The concept of fleet management software came from managing a fleet of commercial vehicles. However, even then several of them are not equipped enough to manage a trucking fleet from scratch, and for good reason!
Managing heavy-duty trucks on non-commercial roads can be tricky business – even with software aid. These trucks come with several special needs and requirements that are hard to cater to. Therefore, here we will talk about the various ways in which you can make your fleet of trucks smarter.
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BYOD: Bring Your Own Device
Here’s how fleet management and telematics work:
- Hardware is installed into trucks
- This hardware is integrated with the software of choice
- Hardware collects information about vehicle movement and performance from the vehicle
- It shares this data to the cloud
- The software then accesses the cloud and receives the information shared by hardware in real-time
- This software then processes and displays data in a digestible format to users
From this process, it is not difficult to surmise that any fleet management system needs two components – hardware and software. Some providers might be the jack of all trades and offer both hardware and software packages. However, most robust ones do not, and there’s nothing wrong with that.
By separating your hardware and software providers, you essentially let people do what they are the best at. Let software developers work on software and let mechanical engineers develop devices.
Separating hardware from software in heavy-duty trucks is especially important because the hardware they require is heavy-duty too. Therefore, only the best hardware manufacturers will be able to create them. Why put that pressure on software providers, right?
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Smart From the Beginning
Another trend that has been picking up pace in the truck management industry is making them smart from the beginning itself. What this means is that before the heavy-duty trucks even get down on the road, they have telematics hardware installed and software integrated.
When trucks are made smart from the beginning, they subscribe to specific hardware and software. Therefore, software providers can integrate well with designated hardware and can adapt to the fleet owners’ wishes.
Being smart from the beginning also works because no more do owners have to waste time on hardware installation before starting tracking. Instead, they are ready to go from the beginning itself! All anyone needs to do is log in to the software account and get start driving!
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Go Paperless
The cost of paper seems like a mundane expense to cut down on, right? How much can it even cost?
Well, first of all, with the things that need to be kept in the loop, paperwork actually can cost a lot. Secondly, paper documentation is a very time-consuming process for managers. Not only do they have to fill the documents but also manage and organize them.
Going paperless is also great for the environment. So, with so many benefits, why do you continue using papers?
Going paperless is extremely simple with fleet management software systems because they can document everything you need on paper. From vehicle and driver details to route maps and performance reports, everything can be present on the software.
Digital paperwork also helps increase productivity because software is capable of managing and analyzing data much better than humans. Moreover, it saves a spectacular amount of time and energy,
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Load and Size-Specific Route Planning
General trucks and vehicles run perfectly on general roads. However, when we think of heavy-duty commercial trucks, there has to be a distinction in route.
Route planning needs to be optimized to save resources, but also needs to take into account the vehicle’s size and load. After all, a 30,000kg truck should not be on the same road as a domestic car, right?
When commercial trucks are on an appropriate path, even drivers do not have too much stress. Here are a few things that make planning routes according to vehicle load and size ideal:
- Heavy trucks do not enter bridges and roads unsuitable for their weight
- Drivers can maneuver around the roads with their heavy vehicles without the stress of excessive risks.
- Overall road safety and truck travel speed increase massively.
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Preventive Maintenance is Necessary
A crucial aspect of commercial fleet management is that the software should help managers decipher when their vehicles need maintenance. This is especially the case with heavy-duty commercial trucks because their maintenance procedures take much longer than other vehicles.
With the most advanced telematics software, diagnostic data can help understand if vehicles can need maintenance. They leverage OEM data and predictive analysis to prevent breaking down and reduce fleet uptime.
To make this maintenance prediction more accurate, the software will need more data. Hence, the larger a fleet associated with it, the better.
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Accurate ETAs and Notifications are a Must
Yes – any GPS tracking software will help you know where your vehicles are in real-time. However, how do you know what condition they are in and how long they will take to reach their destination without going too deep into the software? Well, that is what notifications and ETAs are here for!
ETAs are important because they help the next manager in the supply chain manage their warehouse accordingly. They also help build trust with your fleet, eventually helping you get more business.
Since you cannot look at the dashboard at all times, notifications play a significant role in truck fleet management. Through them, you can know if there is something wrong in real-time without trying to know. Moreover, you can get notifications to give you consistent locational updates.
The visibility offered by your fleet management software to your fleet of trucks is spectacular!
Fleet Management Software Make Supply Chains Agile
There you have it! Six ways in which you can make your fleet of trucks extremely robust. None of these ways is too difficult to follow anyway, right?
With the upcoming features in the fleet management software system industry, managing any kind and size of a fleet can be simple. So, try your hands on TrackoBit, India’s fastest-growing fleet management software!
