8 Key Business Challenges and How You Can Solve Them With Fleet Tracking!

Managing a fleet can be challenging for businesses, but thankfully, technology such as telematics and tracking can help you manage your fleet more effectively and tackle numerous operational challenges. This article discusses some of these challenges and how fleet tracking can help you overcome them.

Reduce paperwork and cut admin time.

We have seen that implementing vehicle tracking solutions and telematics with easy to use dashboards can significantly reduce paperwork for many companies. By digitally storing trip history, routes, mileage, and driver identification, businesses can streamline their administrative processes and allow fleet managers to efficiently pull reports as needed.

Businesses without a tracking solution often experience excessive communication focused on updating customers, team members and management about vehicle locations and arrival times. This can result in drivers being distracted by having to take calls while driving to provide ETA updates. This is also the same for call centres receiving large number of calls due to lack of driver tracking. By implementing a fleet tracking system, these issues can be eliminated, ultimately saving time and increasing productivity for employees.

Poor Customer Service

Sometimes poor customer service is caused by a lack of data, for example, overpromising and underdelivering. With tracking, you can reduce complaints and improve service by providing accurate ETAs and ensuring safer driving, which reduces the risk of accidents - meaning jobs can be done on time with very low % of failure.

Driver Welfare

Monitoring drivers can be challenging, particularly when it comes to ensuring they take adequate breaks, adhere to driving hours regulations, and avoid excessively long breaks. Without a tracking system, it is difficult to effectively oversee driver welfare. However, fleet tracking allows for close monitoring of driver activities, demonstrating genuine concern for their well-being. For example, if a driver remains stationary for an extended period, it could indicate a breakdown or issue that requires attention. Additionally, in cases of inclement weather, fleet tracking enables efficient welfare checks for all vehicles in affected areas, providing peace of mind for fleet managers.

Poor efficiency

Without a tracking system in place, businesses risk making inefficient decisions regarding routing and fuel consumption. Sending drivers on congested routes can waste valuable time, increase potential hazards, and add excessive mileage to company vehicles, thereby shortening their lifespan. However, implementing a fleet tracking solution allows for optimised routing, identification of patterns and trends, and ultimately leads to well-informed decision-making for improved fleet management.

Dangerous driving

Without a tracking system, monitoring how your vehicles are driven becomes challenging. Poor driving habits not only tarnish your brand image - as people may recall your company due to witnessing reckless driving - but also increase the risk of vehicle damage and accidents, leading to higher insurance premiums. By implementing a fleet tracking solution, you can detect signs of bad driving, such as harsh acceleration, hard braking, and sharp cornering. This valuable data can then be utilised to coach drivers towards safer practices. In our experience, introducing fleet tracking as a management strategy effectively reduces accidents and fosters a safety culture among staff members.

Vehicle Theft

Data from Verizon Connect reveals that businesses operating fleets lose an average of ￡16,000 annually due to stolen vehicles and equipment. This figure rises to over ￡50 000 for businesses with more than 100 vehicles. Large fleets can expect to lose a few vehicles to theft a year and are often unable to recover them. Investing in a tracking system can significantly reduce the risk of vehicle theft.

Fleet tracking serves as both a preventative and mitigating measure against theft. With tracking systems in place, fleet managers can monitor vehicle locations in real-time and establish geofences that trigger alerts if a vehicle strays beyond predefined boundaries. This enables swift action if a vehicle is found to be operated without the assigned driver, providing crucial time to initiate vehicle recovery policies and procedures. Furthermore, tracking systems can pinpoint the location of a stolen vehicle, increasing the chances of recovery. Some companies even use stickers to indicate that their vehicles are actively tracked and monitored, serving as a deterrent for potential thieves.

Unauthorised use of assets and vehicles

Unauthorised vehicle usage might appear to be a minor issue, but it can result in significant problems. Excessive wear and tear on vehicles often necessitate more frequent routine maintenance than would otherwise be required. It's widely acknowledged that prolonged vehicle operation leads to higher operating costs and decreased performance so if vehicles age quicker because of misuse, you could be incurring increased operational costs. Furthermore, liability concerns may arise in the event of an accident, as it can be unclear whose insurance should cover the damages when a vehicle is used without authorisation. Accordingly, unaccounted vehicle usage, such as after-hours or additional work not supervised by fleet managers, can create issues.

Moreover, if a fleet is undergoing a vehicle replacement program, unauthorised usage can cause the premature replacement of the wrong vehicles or errors in forecast. Over-projection can occur when fleet managers estimate that a vehicle will last for a certain number of years, only to find that it requires replacement well before the anticipated date. This can disrupt the replacement schedule and result in unexpected costs.

Unapproved vehicle usage also consumes company fuel, leading to increased fuel expenses.

Lack Of Good Driver recognition

In some fleet-based businesses, morale can be low because drivers often feel that the only communication they receive revolves around reprimands or cautionary warnings about poor behaviour. This can lead to decreased morale. Investing in a tracking solution not only allows you to identify instances of bad driving, as discussed earlier, but it also reveals the good drivers within your fleet. Access to this data enables you to establish a good driver scheme or offer incentives that encourage safer driving habits. You can even gamify the process or implement a driver score algorithm, further boosting morale and promoting a culture of safety and responsible driving.

Need help with Tracking and Telematics?

With a large team of technicians spanning across the UK and Ireland, we provide comprehensive fleet tracking installation services to businesses nationwide. Not only do we offer expert installation, but we also extend our knowledge and skills to consult, and tracking solutions tailored to your specific needs.

By choosing RS Connect, you're choosing quality, expertise, and a partner dedicated to enhancing your fleet's efficiency and safety. Get in touch with us today.