The agility required to succeed in the fleet industry today demands investment in high-value software to help you achieve more. You need to be extra careful when choosing your fleet management solution since you need an indispensable tool that will simplify your oversight roles. Here, we look at eight features every fleet management software should have.
1. Live fleet tracking
Proper fleet management is hinged on always knowing the locations of your vehicles. Consequently, real-time vehicle GPS tracking must be one of the primary features you prioritize when looking for fleet management software.
Today’s advanced telematics further enables you to have the pleasures of powerful mapping features that offer detailed information about each vehicle’s location in your fleet. This lets you know the routes your vehicles are following, whether or not they are moving, and possible arrival times for better planning of your schedules.
2. Driver behavior analysis
The secret to attaining a good CSA score lies in actively monitoring your drivers’ behavior while on the road. Since you cannot physically keep an eye on all your drivers, you can rely on driver behavior analysis by a fleet management system.
Typically, these systems have a scorecard used to determine driver behavior while on the road by analyzing rapid accelerations, sharp turns, unnecessary idling, and hard braking. You can then use this information to create and implement a safety policy that will ensure your drivers remain well-behaved.
3. Remote driver management
Safety on the road is not all about driver behavior while behind the wheels but is the result of how well their schedules are managed. Step up your driver management capabilities by opting for fleet management software with a monitoring system. This feature will significantly increase your operational visibility, especially if you manage pooled vehicles by allowing you to gather more details about each trip remotely. In the end, you will have more data about your vehicles and drivers, including:
- The number of hours a driver has been behind the wheels
- The number of miles covered by each driver
- The purpose, duration, and cost of each trip
4. Geo-fencing
Geo-fencing is one of the most powerful features that you must never overlook in every fleet management system, as it helps improve the safety and productivity of your fleet. This feature enables you to create a virtual fence for your fleet, which triggers an alarm each time a vehicle crosses a boundary.
Consequently, it comes in handy in restricting unauthorized use of company vehicles while giving you the peace of mind that your drivers are safe. Geo-fencing also makes monitoring activities related to specific landmarks such as time spent on customer sites, warehouses, or specific routes easier, allowing for better planning.
5. Vehicle maintenance tracking
One of the best practices in fleet management is to ensure that all your vehicles are well-maintained. A simple way to proactively manage this critical task is by opting for a fleet management system that supports vehicle maintenance tracking. This feature will keep you updated on each vehicle status and promptly notify you of routine checkups or repairs required. Automating your fleet service and maintenance requirements will further reduce your risk and liability while keeping better track of your fleet management costs.
6. Route planning and monitoring
There is a growing range of technologies to make driving safer, and one way to reduce the risks your driver faces while on the road is by actively planning and monitoring their routes. High-value fleet management software comes ingrained with this all-important feature that enables you to analyze the road conditions, vehicle capacity, the cost to deliver, and driver breaks when using a specific route. As a result, it will help you make better decisions on the most cost-effective and reliable routes your drivers can use for each trip.
7. Fuel management
As a fleet owner, you are constantly looking for ways to reduce fuel costs, given how significant these expenses are in every financial year. An intelligent way to take better charge of your fuel costs is by using a fleet management system that enables you to monitor each vehicle’s fuel levels remotely. This will help you identify leaks and theft cases as each vehicle’s average fuel consumption will easily be calculated and determined.
8. Advanced reporting and analytics
The advanced analytics and reporting supported by these systems are among the top benefits of using fleet management to manage your mobile workforce. Whether you want to evaluate your fleet performance over a specific period or understand new trends, all data you need will be available at a button. This will enable you to make better fleet decisions while reducing administrative time and costs.
Conclusion
The challenges and demands of fleet management are best sustained by turning to technology, and these features will help you choose the best software for your company.