Fleet Tracking
Additional Add-on Services
Apr 11, 2024
For small businesses, many struggles can arise from failing to streamline fleet operations. Resources, finances, and time are often squandered due to poorly functioning, inefficient fleets.
In order to sustain success in competitive markets, small businesses should be implementing valuable technology such as GPS fleet tracking to help them address the above issues.
In this guide, we’re going to be explaining all you need to know about buying GPS fleet trackers for your small business, covering how fleet trackers work and how to choose the right fleet tracking system for your specific needs.
Before exploring the advantages, let's first explain how GPS fleet tracking works. GPS technology relies on satellites to precisely locate vehicles in real-time. Subsequently, this data is transmitted to the central system, giving businesses a thorough overview of their fleet's activities, including movement patterns, speeds, precise locations, and stopping points.
Small businesses often work within tight budgets and resource constraints, making GPS Fleet tracking a valuable tool for optimising route planning and navigation. By incorporating GPS tracking, small businesses can minimise fuel expenses and travel time.
Fleet managers can utilise GPS data to pinpoint the most efficient routes, ensuring prompt deliveries and service appointments. Additionally, live vehicle monitoring enables small businesses to track fleet locations in real-time, ensuring adherence to schedules and designated routes by drivers.
What’s more, by monitoring driver behaviour, businesses can put a stop to inefficient driving techniques such as prolonged idling as well as harsh braking and accelerating- all of which consume large amounts of fuel.
GPS fleet trackers offer valuable insights, including peak operational times and stopping points, which fleet managers can use to identify trends and areas for enhancement. Moreover, these trackers provide maintenance alerts based on vehicle mileage or 1 engine usage, minimising the risk of breakdowns and expensive repairs later down the line. This can help to boost your small business’ efficiency.
Utilising GPS fleet tracking to optimise routes can lead to substantial reductions in operational costs. Access to precise information on vehicle usage enables small businesses to allocate resources more effectively and make informed decisions, ultimately leading to cost savings.
By monitoring driving patterns, fleet managers can also gain insights into fuel consumption, identifying areas where efficiencies can be made.
This can be as simple as adjusting routes to avoid congestion, leading to significant fuel savings over time. Additionally, modern GPS trackers are integrated with vehicle diagnostics, facilitating predictive maintenance. Instead of reacting to breakdowns, fleet managers can preemptively
address vehicle issues, thus reducing downtimes, costly repairs, and potential delivery delays.
Customers are the heart of all businesses and in order for any business, regardless of size, to prosper, customer satisfaction is paramount.
As a customer, there’s nothing worse than having to wait all day for a delivery to arrive, especially if it doesn’t actually arrive on the estimated day.
Fortunately, with an advanced fleet tracking system in place, you can keep your customers updated with more accurate ETAs, even providing them with their delivery driver’s exact location, with details of how many stops are before them.
This allows customers to ensure they are at home to collect their delivery during a much smaller time period, allowing them to go about their day until it is due to arrive.
Real-time tracking, coupled with efficient routes and timely services, boosts the likelihood of repeat business and positive referrals from customers. This emphasis on customer service excellence is vital for sustained success in any business endeavour.
Small businesses are often targeted by thieves as they typically have fewer security measures in place, especially when it comes to their vehicles. That’s why implementing GPS fleet trackers is essential for your small business.
One fantastic security feature offered by Fleetsmart as part of our vehicle tracking systems is geofencing. This allows fleet managers to define virtual boundaries on a map. If a vehicle enters or exits these predefined zones, alerts are triggered.
Geofencing is invaluable for ensuring that drivers stick to their routes, stay out of restricted areas, and can even be used to notify managers when a delivery vehicle is nearing its destination.
Additionally, with live up-to-the-minute GPS tracking, should your vehicles ever be taken by thieves, you can quickly track them down alongside the police to recover your vehicle as quickly as possible.
As small businesses grow, fleet management can become more intricate. GPS fleet tracking proves invaluable for small businesses due to its scalability and adaptability to evolving needs. Whether a company adds a few vehicles or experiences significant expansion, Fleetsmart’s system seamlessly integrates new assets and ensures consistent monitoring.
Insurance companies often provide discounts for vehicles fitted with tracking devices. The rationale behind this is simple: trackers enhance vehicle security, reduce the risk of theft, and can aid in the recovery of stolen vehicles.
Additionally, tracking systems that monitor driver behaviour can promote safer driving habits, further reducing potential claims. However, the exact amount of discount or the terms can vary between insurance providers. It's advisable for fleet managers or vehicle owners to check with their specific insurance company to understand the potential savings and benefits.
When comparing vehicle tracking systems, it's important to think about the size of your fleet. As a small business, your tracking requirements will likely differ from those of a larger, diverse fleet comprising HGVs, vans, and cars.
Fleets with a large number of vehicles typically find greater value in more advanced systems with a plethora of features, including comprehensive analytics and driver management tools. Fleets with fewer vehicles may find simpler systems that prioritise essential tracking and reporting to be more cost-effective and easy to handle.
Let your business's specific operations drive your choice of features in a vehicle tracking system. For instance, if timely delivery is crucial, explore systems offering advanced route planning and real-time traffic updates, such as those provided by Fleetsmart.
In sectors like construction, tracking systems with sturdy plant tracking devices for heavy machinery are particularly suitable. Assessing your business objectives and daily tasks will help pinpoint which tracking system features are essential, beneficial, or unnecessary for fulfilling your particular requirements.
The installation process for vehicle trackers can vary widely among providers and have a substantial impact on your fleet's operations. Certain systems require professional installation, which may result in vehicle downtime but ensures smooth integration and immediate functionality.
On the other hand, some providers offer self-install devices that your team can quickly and easily set up, minimising disruptions to your daily activities. When evaluating options, consider the installation logistics tailored to your fleet size and vehicle availability to minimise the impact on your business operations.
It’s proven that Telematics can help boost productivity, employee efficiency and fleet operations as a whole; all the while reducing detention, idling, hazardous driver behaviour, fuel consumption and vehicle maintenance costs.
Fleetsmart offer a range of the latest Telematics technology at extremely cost effective prices with scalable options starting from just £6.95 per vehicle per month. With a clear multitude of performance enhancing and money saving reasons to implement telematics to your vehicles, now might be the time to upgrade your fleet.