What is Fleet Management
Businesses around the globe use fleet to conduct their operations. Whether you talk about large industries or other small enterprises, everyone needs vehicles for various purposes. There is a need for managing them, which gives rise to the concept of fleet management. Many other terms are also associated with this concept, like fleet managers and vehicle tracking systems.
Fleet management is a broad term; therefore, it can have many definitions. They are dependent on the scope and context of the reference. However, in this blog, we will discuss every aspect of fleet management in the telematics industry.
What is Fleet Management?
It is the process of managing a group of commercial automobiles (units) using different resources. There are various actions performed in this process ranging from GPS tracking and maintenance to driver management and safety.
What is its purpose?
Fleet operations go through a lifecycle that consists of a lot of steps. The purpose of a management system is to facilitate the business to control the entire lifecycle. It helps the managers perform various operations to achieve the business objectives. The management caters to multiple tasks like vehicle location tracking, monitoring, fuel consumption, maintenance, driver behavior analytics, etc. Therefore, it is once and for all solution to all the requirements of a fleet.
How does it work?
The basic concept for the working of management is data utilization. From saving data for future usage to fetching live data, the management solutions perform all the functions. The modern vehicle tracking systems attach the tracking devices with sensors to the vehicle for data fetching purposes.
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We can divide the processing of management into the following parts:
Vehicle:
By connecting telematics devices to the units, monitoring software shows every action. From the engine running and idling time to speed and fuel consumption, everything is accessible. All this information helps managers in monitoring operations more effectively.
GPS:
The GPS tracking device tracks the movement of the units 24/7. It helps the managers know the exact location of the units at all times and prevent the risk of theft.
Network:
The data transmit from the tracking device to the monitoring software through a network. It helps in real-time communication between drivers and managers. When the units are outside the vicinity of network signals, satellite communication serves the purpose.
Administrative:
The whole mechanism of a vehicle tracking system is designed to monitor operations effectively. Modern tracking solutions offer integration with other business tools and software. The management solutions combine with reporting and financial systems to provide a compact monitoring platform.
Who is a Fleet Manager?
The individual responsible for handling all the aspects of fleet activities within a company is known as the fleet manager. Whether you talk about negotiating with suppliers or managing vehicles and drivers, a manager does everything. Managers are usually logistics specialists with extensive experience in the transportation field. Thus, they fully understand all the dynamics of the operations, helping them perform their job effectively.
What is Fleet Management Software?
The management software enables the managers to control and monitor all the operational aspects. From vehicle acquisition and dispatch to the driver’s behavior monitoring, management software covers everything. It makes the managers’ job much more comfortable and efficient, helping them achieve short-term and long-term targets. Moreover, new-age software enhance their scope by integrating other business systems with them.
Features:
Although the features of the management software vary, some of the basic ones are as follows:
Vehicle Management:
The management systems manage various vehicle aspects like track location, decide routes, check idling and moving, etc. They also help in preventive maintenance and replacement of the units.
Driver Management:
From drivers’ details and verification to assigning them a task and assessing performance, tracking systems do it all.
Safety Assurance:
The latest solutions come with features like alarm systems, driver identification, eco-friendly drive to ensure safety. All of these features not only help reduce theft risk but also prevent crashes.
Meeting Compliance:
Monitoring software keeps track of all the compliance needs. It helps the managers to fulfill the requirements in an organized way. In addition to that, other features like preventive maintenance and safety assurance also help in meeting compliance.
Read Also: Everything You Need to Know about Flotilla IoT Fleet Management System
Record Keeping:
From the daily trip details to staff management, the fleet operations generate a lot of data. Therefore, a platform is required to store and organize the data. The vehicle tracking systems help keep the record of the useful data in one place.
Fleet management is a vast field that integrates telematics and administrative job. It is the backbone of transportation operations and facilitates business in achieving their goals. With the ever-growing telematics industry, the future of fleet management looks bright.
