Affordable Vehicle Tracking and Fleet Management Solutions For Your Business
Running a fleet comes with many challenges such as ensuring that drivers are safe on the road, fuel is being used wisely, and the admin is done correctly. Fleet managers must keep up with daily operations while making sure they stay on budget which is why they need cost-effective fleet management software that will give them value for money.
Let’s dive into what to look at when seeking affordable vehicle tracking and fleet management solutions.
In this article, you will:
Get to know more about fleet management
Discover how vehicle tracking and fleet solutions reduce costs
See who benefits from this technology
Learn the importance of vehicle tracking and fleet management in different industries
The benefits of a affordable vehicle tracking and fleet management solutions for your business
Let’s briefly discuss how fleet management works before we go into the affordability aspect.
Fleet management overview
Fleet managers need to make sure that all vehicles are in excellent condition to perform their various functions but they often come across challenges with keeping records of daily activities such as the monitoring of drivers and vehicles, maintenance schedules, compliance documents, tax, fuel transactions etc. That’s where fleet management software, telematics and GPS tracking systems come in to save time and money.
The top vehicle tracking and fleet management solutions that boost business ROI
Integrating all these systems creates an opportunity to reduce operational costs and boost efficiency, turning on the affordability switch in your business. Here’s how:
Live location tracking: A vehicle GPS tracking system allows you to see the exact location of your fleet vehicles in real time. Fleet managers can easily spot any deviations or when too much time is spent in one place than expected, allowing them to use the given data to investigate and make amendments that will enhance efficiency and give value for money.
Enhances safety: Telematics software provides fleet managers with detailed insight into how drivers and vehicles perform on the road. If drivers are speeding, cornering harshly or tailgating, then fleet managers can pick up the pattern and their actions could be corrected through training. This will then improve driver behaviour and reduce the risk of accidents, leading to a lot of money being spent on repairs and replacements and increasing the fleet’s lifespan. Driver behaviour also influences the amount of fuel consumed, which we will go into in our next point.
Lower fuel expenses: Driving habits such as harsh braking and excessive idling increase fuel consumption, meaning the vehicle will cost more than it should to move around, plus it increases vehicle wear and tear as well. A fuel monitoring system will assist in monitoring live fuel levels using sensors, as well as trace discrepancies in fuel transitions.
Better route planning: Using GPS technology, fleet managers can minimise travel time and delays through advanced route planning tools that factor in vehicle types, traffic conditions, delivery deadlines and driver availability to determine the most effective route for each vehicle and the best way to complete tasks. This once again slows down fuel consumption.
Less time on admin:Through powerful software, everything is digitalised. Paper-based administration has more human errors, and the time spent can be used to perform other tasks. A fleet management system also eliminates the need to log on to multiple platforms to access the information you need.
Simplifies compliance and regulations: Staying on par with the laws is essential for every business, and fleet management software takes away your worries by monitoring driver hours of service (HOS), vehicle health, and fuel tax summaries.
Customer Satisfaction: When drivers are well-behaved on the road and client expectations are met, the company will get good reviews and more referrals which will bring in more business.
Reduced operational costs give fleet businesses the advantage of making their services more affordable, which can increase competitiveness, attract more clients, and boost profits. The price you pay saves you more money than not paying at all.
Who benefits from this technology?
Vehicle tracking and fleet management solutions are used by various industries, here are some examples to name few:
Transportation and logistics
This is a large sector that relies on vehicles such as trucks and vans trailers to transport goods across the country. Routes need to be planned carefully and cargo needs to be safe and well taken care of. Using fleet management software is the best way to successfully run these types of businesses as it is created to streamline fleet-related operations, show where all vehicles are, and enhance overall efficiency.
Delivery companies
With a high demand for deliveries to be made as soon as yesterday, delivery management software is a must-have. GPS tracking technology gives delivery businesses full visibility of their fleet, making it easier to plan routes and dispatch. This technology also allows clients to receive an alert when their order is on its way, while drivers can also communicate with clients, updating them on any delays. They don’t have to go through the hassle of driving around with paperwork that customers need to sign to show that they received the parcel.
Construction
Building materials and equipment such as concrete and steel need to be transported daily from one point to another on construction sites. This creates the need for heavy-duty trucks to be monitored so fleet managers can monitor the time it takes to complete tasks and ensure that they are done safely.
Healthcare
The vehicle location in the medical sector needs to be visible at all times and carefully monitored. Ambulances transport injured people during emergencies, and some vans and trucks are used to carry medical supplies, while others transport blood samples to labs. Fleet management software would make it easier to plan routes so the medical equipment reaches its destination on time and that any temperature-sensitive cargo that needs to be monitored is taken care of.
Unlock massive fleet savings with Cartrack Botswana
Cartrack’s all-in-one vehicle tracking and fleet management solution is not only affordable but unlocks affordability within your business. Here are some of our budget-friendly solutions that will give you even more profits:
Live location See where your vehicles are at all times using Cartrack’s GPS live location feature. You can access satellite or smart map views and monitor stops daily to spot patterns, such as route deviations, that could be wasting time, fuel, and money.
Geofence
Create virtual barriers around areas of your choice so you can receive alerts every time your fleet vehicles enter or leave the area. This feature can be used to see how long it takes vehicles to enter and leave delivery locations, demarcate the areas you wish your vehicles not to be in, or monitor driver working hours by receiving alerts when they enter and leave your warehouse.
Driver monitoring
Cartrack has various solutions set for monitoring driver behaviour to ensure safety and reduce the cost of repairs and replacement, such as:
Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS): These systems are a collection of advanced digital technologies and work using camera-based sensors, intelligent algorithms, as well as artificial intelligence (AI) machine learning to enhance driver awareness and therefore improve safety. Drivers get real-time audible wherever potential hazards such as blind spots or forward collisions are detected. ADAS also gives you access to in-cab voice calls to address risk factors and a panic button for emergencies, which is ideal for industries such as mining.
AI LiveVision: Our AI-powered LiveVison camera solutions monitor driver distractions that could put them at risk, such as drowsiness, cell phone use and smoking. Drivers receive real-time audible alerts wherever these distractions are detected, allowing them to quickly correct their behaviour. You also get full 24-hour access to the footage so you can check in on drivers whenever there is a need.
Driver coaching: This feature allows fleet managers to spot patterns through risk reports and videos of daily or monthly driving violations, such as a seatbelt not being used or cellphone use. You can see the number of incidents that were repeated and how many times the driver has been coached on that specific violation. You can also leave notes for each coaching session so there is a record of what was discussed after the last incident. This powerful tool can be used to train drivers based on their individual coaching needs as well as to see if there is a trend among the drivers so you can investigate further and find the root cause.
Driver Scorecards: This tool monitors driver events such as harsh acceleration or speeding and then gives them ratings. It’s a good way to spot improvements, reward drivers, and pinpoint what they need training on.
Driver ID tag: This is yet another great way to keep in touch with what drivers get up to daily. Driver Identification tags are assigned to each driver so you can easily identify which driver is using which vehicle. You can assign tags based on driver experience to ensure specific vehicles are driven only by drivers who are licenced for them, and you will also be able to differentiate between business and private trips. These tags can also be used to monitor driver working hours so you can ensure that drivers are not overbooked and fatigued.
Fuel management Monitor the live fuel levels of your fleet, access fuel reports, and detect fuel theft with Cartrack’s fuel management solutions that are specially curated for your business needs, such as:
MiFleet: This is a cost management platform that helps you validate fuel transitions with telematics data such as location, litres and tank capacity so you can detect fuel card theft or fraud.
Fuel sensors: These allow you to see the live fuel tank levels so you can spot any sudden drops in fuel that could indicate fuel theft. The data for each vehicle’s fuel levels can be accessed on your platform. It’s translated in a way that is easy to understand and helps you gather the information you need for further investigations.
Temperature monitoring
Ensure that temperature-sensitive cargo, such as food, stays fresh and reaches its destination in good condition with our temperature monitoring solutions. These sensors alert you whenever the temperature in refrigerated trucks or trailers changes.
Preventative maintenance
This feature monitors each vehicle’s health and alerts you to potential faults and the next service date so that unexpected vehicle repairs and replacements do not require more money and disturb the schedule.
Stay ahead of the game by investing in Cartrack’s affordable fleet management solutions
Whether it’s a construction, delivery or taxi business, we specialise in everything related to fleet management. Contact us today to realise your fleet’s full potential.