Technology is quite literally everywhere. It’s in our hands, on our desks, and increasingly in our vehicles.
Previously, the tech within cars and vans consisted of a radio and maybe electronic mirrors; but today we’re seeing more than we could ever have dreamed of as little as a decade ago with satellite navigation even included in vehicles as standard rather than an optional extra.
As such, it’s time that we start to utilize the technology available for more than just performance purposes. One prime example of this is in fleet tracking systems that allow the fleet manager back at the depot to keep a close eye on exactly where their drivers – and vehicles – are.
You can see examples over at Trackcompare.co.uk but this article attempts to explain what the systems are, how they’re beneficial and why you should have them fitted throughout your fleet.
Take a haulage company as an example, and back at the depot you may have one manager overseeing the deployment of drivers to certain locations to either drop-off or collect their loads. It is down to the manager to ensure that the drivers reach their destinations at the right time, and using tracking software they have the ability know exactly where their drivers are, real time.
Driving whilst using a mobile phone is illegal, so fleet managers need a different way of checking how the journeys are progressing. The software uses satellite signals, (GPS), and sends back an exact location to the depot.
This makes it much more simple for the fleet manager to inform the client that the driver will be on time, early or late; and also enables them to contact the driver to warn them of any hold-ups that may be on the current route so they can look for an alternative.
This will also help them to inform any angry clients waiting for their delivery as to just why the driver has not arrived yet. It could be as simple as an accident on the motorway causing a significant delay, or they could be right around the corner.
In addition to this, the fleet managers can monitor factors such as fuel consumption and the driver’s speed and behavior at the wheel, allowing them to work out alternative, more cost-effective routes in the future that are more economical – helping to save the firm money in the long term – and also helping them to find out how their drivers are performing in terms of speed.
