Fleet management software and telematics are powerful digital toolboxes. Here’s a comprehensive breakdown of the fleet management software features and applications found in the best platforms.
One of the most fundamental fleet management software features is GPS tracking. Most offer real-time mapping that shows you where every vehicle in your fleet is located throughout the day. Some GPS tracking applications also offer dynamic routing capabilities, showing managers and drivers the fastest routes based on distance and live traffic updates.
Fleet management software features can allow managers to monitor their drivers and collect data on driver habits. Driver behavior monitoring can assess everything from speed, acceleration, and deceleration to right turns, idle time, and fuel efficiency. Some programs allow fleet managers to analyze even deeper, pulling up detailed data on individual trips and comparing various metrics with past driver performances.
You can take driver behavior monitoring even further, too. All the data these applications collect can be organized into “driver scorecards”. The scorecards can grade drivers and field technicians on their driving skills. From there these driver scorecards can be used in any number of ways. These include incentivizing responsible driving, administering warnings to hazardous drivers, or even analyzing scorecard data to see how top-notch driving saves companies money.
Fleet managers need to stay on top of a laundry list of codes and regulations. The Department of Transportation (DOT), the Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OHSA), and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) all publish guidelines that drivers and fleets must follow to stay legally compliant.
Fleet management software features can track the electric logging devices (ELDs) on every fleet vehicle, record drivers’ Hours of Service (HoS), and maintain critical inspection paperwork. Fleet managers can find their jobs infinitely easier when fleet management software is automatically keeping tabs on compliance.
Staying ahead of vehicle maintenance—including tire rotations, oil changes, brake checks, and multi-point inspections—is a chief priority for fleet managers. Fleet management software features can immediately simplify this responsibility. You can set up automatic maintenance notifications for every vehicle in your fleet, streamlining your workflow and cutting down on information overload.
As a fleet manager, you’re likely responsible for keeping track of fleet expenses, including gas, maintenance, and repair receipts. This can easily result in messy paper trails and disorganized records. Fleet management software features can allow fleet managers to store and organize their entire fleet’s expense records in a centralized location. By digitally attaching receipts, invoices, and detailed expense notes to every vehicle in the fleet, you can turn convoluted paper trails into compact, easy-to-access records.
Monitor the fuel efficiency of every vehicle in your fleet with fleet management software’s powerful telematics. Fleet managers can track fuel efficiency figures on a day-to-day, week-to-week, month-to-month basis. This data allows for more informed and financially savvy decisions about vehicles, mileage, and routes.
There’s no overstating just how transformative a single digital database for all your fleet-related information can be. With fleet management software, you can eliminate paper stacks, overflowing file cabinets, and misplaced records. Consolidating your operational data in a single, intuitive database can ease the burden on fleet managers, who must stay on top of an enormous amount of information. Everything from vehicle mileage and fuel efficiency to driver behavior and safety records can be synced and shared on these databases. Plus, they can eliminate an abundance of potentially costly errors and oversights.
All monitored by you, in real time. Are you ready to take control?