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9 Secrets to Reducing your Fleet Expenses
As a fleet owner, your day-to-day costs can quickly add up. What you don’t know is there are further hidden, expensive...
Read moreThe business benefits of fleet tracking technology are very well documented. If you’ve spent any time researching solutions, you’ll know how they can help drive efficiency, reduce costs, promote safety and increase profitability.
And the positives of this technology stretch throughout organisations. Everyone from directors to drivers, accounts to sales, and beyond, has something to gain from a fleet management solution.
However, it’s fair to say that with so much focus on the bottom line, these benefits receive much less attention. It’s for this reason that business owners and fleet managers often face internal pushback when deploying a new system, particularly from drivers.
If this sounds familiar, we’ve compiled some of the biggest benefits of fleet management technology. So, you can make your case with all the relevant information at your fingertips.
Supporting drivers every day
Many drivers view GPS solutions as a tracking tool. A way for managers to snoop and keep tabs on their employees. While having an eye on a vehicle is a crucial part of effective fleet management, it is only one aspect. What’s more, management access to live location data can benefit drivers in many ways, including:
Reducing delays
Traffic jams, new jobs, incomplete job notes – there is much potential for delays in the day of the average driver. And a fleet management system can help to mitigate them all.
A comprehensive solution can automatically reroute drivers by combining live traffic and GPS data to suggest the most efficient route they could take from A to B. And should a new job come in during the day, location data means it can be assigned to the nearest driver, avoiding unnecessary detours.
Finally, this technology can optimise daily routes, taking into account customer type, load type, and more. Meaning there’s far less chance of arriving on site without the tools needed for the job.
Removing distractions
Drivers want to drive. But as the job has evolved over the years, many now find themselves spending more and more time on other tasks. Gathering job or site data, filling in job paperwork and timesheets, taking customer signatures can all take drivers away from the wheel.
With a fleet management solution in place, drivers can complete these previously time-consuming tasks in a fraction of the time. Drivers can upload signatures, site photographs, notes, and more, to a central portal in seconds. And data gathered on start/finish time and site arrival and departure time can be used to populate timesheets, payroll and billing automatically.
Improving communication
Whether it’s to report a delay, job completion, or take details of a new job, back and forth between the cab and head office can be frustrating. With drivers having to take time out to take and receive calls, minor delays can quickly become major headaches.
Thanks to GPS technology, most of this back and forth can take place automatically, with drivers barely needing to lift a finger.
New job details can be sent directly to a driver’s device, fleet managers can view potential delays from the office and update customers accordingly, and job status can be updated with the touch of a button.
Long-lasting improvements
Fleet management technology doesn’t just help drivers in their daily working lives. The masses of data gathered by such a system can also deliver long-lasting improvements across the world of work.
Fleet data can be used to educate and upskill, recognise and reward, and secure and protect your drivers in the long term. Here’s how.
Rewards and recognition
Fleet management technology should not be used solely as a tool for spotting bad behaviours. Data collected on everything from speed, braking, cornering and idling can also be used to recognise and reward the top drivers in your fleet.
For example, you can use your data to create a driver safety score based on each individual’s driving style. The safer the driver, the higher the score, and vice versa. Ranking these scores in a league table is a great way to promote camaraderie and friendly competition across your mobile workforce.
You can reward those at the top of the leaderboard for their success. Those at the other end can be retrained or incentivised to improve.
Education and upskilling
Regular training is integral to fleet performance. The more skilled your drivers, the more significant the impact on productivity, efficiency and ultimately your bottom line.
And there’s nothing like real-world experience to drive that improvement. With fleet data to hand, you can coach your drivers into safe, green driving styles based on real-world events such as speeding, idling, and late braking.
Coaching out bad habits can help to improve fuel economy, reduce the risk of accidents and decrease wear and tear on your vehicles.
But regular training is not just imperative to maintaining high standards. It can also increase engagement and make your drivers feel that you are investing in their future with your company.
Building trust
Thanks to several common misconceptions around the technology, drivers may still distrust fleet management solutions. The reality, however, is quite the opposite. A comprehensive fleet management system is an excellent tool for building trust between managers and drivers.
Such systems facilitate more transparent communication by providing a constant link between the office and road, so the left hand always knows what the right is doing. And whether it’s relaying new job information or advising of congestion, the quicker and clearer the communication, the better the outcome for all.
Additional solutions such as fuel card integration and integrated video only serve to strengthen this bond. With eyes on the road, fleet managers and business owners have the tools to back up drivers in the event of an accident or alleged traffic violation. Meanwhile, fuel card integration highlights any discrepancies in vehicle fuelling, helping to reduce suspicion of fraud and offering a clear paper trail for both parties.
Improve the daily lives of your drivers
The benefits of fleet management technology to drivers are no longer up for debate. It’s clear that when implemented correctly, such solutions are a valuable tool in improving the lives of both drivers and business owners.
However, many myths and reservations about the technology remain. That’s why it’s essential to engage your drivers as early in the process as possible. The more open you are about your intentions, the more opportunities you will have to dispel any myths and clarify your reasons for deploying this technology.
Once your drivers understand why you are turning to fleet management solutions and how they and the business will benefit from it, they are more likely to get on board for a smooth implementation.
Need a helping hand selling the benefits of technology to your drivers? Here are the simple answers to four common complaints.
