Using Fleet Maintenance Management to Uphold a High Level of Productivity

Using Fleet Maintenance Management to Uphold a High Level of Productivity

A fleet maintenance solution is a great way to boost driver productivity and control fleet repair costs. For every vehicle failure, time is lost replacing the vehicle. When the breakdown occurs on the road, towing costs soar and driver productivity plummets. Using fleet maintenance management can keep your vehicles on the road and out of the shop, except when planned.

Managed Fleet Vehicle Maintenance

Using web-based tools to monitor and manage your fleet vehicle maintenance will give you one consolidated location for all your vehicle information. You can see a complete picture of when one vehicle will need to be taken off the road for schedule downtime, as well as have good handle on repair costs over time.

Being on top of your vehicle maintenance needs means you can purchase parts in advance, potentially saving money and definitely saving time. Instead of an emergency repair and waiting for a part to arrive, you can plan the maintenance and have the necessary parts on hand to minimize downtime.

Minimize Cost and Maximize Productivity

Every hour that your fleet vehicle is idle means cost vs. profit. Boost your vehicle and driver performance by considering a fleet maintenance solution that keeps you on top of all repairs and in control of all your fleet costs. Be in the driver seat, not running behind trying to catch up. Your business and your profitability will far exceed the return on this investment!

Contact us today for more information.

Vehicle Licensing Consultants

A Virtual Projects, LLC Company

Fleet & Driver Compliance…Fleet Tracking Software

https://im4trux.com/

530-384-3884

5 Tips for Selecting Commercial Vehicle Registration Software | VLC

5 Tips for Selecting Commercial Vehicle Registration Software | VLC

Deploying a software solution for managing your commercial registration is an important step in your business growth. Here are a few recommendations from our professional staff on what makes their job easier and produces the best results for clients.

IFTA (International Fuel Tax Agreement)

IRP (International Registration Plan)

Connections

If asked to describe just one key element of a commercial registration system, it must be connections. To manage the volume of customers and assets for our registration services, we must be connected to:

  • Devices (such as telematics) providing us data
  • Clients (to help them manage their required registration and taxes)
  • Team Members (each who specializes in particular aspects of registration)
  • Vendors and Agencies (for automatic processing and filing)

These automated connections are extremely important for information sharing, coordination, creating a central repository of data, and for accurate reminders and filing.

User Roles and Permissions

When choosing any software solution, it is important to understand the different types of users that will need access to the system and their roles. Giving everyone who touches your important commercial truck data full administrative permissions is risky, so it is crucial to understand what features are needed by each role and properly assign them the access they need to complete their tasks.

Efficient

When investigating a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) IRP/IFTA solution, the tool should offer efficiencies unattainable by manual or copy/paste/semi-automated procedures. Our Gateway Connect platform pulls in all the data necessary, sorts the data for easy retrieval, and even when a form must be printed and signed, it allows for you to complete dozens of perfectly completed forms in record time.

Scalable

The commercial vehicle registration system needs to be scalable to allow use by larger organizations which will store much larger amounts of data and have a larger workforce needing access.

Ease of Use

When evaluating a commercial registration solution, you should make sure that in addition to meeting all your basic requirements for registration and tax reporting, data collection, and communication, the system needs to be intuitive. Users who struggle with the interface will be tempted to revert to their old habits of hand-filled forms or one-off spreadsheets. It should be imperative to use the platform, the sharing capabilities, and all the automated features for which you envisioned its use. Ease of use is paramount in process of adoption and use of a new tool.

Gateway Connect

If you are considering a commercial registration solution, VLC has demo that we would like to share with you! Our Gateway Connect is an excellent platform that we continue to grow and maintain to meet the demands of fleet management and commercial vehicle registration.

Vehicle Licensing Consultants

A Virtual Projects, LLC Company

Fleet & Driver Compliance…Fleet Tracking Software

https://im4trux.com/

530-384-3884

Key Benefits of Using a Fleet Management Solution

Key Benefits of Using a Fleet Management Solution

If your business relies on transport, then you know how time consuming it is to keep track of all the details required to successfully run that fleet. There are many moving parts from maintenance, safety, driver and fleet compliance, and more that need to be organized and managed. A fleet management software tool can simply the task and give you the tools to do more with your fleet from an efficiency and profitability perspective.

Fleet Management Software

Fleet management tools bring all the necessary information together in one dashboard display that makes information retrieval and historical lookup a breeze. Fleet management software is a great option for both small companies looking to grow as well as larger organizations needing to keep their business running smoothly and profitably.

1.  Vehicle Maintenance & Safety

Vehicle maintenance is an important part of fleet ownership. Not only can you store all your vehicle information in one location, but you can also access it from anywhere at any time. You can easily see when a vehicle is due for scheduled maintenance as well as collecting data from onboard telematics devices regarding mileage, fuel consumption, and engine hours. Fleet management solutions combined with telematics take the guesswork out of vehicle maintenance. Changing fluids and replacing parts in a timely fashion means your vehicles are on the road more and in the shop on your schedule, not due to a breakdown. An organized preventative maintenance schedule allows you to keep your vehicles and drivers safe. When your maintenance is planned, your delivery schedules are less likely to be disrupted, keeping both customers and employees happy.

2.   Fuel Efficiency

One of the largest expenses in fleet ownership is fuel costs. A good fleet management tool can help you track fuel usage by vehicle helping you to identify the vehicles in your fleet that are using the most fuel and target them for upgrade to newer more energy efficient models.

3.  Fleet Compliance

Keeping track of all the compliance rules, dates, and filing required to keep your fleet on the road is a daunting task. Interstate and intrastate compliance, taxes, registrations, and more. Let technology take care of collecting, organizing, and reporting this information. All the data, none of the hassle.

4.  Driver Compliance

The Department of Transportation has established a comprehensive list of regulations that a professional driver must comply with, both to obtain a commercial license as well as to maintain it. Driver history must be maintained, medical examination and a Medical Examiner’s Certificate on file. Drug and Alcohol testing as well as driver logs, Hours of Service (HOS) must be carefully documented and retained. All of these can be automated with a good fleet management tool, keeping you and your employees focused on your business rather than the nuances of compliance.

5.  Driver Safety

If we haven’t already shared enough reasons to consider fleet management software, then consider the safety of your drivers. A fleet management solution can keep fleet managers apprised of each vehicle’s location, whether at rest or in motion. Onboard camera can track traffic patterns and re-route drivers if needed. They can help find parking or report accidents that need to be avoided. Dashcams can also send alerts to managers if a driver makes a traffic violation, letting you know if a particular driver poses a risk to your organization.

Fleet Management Made Easier

At VLC, we have been providing fleet management solutions for owner operator fleets for over 50 years. We understand all the needs, requirements, and technology to make your fleet management efficient and profitable. Our solutions are customized and scalable to your fleet size and needs. Let us show you how!

 

Vehicle Licensing Consultants

A Virtual Projects, LLC Company

Fleet & Driver Compliance…Fleet Tracking Software

https://im4trux.com/

530-384-3884

How to Monitor Equipment with Fleet Tracking Solutions

How to Monitor Equipment with Fleet Tracking Solutions

Just as businesses come in all different sizes and demographics, so to are fleets of different sizes and composition. And those fleets have different needs. The most important aspect of choosing a GPS solution is to find one that is adaptable and expandable to meet your current and future business needs.

Real-time GPS Asset Tracking

GPS tracking can be used for all your fleet assets, whether they are on the road or parked in a lot. They can be used for your primary fleet vehicles, trailers, containers, generators, and much more. Make finding and utilizing your equipment quick, efficient, and super accurate.

Improve Asset Utilization

Imagine the time and money you can save when you can visualize and report on all your major assets. Run reports on utilization, dwell time, yard entry and exit, and trends. See at a glance when your ready to add to your fleet assets and which assets are in most demand. No more shooting in the dark. Make good decisions backed with real-time and historical data.

Power Your Productivity with Fleet Asset Tracking

Maximize your time and your productivity. Know where your assets are when you need them. Every organization can use a productivity boost. Here is your opportunity to track, report, and optimize your fleet assets an boost both productivity and profits!

 

Vehicle Licensing Consultants

A Virtual Projects, LLC Company

Fleet & Driver Compliance…Fleet Tracking Software

https://im4trux.com/

530-384-3884

Don’t do it!

Don’t do it!

Many people function in terms of things they need to start doing.

  • I need to start exercising.
  • I need to start listening more closely.
  • I need to start saving money.

For each action above, there is an underlying goal. Improving health, relationships, and financial security are noble goals indeed! But what is the reason for the desire to embrace these “starts?” Perhaps the reason is simple, one’s health, relationships, and financial well-being may all be suffering.

So I must ask the question: How did you get there?

In Chapter 7 of Good to Great, Jime Collins asks the question: Do you have a stop doing list? At first it seemed like a trivial question. But the more I considered it, the more it gained meaning.

We so often look to “starts” to improve, but we often overlook the actions that landed us in our current state. If your health or your relationships or your financial state is suffering, what actions got you there? Perhaps creating a stop doing list should be your first step.

And yes, this goes for your organization also. Great organizations not only follow through on important initiatives and processes, they also identify unimportant ones and simply stop.

Usually, I write a different seed for leaders and VLC, but I think this is crucial to our success. We are in the midst of evaluating many of our processes here at VLC. We have added zoom meetings to our consulting calls. We have added and will continue to add personnel. We are adding responsibilities to each consultant.

But we also must keep a close eye on things we can cut loose.

In becoming a better team member, what is one thing you should stop doing immediately?

In our organization, which weaknesses can be addressed by not doing something?

Which extraneous actions by either you or VLC do not move us toward being the best in our field?

Be well,

Chuck Ross

John Maxwell Certified Coach, Trainer, Speaker, and DISC consultant

chuckross.net

Author: Change? Whiskey Tango Foxtrot!?

530-277-6161

“They themselves are makers of themselves.” James Allen

50-50

50-50

Relationships have a fairly massive range in terms of types and depth. Spouses, friends, relatives, customers, colleagues, and bosses all share a type of relationship with people they come in contact with. Many times, these relationships can be surface level or can run very deep.

Whether surface level or deep, however, each person displays a certain level of commitment to the relationship. When both people are committed, the relationship has a better chance of being healthy. When one or both people are not committed, the relationship suffers.

If we were to put this into a simple formula, each person is responsible for their 50% of the relationship. It is impossible for a person to commit more than their 50%! When one person tries to make up for the lack of commitment by another, it almost never ends well. Anger and resentment often lead to exhaustion as one person tries in vain to make up for another’s lack of commitment to the relationship. They try to add 60 or 70%, but they can’t.

If this idea frustrates you, take heart! Like so many things in this life, you have only partial control…so take your half and be great! If you are in charge of your 50% of a relationship, make it a work of art.

With your 50%, connect. Understand the other person. Listen. Empathize. Show them you care. Make it so appealing that other person can’t help but want to do a better job with his or her 50%.

Which relationships are you good at, and with which do you struggle?

What is it that makes some relationships difficult?

What are the triggers that send you down a negative path with certain relationships? What type of thinking might help you deal with such triggers?

Be well!

Chuck Ross

John Maxwell Certified Coach, Trainer, Speaker, and DISC consultant

chuckross.net

Author: Change? Whiskey Tango Foxtrot!?

530-277-6161

“They themselves are makers of themselves.” James Allen

 
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Asset Tracking: GPS asset tracking
 
OEM: Mixed fleet tracking
 
Fleet Maintenance: Optimum VRX®

DQMConnect™​ is now live!

DQMConnect™ is a self-managed software tool designed to meet the growing need to ensure and manage DOT driver qualification files.

CLICK TO LEARN MORE