How to track your way to a safer fleet

When most people think of GPS tracking, safety is not the first thing that comes to mind. Business owners implement GPS solutions for a wide range of reasons, of course, but keeping tabs on location is perhaps the most commonly understood.

The reality is, however, that modern systems bring with them many benefits beyond simply following dots on a screen.

A GPS solution allows you to gather and harness the masses of data produced by your fleet every minute of every day. When harnessed correctly, this data can help you to drive greater efficiency, improve productivity, reduce costs and increase the safety of both your vehicles and your drivers.

To expand on the latter, comprehensive vehicle tracking solutions are packed with features that can help you encourage safer driving, monitor whether your vehicles are only ever used as permitted, and keep safety at the forefront of everyone’s minds, 24/7. Here are just a few examples…

Make safety a priority 

GPS tracking can be a valuable tool to help monitor and reduce unsafe practices across your fleet. Beyond this, it can also be used to devise and implement safer driving policies to keep safety at the top of the agenda.

With a safe driving policy in place, every member of your team knows exactly what is expected of them. By implementing a fleet management solution, not only do you have a tool to improve fleet safety, you also give your drivers the tools they need to meet their safety targets.

Keep your drivers safe

As the owner of a fleet-reliant business, you have a duty of care not just to your drivers but to other road users too. GPS fleet tracking can help you meet this commitment.

Data collected on a range of unsafe behaviours including aggressive driving, harsh braking and speeding can be used to rank every driver in your fleet and encourage safer driving styles. The safer the driver, the better their score and the higher they climb in the driver leaderboard. Instances of harsh driving can also be used as coachable moments to manage out bad habits. Furthermore, with audible in-cab alerts, it is possible to warn drivers as soon as an unsafe driving event occurs.

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Keep your vehicles safe (and secure)

Along with your drivers, your vehicles make up the backbone of your business. Thanks to a combination of location tracking, live alerts and geofences, a GPS fleet management solution can help to keep these valuable assets safe too.

By placing geofences around permitted locations, you can receive an alert as soon as a vehicle is operated anywhere outside of these zones.

Some solutions also allow you to set up alarms and alerts to trigger whenever a vehicle is tampered with – allowing you to respond quickly in the event of a break-in. What’s more, if theft occurs, near real-time location data can be used to track and aid in the recovery of the stolen vehicle.

Make sure your vehicles are roadworthy

Poorly maintained vehicles can jeopardise the safety of your fleet. With a GPS fleet management solution in place, you can take a proactive approach to maintenance, to help keep your vehicles in peak condition.

Many comprehensive solutions allow you to set maintenance reminders based on date, mileage and engine hours so that you do not miss routine repairs or servicing.  Taking this approach can help to reduce downtime and potentially increase the lifespan of your vehicles.

Enhanced routing, along with safer driving practices can also help to keep your vehicles in good condition. Any tactic that can reduce unnecessary mileage will also reduce wear and tear and help to keep your vehicles out on the road.

Now you've heard how, is it time to track your way to a safer fleet? Click here to arrange a short product demonstration today.