Truck Tracking and Your Business
Almost everything monitored by GPS vehicle tracking can work to help reduce fuel costs.
Speeding is a huge factor in high fuel usage. Maintaining proper speeds can significantly reduce the amount of fuel used by your trucks. Many truck tracking solutions provide speed information and alert you when trucks exceed set speed thresholds.
Excessive idling can contribute to high fuel costs for many businesses. When drivers unproductively waste fuel by using their trucks as climate control, you lose money from your bottom line. GPS can help reduce idling times by alerting you when vehicles idle longer than a preset duration so you can take corrective action.
GPS tracking also provides location-based information dispatchers can use to provide proper routing information to vehicles in the field. In addition, many systems have the ability to locate the trucks closest to any specific job site. You can dispatch the vehicle that will arrive on the site first, thus further reducing fuel usage.
Improving Driver Behavior
Other major contributors to high fleet costs are unauthorized vehicle use and improper driver behavior. GPS truck tracking can relay a variety of information regarding driving behavior including vehicle speed, engine start-up and shut-down and idling time.
This information can be used to enforce driving policy and curb unwanted behavior like excessive speeding, tardiness and extended vehicle idling. Studies show that tracking your trucks encourages employees to work more effectively and stop utilizing company vehicles for personal use.
Quality GPS fleet tracking solutions can also provide the ability to automate timesheets. You will know exactly when an employee starts work, how long they take for lunches and breaks, and when they stop working for the day without relying on manual timesheets.
Accurate, verifiable timesheets will streamline payroll processes and help you avoid paying excessive overtime pay due to timesheet falsification or unintentional errors.
Increasing Security and Safety
GPS truck tracking can also help improve the security of your fleet. In the event a vehicle is stolen, a hidden GPS receiver can help you recover a vehicle and any onboard equipment quickly. In addition, some systems offer features that alert owners immediately if a vehicle is used during off-hours.
Some GPS tracking providers feature alerting predictive analytics functions to let you know when vehicles are due for routine maintenance. Proper maintenance ensures that your vehicles are compliant with safety guidelines and can help reduce repair costs in the long run.
Better Customer Service
With proper mapping software, fleet owners know the exact location of every fleet vehicle. This gives dispatchers the ability to effectively direct drivers to any job site.
In addition, you can locate and dispatch the closest vehicle to any job site. Tracking your trucks provides better routing and dispatching. This reduces fuel usage, reduces vehicle mileage and increases the number of jobs completed in a day.
GPS truck tracking solutions can incorporate a number of features that help improve customer service. Better routing and dispatching helps you get to your customers more quickly. You will also be able to determine when a vehicle arrived on a job and when it left, providing accurate and verifiable proof of services.
There are a variety of different GPS solutions on the market that offer the aforementioned benefits. Therefore, the remainder of this article will focus on the key features that come from a strong provider.