports at any time to review the history of exceptions and to understand the trending behaviors of your drivers. In other words a report based solely on speeding can be generated if requested by management within a specific time period. This report will contain information of the incident, the time period and the date of the incident.

The importance of generating such reports are limitless. It can act a benchmark for decision making, help understand how your drivers are performing through data analysis and implement strategies using numbers gained from the report. As drivers often do not see the expenditure side of running a business causing them to make hasty decisions while on the road. Therefore, the whole idea of setting rules within the solution identify who those drivers are and what what hasty decisions are being made.

Exception Reporting

Along with the default reports already available, advanced reports containing more information can be downloaded. Downloading an Excel file allows for the most flexibility in analyzing the data, while PDF files are most portable. These reports also contain more information as displayed and can help fleet managers review data/driver behaviours based on such rules.

For more information on the important features of GPS fleet tracking, and how it could help your business save thousands of dollars, contact one of our highly trained fleet consultants today!

 

1-888-998-1122 | [email protected]

 

Fleet Management Tips

Posted on | by Devin Johnson

Effective Fleet Management Tips

When you are managing a fleet of vehicles there are many factors to consider. Your fleet’s overall success is affected by everything from your drivers’ skill level to your inventory status. The larger the fleet, the more complicated it can be to manage the logistics. It is possible for important things to slip through the cracks, costing your business money, valuable time and causing unnecessary frustration. There are several fleet management tips that can help improve your fleet’s performance.

The following fleet management tips can help you manage your fleet effectively:

Develop A Fleet Management Policy

Establish a policy for fleet management including how company vehicles will be provided, required preventive maintenance and replacement life. In addition, create a policy for drivers including hours of use, driver safety, what you expect from drivers, required level of customer service, etc.

Establish Processes

Develop proper processes to support your policies that will deliver the outcomes that you require. This includes the method your vehicles will obtain fuel, arrangements for your drivers to access the maintenance and servicing facilities, and reporting processes for each driver.

Measure Your Drivers’ Performance

One of the most important fleet management tips is to identify areas that need to be accurately monitored and measured. These could include mileage, speeding, idling times, aggressive behavior or other fuel-wasting or unsafe driving behaviors. Constantly measuring and sharing drivers’ performance will play a huge role in increasing productivity, improving driver safety and reducing unnecessary costs.

Communication

When you are managing a fleet of vehicles, it is extremely important to communicate with the drivers and managers. It is critical that each member of your team is fully briefed about the part they play in the fleet. Your drivers need to have a clear understanding of what they are supposed to do each day.

As a fleet manager, you also need to perfect your ability to lead and motivate your team. As you are expected to do more with less resources, it is important that you are able to keep your drivers motivated in order to increase productivity.

Every fleet is different; however, the core goals are usually the same. Most fleet managers are trying to increase productivity, reduce costs, improve safety and improve efficiency. When you are determining which fleet management tips will work best for your fleet, make sure you consider what will deliver the most value to your company and help you achieve your desired outcomes.

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 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.

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.

Network Fleet Solution: The Ultimate Tool For Management

Posted on | by Devin Johnson

The Ultimate Tool For Management: GoFleet’s Network Fleet Solution

When you use GoFleet’s network fleet solution, you open up the possibility of many tangible financial benefits. Any businesses that rely on their fleet to provide services and products to their customers should install GoFleet’s network fleet solution. Real-time GPS fleet tracking allows you to gain complete control of your fleet, reduce costs significantly and improve driver productivity.

Reduce Fuel Costs

GoFleet’s network fleet solution works to reduce your fuel costs. It provides dispatchers with location-based information that they can use to properly route your vehicles to job sites or locations. You will also be able to
send the closest vehicle to a job site. Drivers will not be driving all over town with efficient truck routing.

A huge factor in fuel usage is speeding. When your drivers maintain proper speeds, you can reduce the fuel usage significantly. GoFleet’s network fleet solution provides automatic alerts and speed information when a driver exceeds the speed threshold.

Another factor in fuel usage is excessive idling. Often times, drivers use excessive idling in their vehicle as a form of climate control. This causes you to lose money directly from your bottom line. Using GoFleet’s network fleet solution, you can reduce idling times. You will be automatically alerted to the issue so that it can be immediately corrected.

Excellent Customer Service

GoFleet’s network fleet solution allows you to provide better customer service. You will know exactly where your drivers are at all times. Your fleet managers can provide better dispatching and routing to your customers’ locations. Your drivers will not be able to make “off-route” stops causing a delay for your customers.

In addition, GoFleet’s network fleet solution will allow you to provide an accurate estimated time of arrival to your customers. They will greatly appreciate knowing exactly when your driver will arrive at their location. You will find that it is much easier to provide excellent customer service with a tracking system installed in your fleet.

For more information about how GoFleet’s network fleet solution can help your company, Contact Us.

Business Tracking Software Is Essential For Medium & Large Fleets

Posted on | by Devin Johnson

Medium & Large Fleets Find Business Tracking Software A Necessity

Businesses with large and intermediate size fleet operations are finding business tracking software an essential component of fleet management. With many vehicles and drivers, it is virtually impossible to keep up, provide routing and dispatching without it. Many fleet management companies are tailoring their software for these businesses to give fleet managers the relevant information they need to run a smooth fleet operation.

Large Fleets

Large fleets contain many moving parts that are usually spread over a wide geographical area. All vehicles must be accounted for and properly monitored at all times. Business tracking software can be customized for the business by department, geographical area or vehicle type to mimic the business’ internal structure.

When you have a large fleet, it is extremely important to find a business tracking software and fleet management solution with the capability of supporting a large amount of data and be able to interpret that data into information that you can use. The software solution needs to be able to help your fleet manager easily manage the entire fleet and all of your drivers. The software you select must be able to compile unlimited historical data within a reasonable amount of time.

Intermediate Size Fleets

Medium size fleets might not have thousands of vehicles but they still need to have GPS business tracking software to handle a large amount of vehicles easily. Customized tracking software can be integrated with their back office software to improve dispatching capabilities, productivity and vehicle maintenance management and much more.

Customized dashboards, alerts and reports can be created for different departments and people throughout your business. Business tracking software can help you stay in control of your medium sized fleet and prevent you from overlooking important issues. Automatic vehicle maintenance reminders can help fleet managers ensure all vehicles receive service in addition to extending the fleet’s lifespan.

Fleet Management Challenges

Posted on | by Courtney redwell

Fleet Management Made Easier

Today, fleet managers are under pressure to minimize fleet costs but are missing the information necessary to make informed decisions. It is important fleet managers have access to the tools they need to better manage their vehicles and drivers on a daily basis; fleet management technology provides these necessary tools. This information, paired with the appropriate follow-up by management, can help achieve significant cost savings. The key challenges fleet managers can face daily include:

Unnecessary Vehicle Idling
Fleet Manager’s may recognize unnecessary and excessive idling can be a significant contribution to operating costs, not all fleet managers know the extent of their fleet idling or what areas they should focus on. GoFleet’s Geotab fleet management solution enables fleet managers to:

  • Visualize total fleet idling as a whole
  • Measure idling in the yard, at drop off locations, at customer stops etc.
  • Understand idling as a percentage of total engine time
  • Monitor weekly and monthly idling trends with easy to use custom reports

Fleet Managers equipped with this knowledge can more easily identify the drivers, vehicles, and locations that exceed acceptable levels of idling and take corrective action. Reducing unnecessary idling is a simple way to reduce fuel costs.

Repairs and Maintenance
Vehicle downtime and fleet repairs are an expensive cost that fleet managers deal with daily. Managing these costs can be a major challenge. Using GoFleet’s Geotab fleet management solution fleet managers can:

  • View vehicle diagnostic codes right from a mobile or desktop device
  • Quickly identify potential vehicle issues which assists in prioritizing repairs
  • Set up regular maintenance reminders

When fleet managers act on this information, they can identify vehicle issues before they become major repairs and more efficiently manage vehicle maintenance. This can help reduce vehicle downtime and major repair costs which is an essential part to all operations. Additionally, regular maintenance on vehicles can likely prolong the life of major vehicle parts as well as increase the longevity vehicles.

Fleet Productivity
Are you getting the most out of your vehicles? Fleet managers constantly aim to achieve maximizing one’s fleet potential. GoFleet’s Geotab solution can provide important insight into the productivity of a fleet:

  • Fleet utilization visibility
  • Number of customer stops made in a day
  • Time spent at the office versus customer site
  • Real time dispatch and ability to identify nearest vehicle to a location
  • Driver’s congregating reporting
  • Routing

Gaining insight into the routes taken each day and knowing the utilization of vehicles can help fleet managers recognize where changes are needed to improve fleet efficiency and avoid unnecessary distance driven. Having access to this valuable information helps management make informed decisions on purchasing new vehicles. For example, vehicles identified as not in use can be re-assigned to locations that require extra vehicles, helping to eliminate the need to make big purchases that are unnecessary.

Contact GoFleet to learn more about this topic, or schedule an online demo to see the solution work in action.

 

Original Article Written by: Laurelle Flewelling, Account Manager at Geotab
http://www.geotab.com/blog/fleet-management-challenging-world/

Guidelines For Implementing A Fleet Management Program

Posted on | by Devin Johnson

Fleet Management Program Implementation Guidelines

When you are ready to implement an effective fleet management program, it is important that you understand there is no one-size-fits-all solution that will work for every company. Understanding some basic guidelines will help you avoid wasting money and help you make a smooth transition to the new fleet management program.

Know What Your Needs Are

Before you look into GPS fleet tracking systems, you need to know what your needs are. You must also determine your budget and what you would like to accomplish with a fleet management program. Do you want to manage your drivers’ behavior, improve vehicle maintenance, improve routing, etc. In addition, you need to know if you are going to need the system to integrate with other back-office software programs that you are already using.

Communication

The best way to ensure your fleet management program’s success is to communicate with your entire staff about the fleet management program before it is implemented. This does not mean just sending a memorandum to all staff. Have an open discussion about the purpose and goals of the program. Open communication generates a company-wide buy-in that is essential for the program to succeed in the long-term.

Don’t Make Changes Too Quickly

Once you implement your new fleet management program, do not make too many changes too quickly. It is imperative that you collect your fleet data at a pace that is manageable and that your react to the new information in incremental steps, not widespread change. Some companies actually find that not changing anything for the first two months allows the fleet manager time to establish a baseline. After the baseline is established, the fleet manager can address issues with the facility design and the drivers’ behaviors one at a time.

Make Decisions With Data Not Emotions

If the GPS fleet tracking system reveals that a driver is underperforming, it is important you make decisions about your findings with the data not with your emotions. Do not be quick to fire an employee based on the fleet management program data, the underperformance may have a measurable solution. In addition, using the data instead of emotions can help mitigate the feeling of apprehension that many fleet managers feel.

Fleet Tracking Device: Reduce Labor Costs

Posted on | by Devin Johnson

Reduce Labor Costs With GoFleet’s Fleet Tracking Device

When you run a business, you need to focus on your core business activities. You do not have time to waste validating your employees’ time sheets or figuring out messy payroll issues. When you use GoFleet’s fleet tracking device, you can eliminate employees’ fraudulent work time claims, reduce pricey overtime and cut the amount of time you are doing payroll paperwork.

GoFleet’s fleet tracking device provides managers with custom reports for all aspects of fleet management including the hours worked by each driver. You will now have instant access to the actual vehicle operation hours, the actual times your driver started and finished work, average weekly and daily hours, and exact hours and days worked.

Many of GoFleet’s customers’ report that they instantly start saving on overtime costs as soon as they implement a GoFleet fleet tracking device system in their fleet. The GoFleet hours worked report can be used as an electronic time sheet that you can feel confident is accurate.

Benefits of GoFleet’s Fleet Tracking Device

Eliminate fraudulent time claims with actual start and finish times: You will no longer have to rely on your driver to let you know when they started and finished work. A GoFleet fleet tracking device acts like an automatic time sheet with the true start and finish times.

Reduce Overtime: Since your drivers will be working more efficiently and productively, they will not have to work overtime to get the job done.

Monitor vehicle use for personal use: It is not uncommon for drivers to run personal errands between jobs. This not only increases your labor costs, it also increases your fuel costs.

Eliminate drivers stopping for prolonged times: When drivers are not being monitored, they are more likely to stop between jobs for prolonged breaks. Without a fleet tracking device, they can claim they were at the job site longer than they actually were or claim they were stuck in traffic.