This is a user generated content for MyStory, a YourStory initiative to enable its community to contribute and have their voices heard. The views and writings here reflect that of the author and not of YourStory.
How GPS tracking can increase the productivity of vehicle fleet
This is a user generated content for MyStory, a YourStory initiative to enable its community to contribute and have their voices heard. The views and writings here reflect that of the author and not of YourStory.
The recent financial market is experiencing severe competition with respect to every industry sector. And, every tool or strategy that can be applied to surge productivity through proper optimization of its supply chain, acts as a survival tactic despite being in a critical environment. In such cut-throat situation, any organization who deals with massive vehicle fleets is achieving impeccable results with the deployment of various real-time GPS (Global Positioning System) tools.
GPS-enabled Fleet Management System: As a Savior
The economic condition has abruptly affected businesses with vehicle fleets. Along with the reduction in revenues, the unpredictable fuel costs are being troublesome to fleet owners. GPS fleet tracking has proved as a boon to the businesses that are anxious to decrease their fuel consumption and increase their profit margins.
GPS systems have incredible benefits but their impact on productivity is often overlooked. As you install GPS tracker you can know the exact location of your vehicles. This helps to save fuel by managing dispatching efficiency and eventually getting an improved routing. The information captured through GPS like average speed and time-lapse can further help businesses decrease fuel costs.
How can businesses ensure the maximum benefit out of GPS fleet tracking technology? Though, not all service providers have necessary features, so the prior assessment is required before finalizing them as a solution provider. Here are few ways business owners can utilize GPS to enhance their productivity.
Well-managed Dispatching and Routing
After installing GPS tracker, dispatchers can stay updated about the exact location of any vehicle in a fleet. Now, how can these updates help them? It can direct the nearby vehicle to the site, whenever required. Even few have a feature to automatically notify the site about the nearest vehicle. Also, dispatchers can navigate drivers.
In addition, dispatchers can help drivers take the nearest route to any site and quickly re-route them if they lost the path during the journey. The leading GPS tracking solutions also provide real-time traffic reporting so dispatchers can warn drivers of traffic delays and provide re-routing as needed. However, such solutions are totally depending upon the triangulation capabilities of the devices itself.
Monitor Driver Activities
It is a normal human tendency that productivity increases when they know that they are getting monitored and being reported on real-time through an automated system. When drivers know that their vehicles are monitored, they tend to work more efficiently without diverting their focus. In other way, fleet owners can virtually be with the driver during their overall ride time.
Many GPS fleet tracking solutions have features to monitor the vehicle activity – steady, moving or crash through accident. Such type of information allows fleet owners to ensure about drivers not wasting time at one location or being at one job location even if not required.
Business owners can decide few incentives based on tangible performance metrics encourage productivity and boosts morale. Fleet telematic solutions can also provide report among multiple drivers where you can easily determine the most performing individual or figure out average efficiency.
Keep a Check on Unofficial Vehicle Usage
GPS vehicle tracking also helps business owners ensure employees use their vehicles only for authorized purposes and allotted times zone. Advanced GPS trackers are featured with the alerts to fleet owners about their vehicles moving in other areas may be accidently or intentionally. Now, how GPS can identify which area is restricted and which is not. Geofences functionality makes it all possible. You can define acceptable and restricted areas by creating boundaries on real maps.
Organizations can even know in case of theft from the fleet. Recently, Ingersoll-Rand, a HVAC-R company discovered that their drivers were using a small amount of scrap copper during the transit and using them for their personal profits. Which were actually supposed to hand it over from site to companies? Ingersoll-Rand received alert about the truck entering the zone which didn't fall under their way from the site to their company.
Another benefit is fleet owner will also get alerted about the vehicle being used during non-working hours. This way they can prevent the theft rather being completely unaware and experiencing the extreme loss.
It is quiet well proven; the vehicle activity alert is useful for companies who allow their drivers to take the vehicle home. Therefore, such agreement gives an opportunity to drivers for using vehicles for personal use.