How GPS Truck Tracking Benefits Business

New Zealand businesses that rely on commercial vehicles to provide products and services to their customers can experience tangible financial benefits with GPS truck and vehicle tracking. Fleet tracking solutions put you in the passenger seat of every vehicle in your entire fleet. By utilising truck and vehicle tracking, fleet managers can gain complete control over your fleet, significantly reduce costs and improve fleet operations .

Truck tracking helps reduce fuel costs

Almost everything monitored by GPS truck tracking systems can work to help reduce fuel costs. Speeding and harsh braking is a huge factor in high fuel usage. Maintaining proper speeds can significantly reduce the amount of fuel used by your vehicles. Many telematics solutions provide speed information and alert you when a truck exceeds set speed thresholds.

Excessive idling can contribute to high fuel costs for many businesses. When drivers unproductively waste fuel by using their truck as a climate control system, you lose money from your bottom line. Fleet tracking solutions can help reduce idling times by alerting you when vehicles idle longer than a preset duration so you can take corrective action.

Near real time  vehicle location tracking also helps  dispatchers when  re-routing technicians and vehicles in the field. In addition, many GPS tracking systems have the ability to locate the closest vehicle to any specific job site. You can dispatch the technician that will arrive on the site first, thus further reducing fuel consumption.

Improve driver behaviour

Other major contributors to high fleet costs are unauthorised vehicle usage and improper driver behaviour that can negatively affect driver safety. GPS truck tracking systems can relay a variety of information regarding driving behaviour including speed, engine start-up and shut-down times and idling time.

This information can be used to enforce driving policy and curb unwanted behaviour like excessive speeding, tardiness and extended idling. Studies show that tracking your vehicles encourages employees to work more effectively and stop utilising company trucks for personal use.

Quality fleet tracking solutions can also provide the ability to automate timesheets. You will know exactly when employees start 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 fraud or unintentional errors.

Increase safety and security with geofencing 

A GPS vehicle tracking solution can also help improve the security of your fleet. In the event a vehicle is stolen, a hidden GPS tracking device can help you recover an asset and any onboard equipment or inventory quickly. In addition, Verizon Connect  vehicle tracking systems offer features that alert fleet managers  immediately if a commercial vehicle is used after-hours or moved outside a geofenced area such as a worksite.

When combined with Driver Vehicle Inspection Reports (DVIR), telematics systems can  alert you to let you know when vehicles are due for routine maintenance. Proper maintenance ensures that your fleet is compliant with safety guidelines and can help reduce repair costs in the long run.

Truck tracking and better customer satisfaction

With proper mapping software, fleet owners and managers know the exact location of every vehicle in their fleet. 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. GPS vehicle tracking provides better routing and dispatching which reduces fuel usage, reduces truck mileage and increases the number of jobs completed in a day.

Fleet 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 truck arrived on a job and when it left, providing accurate and verifiable proof of services.

Active vs. passive vehicle tracking

Active Vehicle Tracking means that the data from the GPS tracker is transmitted to a remote user at regular intervals to give you near real-time tracking information. 

For passive tracking, all the GPS data is stored in the receiver and must be downloaded once all the vehicles return to the office. Be cautious of systems with “updates” every 5, 10, or 15 minutes as this isn’t truly live, and often, you can be charged for additional pings if you need to locate your vehicle between intervals.

Near real-time (active) tracking has become the most popular method for tracking trucks despite its higher cost because of the huge benefits to having near real-time information to make on-demand fleet management decisions.

Find the right solution for your business with our free Fleet Management Buyer’s Guide.

Web-based vs. client-based

Many GPS truck tracking systems utilise proprietary software that requires installation on your computer. Often, these solutions also require frequent manual upgrades and downloads. Another drawback to proprietary software is that the interface can only be used on computers with the proper installation.

Verizon Connect GPS fleet tracking solutions can provide information securely over the Internet. As long as you know the login and password, you can access your account from any internet-enabled computer. The flexibility and 24/7 accessibility of an Internet based solution make it the far superior choice when deciding on a specific GPS fleet management solution.

The importance of mapping

Fleet tracking requires current and clear mapping. Some fleet tracking software have partnered with well-known mapping providers for the most accurate and up-to-date mapping available.

The best mapping features allow you to zoom all the way down to street level and provide street, terrain, satellite and hybrid street/satellite views. In addition, you should be able to get near real-time traffic information via the mapping in order to help drivers avoid delays.

Using reports and alerts

GPS fleet management solutions, like the Reveal platform, allow you to automate concise and easy-to-understand reports on a weekly or monthly basis. In addition, you have the ability to generate reports instantly. A wide range of  metrics  can be tracked to give you information about daily vehicle or driver activity, speeding violations, violations of company driving policy, a complete list of jobs, excessive idling times and much more.

GPS fleet management software  also provides  extensive historical reporting functions. You can access GPS location information gathered by your solution from the time you started using it. You can compare the performance between two employees, or compare an employee’s performance against the company average in areas such as speeding, idling, kilometres driven and engine-on or off times.

Alerting features can easily notify you of unwanted behaviour. Alerts should be flagged in relevant reports and you have the ability to be notified of any alerts as soon as a violation occurs via email or Android and IOS mobile apps . Alerts can also be triggered for excessive speeding and idling, engine start-up or shut-down times, after-hours unauthorised truck usage and the moments a truck enters or exits specific geofenced locations.

Explaining vehicle tracking to employees

Once you’ve decided to track your vehicles, it’s important to get your drivers and staff on board for the program. Fleet tracking is a way to reward hard work and eliminate bad habits that can lead to serious financial loss.

Let your drivers know that vehicle tracking provides an important safety function for your business and the drivers as well. GPS allows you to keep up with proper maintenance, keeping vehicles safe on the road. In addition, vehicle tracking will help you to recover any stolen assets more quickly, which will help keep your business from incurring losses.

Vehicle tracking is also an essential customer service tool that can lead to happier customers and additional business. Having a solution in place can also protect drivers against false complaints about overcharges and services not rendered.

Most importantly, tracking your vehicle provides numerous benefits that help increase revenue. Increased revenue adds to a company’s financial stability and provides drivers with job security. Many businesses use the increased revenue to reward employees with bonuses. Rewards based on tangible vehicle tracking data can boost morale and help gain acceptance of the solution.

While vehicle tracking may be new to your business, GPS is a proven technology that is fast becoming the industry standard for businesses with fleets. By not tracking your most important assets, you could be putting your business and employees at risk.

Gain peace of mind with GPS truck tracking. Learn more by requesting a demo from Verizon Connect – a world leader in fleet management systems.