When discussing telematics, one might immediately think of GPS tracking and the benefits of knowing where your fleet is at all times. But the benefits of telematics range far beyond locating your fleet. Telematics can help increase the safety of your drivers, improve your operation, and enhance your fleet’s overall efficiency.
Increase Driver Safety
Telematics and GPS tracking can help fleet managers track driver behavior and routes to enhance the safety of fleet drivers and others on the road. Telematics can track speed, driving behaviors, harsh acceleration, quick braking, aggressive cornering and more.
Zonar Systems has a telematics control unit, Zonar V4, that allows fleet managers to track how and when drivers start and stop, how they brake, when they are idling, and other behaviors. It also allows fleet managers to track a vehicle’s GPS location, route and speed.
Having this information allows fleet managers to more proactively discuss bad driving behaviors with drivers. According to BusinessFleet.com, addressing issues with drivers one-on-one -- and having the stats and data to back up conversations -- can be more effective than group training classes or safe-driving seminars.
Credit: UW Facilities Services
Improve Fleet Operations
Telematics can improve fleet operations by troubleshooting issues, prompting preventative maintenance, and reducing miles traveled.
One of the key benefits of telematics is being alerted to potential issues on vehicles before they occur. GPS Insight provides Diagnostic Trouble Codes (DTCs) that are pulled from a vehicle’s engine and alert drivers and fleet managers to problems – both urgent and non-urgent. A driver will be notified if he or she needs to pull over immediately, or if the problem detected can wait to be addressed until the vehicle completes its route.
Telematics also helps fleet managers better manage preventative maintenance on vehicles. Alerts on mileage and usage can be sent to fleet managers to tell them when vehicles are due for routine maintenance. This allows vehicles to be scheduled at specific times – when it’s convenient for the operation. Performing regular preventative maintenance can keep vehicles on the road longer by allowing small maintenance issues to be addressed before they turn into larger problems.
The data compiled from telematics can also help drivers reduce the amount of miles they are driving and their overall time spent on the road. This is due in part to the ability to reroute vehicles because of potential traffic delays and road closures.
Enhance Fleet Efficiency
Using telematics can increase the overall efficiency of a fleet. GPS tracking allows fleet managers to see a vehicle’s location at all times, enabling staff to prepare for the vehicle’s arrival, unloading and departure.
It also gives fleet managers real-time data on fuel use, allowing them to know if a vehicle’s fuel management is aligned with projections. Having access to the driver’s behavior and driving patterns can help fleet managers conclude why the fuel use might be higher – or lower - than expected.
Telematics can also allow drivers to spend less time logging hours and other vehicle information, as the data can be automatically tracked and fed into fleet management systems. This also helps improve accuracy. Instead of introducing human error having drivers manually insert data, pulling it automatically reduces some of the risk.
Having information automatically logged will also help cut expenses, as fleet managers can access drivers’ hours and see who is nearing overtime.
The RTA Fleet Management Software solution can easily integrate with any telematics solution you are using for your fleet. Contact us for more information on how we can help you gain access to key information faster.