Technology is evolving at an alarming pace and disrupting several industries. These innovations have helped the vehicle fleet management sector. So, in the days when fleet managers required traditional logbooks and bulky employee files, they were gone and never returned.
Armed with just a computer and internet access, the modern fleet manager can harness the power of sophisticated fleet management solutions. These solutions, with their numerous features, can empower your business with a significant edge in a highly competitive market. Figures from a 2020 survey showed the international fleet management market size will grow to $34 billion by 2025.
If you have doubts about trusting fleet management software, this blog covers five compelling benefits these tools can offer your business.
Challenges of Managing a Vehicle Feet
Most people operating a fleet-based business have at least five cars under their supervision. Across the US, you can find over 2.56 million trucks under fleet management. To successfully control a fleet of vehicles, you need to handle some vital administrative areas. These primary areas of fleet management include:
- Remaining updated on vehicle maintenance
- Guaranteeing driver safety
- Optimizing routes and loads while dealing with route complications
- Effectively corresponding with drivers on the road
- Top-quality customer service and support
- Total compliance with road rules and regulations
When it comes to finances, you have to nail down your budget for repairs, fuel, and periodic maintenance. Your ability to effectively handle these tasks ensures you maximize profits at the end of each day. Having so much on the table means fleet owners must employ more staff and equip them with the right tools. However, a fleet management system can do most of the repetitive tasks.
The Perks of Using Car Fleet Management Software
1. Enhances Your Dispatching Services
In terms of effective route planning, simplifying your dispatching system could significantly impact your bottom line.
Up-to-date vehicle fleet management tools can instantly map routes and book the nearest available pickup drivers. This eliminates human error and ensures you can avoid sending multiple cars to the exact location.
A smarter dispatching tool also allows you to track which drivers are on the road and the time they leave. This is especially critical if you’re in charge of conveying dangerous products or making urgent deliveries.
Instead of sifting through mountains of dispatch data, your management team will have rapid access to dispatch records for all deliveries in the software.
2. Cuts Down Operation Costs
Simplifying fleet management enables you to manage your organization more efficiently, which can help you save money in various ways.
Optimizing your route economy decreases the number of cars you deploy and the amount of fuel they consume. Eliminating idleness in your fleet will also dramatically reduce this, resulting in immediate savings.
Fleet management solutions also perform many tasks that would otherwise take time for management staff to complete. This allows management teams to devote more resources to vital activities like customer relations. Alternatively, businesses can also employ management tools to minimize the number of people on their management teams.
This means you get to save thousands of dollars in the long run. Therefore, fleet management software should be viewed as a long-term investment that will save the firm revenue that you can use to expand the business into new markets.
3. Optimizes Routes of the Various Vehicles
Efficiency is vital for carrying commodities across the country, and route layout plays a significant role in fleet management. This determines the most cost-effective cargoes and routes for a particular day’s deliveries. The least expensive routes usually mean the fewest miles traveled and the fewest hours spent by drivers. They will also have the largest load weights (maximum resource efficiency).
One of the primary advantages of a vehicle fleet management platform is that it can digest data much faster than a human can.
An excellent load and route optimization software analyzes traffic patterns, toll costs, shipping needs for various items, and delivery stacking tactics to produce the lowest-cost operation.
Employing load and route optimization software may save you about 10% of your shipping costs and is the cornerstone of effective fleet management.
To calculate the most effective route for your cars, you must process a vast quantity of data. This lets you employ the fewest cars possible while taking the shortest path.
4. Facilitates Better Customer Services
When operating your fleet, keep this ultimate objective: providing exceptional service to your consumers. This includes:
- Providing fast responses to consumer concerns.
- Supplying up-to-date delivery details and schedules
- Alert your consumers of setbacks or changes to delivery
You can promptly contact clients when tracking your trucks as soon as their items arrive. Likewise, if something changes, you may contact them right away.
Clients won’t have to remain in the dark or be forced to reach out with questions that your staff cannot address. Therefore, your software will significantly improve your customer relationships.
Your management staff will also have ample time to respond to new order requests and handle increasing demand. So you can continue to grow your company while your software ensures everything works effectively.
5. Booster Driver/Passenger Safety
As stated earlier, improved communication safeguards your driving staff nationwide. Rapid and effortless communication allows them to notify your staff of any difficulties. For instance, they may share their specific position for emergency help if they need urgent repairs.
When a driver does not contact you, GPS tracking will swiftly notify you of any issues that may arise. This will send notifications automatically to your management software if a driver:
- Remains stationary for extended periods
- Wanders from their original course.
- During overspeeding or reckless driving situations
- Looks idle
- Vanishes from the system completely
This makes keeping your drivers safe on the road a breeze, especially if they’re traveling long distances across the country. It is also an excellent opportunity to demonstrate to potential workers how much you value everyone on your staff. This might help you if you wish to recruit some of the top drivers in your industry.
Conclusion
Managing a large fleet of vehicles means juggling several responsibilities at once. From overseeing drivers’ safety to always knowing the latest stock in your inventory, a fleet manager must always live life on the edge.
Fortunately, the perfect vehicle fleet management solution featuring modern technologies can be a lifesaver, enabling you to automate several aspects of daily fleet management while tracking driver performance simultaneously. It’s as simple as clicking a few buttons. So what are you waiting for? Find yourself the right fleet management software today!
