From the small fleet of 2-3 vehicles to the large national fleet stretching across North America, one cannot place enough emphasis on having a great fleet management tool to manage the task.
Of course, the larger the fleet, the more complex the activities, which only speaks further to having software help you make quick and well-informed decisions. At Vehicle Licensing Consultants (VLC) we depend on software solutions to help our clients make the best business decisions, set reminders for registration and taxes due, collect and store ‘truckloads’ of data, and respond with processor speeds to needs of our owner-operated fleet clients.
How Does Fleet Management Software Help?
We believe that a fleet management system, especially one that can be sized for your organization, can be a huge asset to your business. Not only can it help analyze and predict, but it can also help you minimize costs and keep the budget intact. Here are a few examples of how a fleet management system can save you money.
Route Planning
A carefully planned route can take drivers on the best and shortest path to their destination. Route optimization can also help minimize detours, traffic, and weather concerns, all of which make the driving experience better and the fuel costs decrease.
Better Fuel Economy
While we cannot predict or affect the price of fuel, a fleet management tool can help minimize fuel waste, helping you manage costs. Excessive idling, braking, speeding and other factors can be detected by onboard telematics. By collecting this data, you can track and manage a lot of usage parameters that can help reduce wear and tear on your vehicles as well as fuel usage.
Predictive Maintenance
If you never had to apologize again for a late delivery, that would be wonderful for you and for the disappointed client. While predictive maintenance cannot guarantee that never happens, it can certainly minimize it. How much excess cost occurs when a vehicle must be towed? How hectic is the scheduling update when one vehicle is suddenly out of commission? Fleet management solutions help you to predict and schedule a vehicle for maintenance, significantly improving your time on the road. The lifespan of your vehicle is extended, your drivers and clients are happy.
Minimizing HOS violations
HOS violations can be costly. The FMCSA can levy penalties on a driver or carrier that range from $1,000 to $16,000 per violation depending upon severity. Violations that involve the transport of hazardous materials can exceed $75,000. This is an easy and important aspect of running your fleet that can have a huge financial impact. 70% of all HOS violations are considered form and manner issues, which is a fancy way of saying the driver’s log is not completed properly. With an electronic device automatically logging hours and reporting to the driver and fleet manager when they are nearing maximum hours, this can be easily managed. Electronic logging produces clean, compliant logs ready for roadside inspection. Yet another way fleet management solutions can save you money!
Delight Your Customers – Not Disappoint
We mentioned in the predictive maintenance section how a roadside breakdown can be a huge disappointment to your client. Depending on the size and utilization of the remaining fleet vehicles, it can have an effect on many of your deliveries for the time the vehicle is out of service. Another way that fleet management helps client relations is through customer service. When your customer calls to ask the status of a shipment, you can quickly check on your schedule and answer the client promptly and confidently. This interaction could easily go badly if the answer is nebulous or their concerns not abated with a definitive date/time.
Customizable Solutions
We believe that there are no one-size-fits-all solutions in fleet management. We like to show you how we approach helping clients from the small to the very large with this very important aspect of their transportation.
Vehicle Licensing Consultants
A Virtual Projects, LLC Company
Fleet & Driver Compliance…Fleet Tracking Software
530-384-3884
