A Brief Overview on Telematics
With recent advancements in the automation industry, telematics is a pivotal tool used by almost every business. It is used especially by fleet managers and plays a crucial role in ensuring safety and significantly impacting the bottom line of the business. Telematics has a wide variety of tools with different functions, to cater to the business accordingly.
One of the major and primary functions of telematics is GPS tracking. This helps the driver and the fleet manager know the exact location, ETA and next stop. Being able to track the vehicles remotely, helps monitor the entire fleet on one screen in real time. As a result it eases the workload of the fleet manager allowing them more time to focus on other areas of opportunities.
The GPS device, in addition to tracking the vehicle also shows its fuel level, maintenance status and also environmental conditions in case of cold storages. When used with a combination of other tools such as Dispatching software, Dashboard cameras, Geo-Fencing, Trailer tracking and ELDs.
Improve Fuel Efficiency and Reduce Maintenance Costs
The GPS device is connected to the processor of the vehicle and is the link that communicates with it. Due to this, the driver or the fleet management can get accurate readings on fuel levels, engine health and creates logs for every event from the time of ignition. It also sends regular alerts when the vehicle is due for maintenance.
When a business or an organization has a fixed radius of operation, a predefined boundary can be set. This sends an alert to the fleet manager, in case the vehicle has exited that set boundary. It also shows instances of idling, overspeeding, hard braking and distracted driving. Using this data, the fleet manager is able to understand the drivers better and impact the bottom-line by reducing costs and increasing driver efficiency.
The fleet manager is also able to monitor the driver and vehicle using Dashboard cameras. The camera records footage from the moment the camera is on, in 3 minute segments. This is backed up in cloud storage and can be reviewed any time. This proves especially useful in situations such as theft and accidents where it serves as video evidence and to claim insurance.
Most times, businesses incur significant losses because of vehicle breakdowns. Suppose a vehicle is on a delivery route and it breaks down; in addition to the towing and repair, there is a delay in the delivery. This affects the business’ credibility and quality of service. By taking precautionary measures and regular maintenance these expenses can be avoided.
Get the Most out of your Telematic Solutions
Since, telematics is used across various industry verticals, most tools are customized to suit that particular business. Its applications are limitless and can be used to automate most operations.
The logs recorded can be integrated into billing and payroll as well as help generate IFTA reports.
These E logs can be used along with other telematic tools such as Dashboard cameras, asset trackers and dispatching software to optimize and automate several processes.
A dispatching software can be used to automate the whole process of accepting new orders to deployment. It can also be used by the client if they want to know the ETA. Data such as distance travelled, fuel costs, billable hours and service fee are all recorded digitally. This makes it transparent and hassle free.
Most businesses find it hard to keep an account of expenses incurred when a vehicle is travelling cross border or long trips. It is a cumbersome task, to keep track of fuel expenses, toll fees and other additional expenses. This can be tackled by using the GPS device to monitor fuel usage that can be tallied with the bills and receipts submitted by the driver.
Furthermore, this can be made even more convenient by providing the driver with a charge card that he can use to pay for his meals and personal expenses. The driver also has an option to toggle between two modes; personal and business. That way there is transparency and all expenses and time are accounted for.
Driver Safety and Retention
Fleet managers are constantly worried about their driver’s safety. Having a telematics solution in place, ensures utmost safety by not only taking preemptive measures but also promoting good driver behaviour. By rewarding drivers for good behaviour and adherence to safety, you build a healthy work environment. This has been proven to boost productivity.
The GPS device logs all events from the time of ignition, that can be compiled into a report that helps the fleet manager to identify the best drivers and the ones that require feedback and training. In most organizations, a driver rewards programme is incorporated to promote a healthy competitive spirit amongst drivers.
This programme helps remove the stigma that drivers have against being constantly monitored. By rewarding them, drivers are motivated to perform better and adhere to safety protocol. This helps reduce costs due to safety hazards, while simultaneously promoting driver retention. Fleet managers rely heavily on their drivers as operations would come to a standstill in cases of attrition.
Hence, businesses these days focus on improving at the grass root level by ensuring that their drivers are well trained and compensated accordingly.