Benefits of university fleet management for college campuses

Colleges and universities have unique needs when it comes to managing their fleet of vehicles and assets. Safety, security, and reliability are critical factors for any organization when it comes to implementing fleet management, but colleges and universities have multiple audiences – with multiple needs and priorities – that count on their fleets. 

For fleet managers at university and college campuses, tracking transportation across multiple departments can present a unique challenge. From security vehicles and maintenance carts to shuttles and buses, the campus community is constantly on the go. Fleets like these require a simple, easy-to-use fleet management solution to ensure they are running safely and effectively.

The need for cost savings, improved safety, and accountability is always top of mind for university and college administration, which makes fleet management software increasingly popular for higher education fleet managers. 

What kind of benefits does a fleet management solution offer?

Fleet management software goes beyond just tracking vehicles and assets. By implementing a telematics solution, fleet managers can see a holistic view of their fleets, from how safe drivers are on the road, to how much fuel is being used. Here’s what we think are the best benefits for higher education fleets: 

Maintain reliability to the campus community 

Many people have become accustomed to carpooling and ridesharing within the last decade. By implementing a fleet management solution, university fleets can give their students and faculty near real-time ETAs – from campus bus arrival times to maintenance request status. A reliable solution can help improve satisfaction across the entire campus community.  

Streamline administrative workload with one consolidated system 

In addition to tracking vehicle locations, tracking vehicle utilization and driver identities is critical for university fleet managers to keep their fleets safe and efficient. But when universities use multiple systems, matching this data can be a big administrative burden. 

Without a centralized system to track vehicle usage, administrators can spend hours trying to cross-reference timesheets with fuel purchase receipts and vehicle reservation requests to determine who was using a vehicle and when for what purpose. With a single consolidated system, all your fleet data is in one place and your administrators can save hundreds of hours of administrative time. 

In addition, Verizon Connect recently announced access to new EV features and functionalities. Now, colleges and universities that are “going green” can easily manage their EVs and gas-powered vehicles together within one holistic dashboard, providing reliable data across all vehicles.

Ensure safety for students and your drivers

Though trusting your drivers is essential to a well-functioning operation, it’s also important to be able to monitor, measure and coach their behavior behind the wheel.  Driver safety can and will have long-lasting effects—either positive or negative—on your university. 

The right fleet management software can give university fleet managers the insights they need to coach drivers on safe driving behaviors and how to avoid incidents. For campuses with student drivers in their fleets, this can be an immense help. Younger students are typically less experienced drivers, and their risk of causing minor dings and dents can be much higher.

Luckily, telematics systems allow fleet managers to track and reduce safety events, such as harsh braking or rapid acceleration on campus, which can help save on costs associated with several small incidents. Video telematics solutions like dashcams can provide audible in-cab alerts to drivers to help prevent accidents, protect drivers and mitigate potential risks.  

Recover stolen vehicles or assets 

Old methods for asset tracking can be a waste of time and money and eventually, that can really hurt your budget.  

For instance, if a university fleet manager is using a spreadsheet to track devices, equipment, and assets, and is not sharing it with anyone else, it can become difficult to manage. With asset tracking software, all equipment can be seen on a live map giving near real-time tracking information. 

Read more about how asset tracking can help your university fleet.

Is implementing a fleet management solution worth the cost?

GPS tracking can provide a significant return on investment for university fleets. In addition to offering vehicle location tracking, fleet management solutions provide data on fuel consumption and idle times, fleet utilization, and safety metrics, all of which can help reduce costs and improve the quality of service.