Management is at the crux of the operations in any industry, and the supply chain sector is no exception. A critical factor that differentiates a great logistics company from a good logistics company is the quality of fleet management systems.

Fleet managers are shouldered with many critical responsibilities like overseeing the fleet, monitoring the drivers, scheduling maintenance procedures, interacting and engaging with the customers and clients, training the drivers, recruiting drivers, and much more. All of this can take a toll on the person and is practically impossible for a single person to perform all the jobs with high efficiency.

Adding to the burden of the fleet managers is the demand of the stakeholders for faster and more efficient operations. But this is hard to achieve due to a lot of factors, one of the major ones being the overwhelming amount of paperwork in a logistics company when it comes to any managerial processes.

Fleet management may seem like a very easy job for an outsider, but one can simply not comprehend its depth without actually being involved in the managerial processes. Fleet managers should be alerted to scale up or scale down the operations every day, depending on the market. They also need to make decisions that are future-proof so that the organization does not incur losses and can widen its profit margins.

Hence, to streamline all operations and to bring the managerial division and the operational division under one roof, the industry demanded a paradigm shift. Fortunately, the internet boom and technological enhancements presented a solution in the form of fleet management software.

What is Fleet Management Software? 

A fleet management software, which is also known as telematics software, is a Software as a Service (SaaS) tool that works in harmony with the industrial internet of things (IIoT) like electronic logging devices (ELDs) and GPS fleet tracking devices to assist the organization in its managerial and operational processes.

An effective fleet management software acts as a huge sphere that takes care of finances, performance, security, compliance, and more, inclusively by monitoring, acquiring, and cataloguing relevant information, like diagnostic information, from all the vehicles of the fleet.

How to Find Out if Your Organization Can Benefit from Fleet Management Software?

So, before you jump in and invest your hard-earned money into high-performing fleet management software like Samsara, you should analyze if your organization needs it. If so, then what is the tradeoff between the investment and returns? 
Below are five key points that you should take a look into to determine if fleet management software will do you any good.

1. What is the Size of Your Fleet?

The size of your fleet is the first variable you should take into consideration. Your choice of vehicle telematics software would largely depend on the number of vehicles you have in your fleet. 

If you are an owner-operator with just one truck, then fleet management software will probably not give you great returns anytime soon. However, a fleet with two or more trucks will see faster returns. In a nutshell, the larger the fleet, the better will be your returns.

2. Are You Employing Preventive Maintenance Procedures Meticulously?

Preventive maintenance procedures can potentially save thousands of dollars for a logistics company every year. In this case, the fleet size does not matter. A fleet with just 2 trucks or 200 trucks can be greatly benefitted when preventive maintenance is practised regularly.

Hence, if you are having trouble scheduling preventive maintenance sessions or you are unable to acquire and analyze the diagnostic information of your vehicle accurately to plan proper maintenance, then investing in fleet management software would be a great option for you to land on.

Some benefits of preventive maintenance are:

• Better road safety.
• Fewer delays.
• Decreased frequency of vehicle breakdowns.
• Lower operational costs.
• Better customer serviceability.

3. Are Your Drivers Well Trained?

Training your drivers regularly to improve their performance, reduce operational costs, and ensure better safety on the roads.

Training your drivers can be a tedious task because it requires the presence of all, and a lot of work hours need to be invested. Thanks to IoT and vehicle telematics software, drivers can now be trained on the go!

IoT devices like embedded artificial intelligence (AI) provide real-time assistance to the drivers en route and also store all the data securely using cloud technology. This data can be accessed by managers and operators remotely from any part of the world to further steer the training process in different directions.

4. Is Your Fleet Secure?

Security is a major concern in the logistics sector. It is commonplace for valuable cargo to be stolen. When this happens, the fleet managers and operators have to put in extra hours of work not to make additional profits but only to avoid losses and, in the process, end up spending a considerably large chunk of money.

To avoid such scenarios, you can adopt a fleet tracking app that gives you real-time updates on your cargo and the drivers. You can even set up geofences to restrict the movement of your cargo for additional safety and security.

5. Are You Overwhelmed with Paperwork? 

Quite often, fleet managers and owner-operators of a fleet are burdened with an insurmountable amount of paperwork even with a relatively small fleet. This takes a toll on their other operations that would otherwise generate immense revenue for the organization.

An intelligent fleet management software makes most of your paperwork seem like a breeze. International Fuel Tax Agreement (IFTA) reports, driver reports, Driver Vehicle Inspection Reports (DVIRs), and more can be obtained with just a few clicks in a wide variety of formats for maximum compatibility. These reports can also be customized to emphasize the information that matters the most.

Conclusion

That was a bird's eye view of the variables you need to take into account before you boil down on fleet management software for your organization.

Do you check any of the boxes from the five points mentioned above? If yes, then you will probably love the benefits that are waiting for you to reap by investing in a reputable fleet management software.

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