How To Achieve On-time Delivery With GPS Fleet Tracking

In an increasingly digital world—where customers can order what they want, where and when they want it—it’s more critical than ever for businesses to understand how to achieve on time delivery of products and services. For companies that manage multiple vehicles and drivers, this task becomes even more complex.

GPS fleet tracking solutions can help fleet-based businesses get a leg up on their competition by providing deep insight and visibility into location of trucks, products and drivers to improve delivery-time performance and arrival time—all while helping to reduce unnecessary fuel and resource costs.

The importance of delivering products on time

According to the 2020 MHI Annual Industry Report, the majority of companies say their biggest challenges are related to higher customer expectations and the need for faster delivery. Customer demands for lower costs (51%) and demands on response times (48%) are primary concerns.¹

Near real-time GPS tracking is a must-have to tackle the important task of delivering products on time. Fleet managers and dispatchers that understand where deliveries, vehicles, and personnel are at all times can improve their operational efficiency, reduce bottlenecks in the supply chain, and keep their business moving forward into the future. GPS fleet tracking solutions are proactive rather than reactive, and instantly update based on road conditions, upcoming jobs or deliveries and even weather alerts. These capabilities keep drivers and in-office management in the loop when it comes to optimal routes and delivery times.

Let’s take a closer look at how to apply the capabilities of GPS fleet tracking to a few critical areas of your business operations to achieve on-time delivery goals.

How to achieve on time delivery

Managers must be able to monitor individual trucks throughout the day, as well as the associated drivers and crews, key performance indicators (KPIs and metrics). This kind of visibility helps to prevent confusion if there is an issue or roadblock at a stopping point. And with a streamlined, scalable GPS tracking system in place, trucks can make more stops and crews can be more productive each and every day.

The landscaping industry, for example, keenly feels the impact of on-time delivery, customer expectations, and service level. During peak season, time is of the essence to ensure products are delivered efficiently and work is completed in a timely manner.

Since implementing a fleet tracking solution, Maple Hill Lawn & Garden has seen a continuous improvement in the way it delivers its services.

“The more you can remove human intervention, the less chance of error. Once we started using digital software for keeping account of our client base and for scheduling, we didn’t have to rely on memory to track commercial and residential client jobs. Unlike some of our competitors, we arrive on time because there's a computer somewhere with a calendar that has scheduled it to make sure it happens. We live and die by the schedule, and now we don't have lag time. We show up when we say we're going to show up,” said owner Robert White.

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Eliminate unnecessary fuel and resource costs

One of the largest overhead costs companies often face is high fuel consumption caused by idling trucks and inefficient route management. Fuel waste is often the result of drivers reaching their destinations early and idling while they wait for customer contacts, or driving well out of the way because they don’t know the most direct route from one delivery to the next.

With a GPS tracking solution in place, these drivers can save around $540 per vehicle per year just by reining in fuel costs through route optimization. And understanding exactly where trucks are and gleaning insight into their schedules can also enable in-office management to better direct their fleet, which in turn may help decrease the standard workday by up to 20%, on average from 10.6 hours to 8.5 hours.² Extra hours in a day for a worker to return to his or her family or get more jobs completed could mean all the difference for job satisfaction.

Maple Hill Lawn & Garden has achieved quantifiable cost savings since implementing a fleet tracking solution that has helped them achieve on time delivery of drivers and services.

“Using Verizon Connect Reveal, we found out it was related to our time cards at the shop. When the crew would clock out, there was often a half hour to an hour and a half discrepancy. We discovered there was about $12,000 a month in unaccounted labor time, on billable or non-billable hours,” said White. “Additionally, using Verizon Connect to know where our trucks are at any given moment, we’ve saved approximately $100,000 in labor.

Find out how your companies can deliver on customer expectations with the right GPS fleet tracking solution.

Sources

¹ https://www.mhi.org/publications/report

² http://automotivedigest.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/FleetBeat_04-22-FINAL.pdf