Wondering how to improve fleet management? we got you covered. If you’re in a business that involves making use of several commercial vehicles (such as trucks, cabs, buses), then you must be familiar with fleet management. Fleet management refers to the operations and management of commercial vehicles to ensure high and smooth productivity.
A fleet management team is tasked with making sure that the vehicles are well-maintained, the routes are well-planned and the drivers are coordinated.
There are several aspects of fleet management that can now be taken care of through fleet management software thanks to the power of data analytics and artificial intelligence.
In this article, we’ll discuss five tips in which fleet management can be improved.
Major Challenges in Fleet Management
Here are some of the common issues that fleet managers face on a day-to-day basis:
- Fuel Costs
- Route Optimization
- Driver Behavior
- Vehicle and Driver Safety
Read more about the challenges below.
1. Fuel Costs
Depending on the type and size of the vehicles in a fleet, even a small fluctuation in fuel prices can have a significant impact on the bottom line of a company. Fleet managers need to stay on their toes to optimize fuel usage and reduce downtime.
2. Route Optimization
When planning a route manually – fleet managers need to consider too many variables such as delivery time windows, availability of drivers, vehicle capabilities, and loading of ways. Further, when managing routes manually, changes in drivers, vehicles, and the road also need to be taken into consideration.
3. Driver Behavior
Fleet management involves managing a team of drivers, which means that interpersonal management skills are paramount. Management needs to ensure that drivers are trained to refrain from aggressive driving behavior, improper shifting, undue idling, or not using safety controls.
4. Vehicle and Driver Safety
Fleet managers must ensure that vehicles are safe for driving and the drivers are not overworked (or facing any other issue). Managers need to take preventative maintenance measures such as checking brake fluid sensors and the dispatch is working properly.
Top 5 Tips to Improve Your Fleet Management with Vehicle Data Analytics
Here are some of the ways in which vehicle data analytics can help solve the above challenges:
- Proper Training for Drivers
- Using Preventative Maintenance
- Optimizing Fleet Routes
- Optimizing Fuel Consumption
- Using an Automated Fleet Management Solution
Read more below.
1. Proper Training for Drivers
As mentioned earlier, fleet managers need to ensure that drivers realize the need to refrain from improper behavior. Unruly behavior can lead to high costs due to higher insurance premiums, more downtime, traffic fines, more vehicle repairs and maintenance, and even property damage.
Fleet management software can help managers provide the required training by monitoring several data parameters. Such software can collect data on rapid acceleration, over-speeding, harsh braking, no safety belt usage, cornering, and other details of the trip.
This data can then be used by managers to discuss with drivers and solve any issues that they may face leading to improper behavior.
2. Using Preventative Maintenance
Preventative maintenance helps to ensure that your fleet stays on the road and on time. Lack of proper maintenance can cost the company due to preventable vehicle failures, higher fuel costs and low efficiency, higher insurance costs, and so on.
Fleet management software can collect vehicle data on engine temperature, odometer readings, fuel gauge, battery life, tire pressure, location, malfunction warnings, overheat warnings, and more. This data can then be utilized by maintenance teams to ensure that the vehicle receives proper care.
3. Optimizing Fleet Routes
Fleet routes need to be optimized so that vehicles do not use more fuel and time on a longer route, the wrong vehicles are not sent on the wrong trip, the drivers are familiar with the route to be taken, and every vehicle is being used, and so on.
Companies can use fleet management software to gain insight through real-time telemetry for fleets. This involves collecting data on vehicle location, vehicle speed, the direction of movement, acceleration, and altitude.
Through this data, companies can:
- Navigate their fleet
- Find the shortest routes
- Get real-time ETAs
- Allocate trips to the best vehicle.
4. Optimizing Fuel Consumption
Fuel costs can undoubtedly have a large say in the bottom line of a fleet-related company. Fuel costs can be reduced by using the shortest routes, proper maintenance of vehicles, reducing engine idling, using speed restrictions, using the right vehicle, and so on.
Fleet management software can help by collecting data on the fuel gauge, battery life, overheat warnings, tire pressure, odometer readings, rapid acceleration, overspeeding, harsh braking, and other related parameters.
This data can then be used to identify if a vehicle needs maintenance if the driving is proper if the best navigation and routes are being used – ultimately leading to lower fuel costs.
4. Using an Automated Fleet Management Solution
Thanks to emerging technology, such as data analytics, internet-of-things, and artificial intelligence, we now have automated fleet management solutions that can greatly improve the efficiency of any commercial fleet.
An automated fleet management solution can help by making the job of human fleet managers easier and quicker across all areas. It can help by automatically collecting a wide variety of parameters (such as vehicle health, vehicle navigation, driver behavior, and more) and then providing easy-to-digest and actionable insights for fleet managers to act upon.
How CerebrumX Makes Fleet Management Easier?
CerebrumX is a new-age artificial intelligence and data analytics company that specializes in fleet management and connected vehicles. Our purpose is to make the transportation ecosystem as productive, smart, and efficient, as possible.
We can help any organization with a large fleet to ensure that their fleet is properly maintained, the drivers are provided with the right tools, the managers are equipped with the right data and insight, and the end-users have no complaints.
Visit CerebrumX to learn more about our fleet management services.