8 benefits of fleet management automation

 

#1 FUEL CONSUMPTION CONTROL

The strict control of fuel consumed is the first step to sustainable logistics. Fleet management automation systems allow you to receive alerts and updates when a particular truck is going to exceed the daily mileage limit for example. This may occur due to bad route planning, dangerous driving, or some changes in the processing of customer orders. However, all the features needed to prevent this situation may also be embedded in the fleet management automation software and be visualized on a customizable dashboard.

Telematics solutions can also be a source of surprising insights into fuel consumption management. One of Archer's clients discovered that the biggest fuel consumption in their vehicle fleet was occurring during the idle time. It turned out that allowing the engine to work when idling causes more fuel consumption than stopping and starting the engine again. Our client has cut costs significantly by simply notifying the drivers to stop the engine while idle for dispatch or loading.

#2 AUTOMATED REPORTS AND INSIGHTS INTO FLEET OPERATIONS

This is one of the obvious benefits. Fleet management automation software has built-in dashboards for reporting, analytics and visualization, and all the data can be easily extracted and integrated with accounting software. Automatically-generated reports save time and eliminate the possibility of human mistakes.

The comprehensive charts and customizable dashboards in a custom fleet management solution allow company management to control and increase profitability and ROI, improve customer service, and build a powerful fleet.

#3 PREVENTATIVE MAINTENANCE AND WEAR-OUT CONTROL

Being powered by artificial intelligence, the fleet management automation application can become even more useful with the help of predictive maintenance. As we have mentioned, the system collects and analyzes the data regarding repairs and planned services. Artificial intelligence can suggest when a certain spare part will need a repair or replacement and notify you in advance thereby preventing downtime, outwears, and costly repairs.

The periods of vehicle maintenance control can be attached to the mileage, time and load of utilization, driving behavior, and road quality. And it all can be tracked automatically sending reminders to the Fleet Manager in charge and scheduling the maintenance in advance - everything within seconds. With vehicle diagnostic and preventative maintenance, the Fleet Manager is always sure that the fleet works to its best capacity at any given moment and delivery deadlines are met carefully.

#4 REAL-TIME FLEET DATA GATHERING AND ANALYSIS

Each of your trucks generates a lot of data every day as previously noted. Fleet management automation software allows you to stay up to date and check a certain indicator anytime (for example, where a certain truck is located right now or how many pick-ups and deliveries are already completed).

The company usually needs to integrate several systems into a single digital ecosystem to streamline the data flows and provide access points to the relevant information for the people in charge. This is crucially important for any fleet business as the commercial vehicle provides an enormous amount of telematics data of which you can build your competitive advantage. Reporting tools enable higher-level visibility as well as the ability to drill down to specific details of each fleet vehicle and each order, analyze and visualize the bottlenecks and opportunities for improvements.

#5 FLEET SAFETY

One of the most important benefits of this application for logistics is that the fleet management system may come with a driver behavior monitoring system already built-in. You can specify certain parameters (for example, alerts for sharp braking), and get notified every time your driver makes a driving error. We have already explained the advantages of monitoring the behavior of drivers, but in a nutshell, it is your opportunity to increase safety, reduce costs, and prolong the vehicles’ lifecycle.

One of our clients has introduced a driving behavior tracking system and has monitored the dangerous behavior of their drivers, like speeding. They have also taken into account the overall quality of the drivers' behavior and their proven skills to match where and why the experienced drivers suddenly start driving dangerously. It turned out that in certain parts of the route there were bad road conditions causing the driving behavior to become aggressive. Re-routing not only helped the company to improve drivers and fleet safety but also do less of the maintenance and cut fuel consumption while meeting the same dispatching schedule.

#6 DELIVERY DEADLINE COMPLIANCE

Smart fleet management systems are also able to plan routes competently, and this is one more way to cut costs, optimize your business, and be eco-friendly because of reasonable fuel consumption.  By using the tracking software the company can be much more flexible in making decisions and re-routing on the go.

Automatic scheduling and re-scheduling of the jobs based on the incoming changes in orders and routes can only be done through smart automation and additional usage of the machine learning technologies - no human being or even a team of skilled Fleet Managers could do it manually and be as efficient. This is a feature that enables not merely complying with the delivery deadlines but also significantly increasing the number of deliveries completed in a unit of time.

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#7 FLEET FRAUD PREVENTION

You probably have no doubt that you have a team of highly skilled and honest drivers on your staff, however, driver fraud is already a well-known phenomenon in logistics. The most fraudulent attempts are the cases of driver fuel card fraud (for example, false claims that the fuel card is stolen or lost, or using the fuel card out of the workplace).

Even if the mischievous behavior was not caused by evil intent, but was rather a result of inadvertence, it is always wise to keep your eyes open, track, analyze, prevent, and exclude the possibility of such attempts. AI-powered fleet management automation software is able to detect such anomalies, as well as make data-driven conclusions about the credibility or implausibility of certain statements.

#8 THE DECREASE IN TRAFFIC ACCIDENTS

Logically, fleet management automation software is able to reduce the number of traffic accidents your trucks are involved in by helping you get rid of extra costs, court claims, and other problems.

CONCLUSION

In a data-driven environment, using technology solutions to automate fleet management is the right way to lift your business up. Cprime Studios has developed a lot of very specific solutions for logistics and transportation companies, and we can help you, too. Let’s get in touch today to discuss it!