The Telematics Benefits That Matter to Fleet Managers

Telematics and GPS solutions have evolved and adapted to new industry innovations to match the growing needs of fleet managers.

As of 2018, 30-40% of the fleet market was reported to be using a telematics product ¹, a percentage that is still continuing to grow as more fleets find these solutions increasingly valuable to their business.

How Telematics Adapt as Your Fleet Grows

A common reason more fleets are adopting telematics and GPS solutions is to help meet the growing demands of their companies as their businesses and fleet sizes expand.

“We used to keep track of our equipment’s location on paper,” said Bob, a GPS Trackit customer. “This was ok when we only had 10-15 pieces to keep track of. Now we have almost 200 pieces of equipment and it would be nearly impossible to keep track of it without GPS Trackit. Our equipment moves around 24/7/365.”

Some fleets introduced themselves to these services on a trial basis, to get a feel for what the technology offered, and later found that going all-in on telematics and GPS tracking was a no-brainer.

“We started this relationship as an experiment to see how GPS tracking of vehicles could impact our operations as a construction company,” said Tim D, another GPS Trackit customer. “The first 10 vehicles tracked eventually grew to 168 and is on its way to our full fleet of over 200 vehicles.”

Telematics Are Becoming More Intuitive

As telematics and GPS solutions look to provide fleets with the most robust and effective suite of solutions, they are also increasingly looking to find a balance of being intuitive and easy to use as well as helpful.

“Navigation of the platform is intuitive, design is modern and we give clients access to everything we offer, not an ala carte solution,” said Jeff Alsop, GPS Trackit – director of strategic accounts, about the company’s technological design. “They can use as much or as little as necessary to effectively run their business and grow into using more of the system as they see fit.”

A fleet manager utilizing GPS Trackit solutions echoed these sentiments once he incorporated telematics technologies into his operations, finding its ease-of-use to be a highlight.

“The software is easy to use, easy to navigate, and has everything you could need for your fleet and then some,” said GPS Trackit customer Chris C.

Reaping the Fleet Safety Benefits

One of the biggest draws to telematics and GPS tracking are the benefits it brings to fleet safety, which is highlighted by the ability to monitor driver behavior. Drivers gradually improve their skills when their driving behavior is monitored.

“Since the installation of this program, accidents have been cut down drastically since the drivers know that management is monitoring them via the fleet manager and I know at the end of the day I safely know where my vehicles are,” said GPS Trackit customer Peter G.

Being able to monitor the speed of your drivers as they work is a critical component to tracking driver behavior, especially since speeding was a contributing factor in 26% of all traffic fatalities, according to 2018 data. ²

“The speed monitoring was a great feature since it shows how fast the trucks are going along with the posted speed limit for the street they are on,” said an anonymous GPS Trackit telematics user.

Speaking of the dangers of vehicle crashes, fleets incorporating telematics will find it easier to defend themselves in cases of litigation if they are being accused of being at fault in the instance of an accident.

“One of our drivers got into an accident. The person he got into the accident with called us to inquire about it,” said Scott Thompson, fleet manager of Thompson Trading. “The GPS Trackit system provides accurate location data to resolve accident and insurance issues, when we looked back and looked to the tracking, we figured out that they were in the areas, and after further questioning, we found out what actually happened.”

Cost-Saving Benefits of Cutting Fuel Spend

The benefits of monitoring drivers extends beyond the safety benefits. Fleets have also found they’ve been able to reduce fuel spend through the implementation of telematics solutions.

“I decided to give it a try and I felt that I was given total control over knowing where my vehicles were, what they were doing along with fuel consumption which in turn saved me some money,” said Peter G.

Jim Bernier, fleet manager for Spring Green, also found cost-saving benefits particularly useful with regards to reducing idling in his fleet.

“When the gas costs went through the roof, I was looking at the idle time and going, ‘why aren’t you turning your trucks off?’” said Bernier.

Video Solutions in the Pipeline

Fleets who invest in telematics solutions not only get to reap the benefits of what’s currently made available to them now but also get to look forward to future innovations the technology will be able to offer them moving forward.

Jeff Alsop of GPS Trackit teased some of the upcoming developments the company is looking to dole out in the near future.

“The roadmap is chock-full of new UX enhancements that are being worked on. New maps, new video, new reports, new alerts, ECU data integration and new fleet status tab,” said Alsop.

If you’d like to learn more about how GPS Trackit can help to improve safety, increase productivity and reduce costs for your business, speak with one of our knowledgeable Fleet Advisors at 866-320-5810 or get a quick Custom Quote.

Sources:
https://www.automotive-fleet.com/160134/fleet-management-2-0
https://www.nhtsa.gov/risky-driving/speeding