Install GPS Vehicle Tracking for Some Real Business Benefits
If you have a business of any type and you run one or more vehicles as part of your business then if you are not using a GPS vehicle tracking system then you are definitely missing out on some major benefits.
The cost of a GPS tracking device for each of your vehicles is not expensive anymore. You can now get small miniaturized portable tracking units which have no installation cost because you can easily install them yourself. They just need to be physically situated in a secure location somewhere within the vehicle.
These new portable GPS trackers are fully self-contained with their own internal rechargeable long-life battery power source and powerful built-in antenna that will work just about anywhere, including in the depths of a city centre concrete jungle.
Whether you have just a car, a van, some trucks or a whole fleet of vehicles you will be able to make very good use of a vehicle tracking system because it will bring real benefits to your business and today setting this all up is really affordable.
This is especially true if you have employees that use your vehicles whether it is for travel to meetings or for deliveries and collections. To save you money and make the very best use of your vehicles you need to know where time is wasted and costs are too high and where real savings can be made.
If you don’t know how and where your vehicles are being used then there really is no chance that you are going to be able to make any real savings. Here knowledge truly is power.
As soon as you know what is happening then you can start to make adjustments to make your business more efficient and in the end more profitable.
When employees take advantage of the company cars you let them use then you are losing money. The problem here is that without vehicle tracking you will never know what it is really costing you especially when employees claim costs back from you when you have no way of verifying if they are valid or not.
If you have a GPS vehicle tracking system installed in your vehicles you will be able to see at any time of any day where your vehicles are located, but more importantly you will be able to discover where they have been and what they have been doing.
From historical movement tracking records and details of vehicle speed and stop-start times you will be able to analyze what your vehicles have been doing and therefore determine the efficiency of your vehicles and what are valid costs and what are not.
Oil prices are going up and this is going to continue and probably get worse so gas costs are something on which you can make a big saving.
Once your employees know that they are being monitored you will find that all the little extra trips they do which you are paying for will reduce and your costs will quickly decrease. So just by installing a tracking system and letting your workforce know that vehicle usage is being tracked can save you money.
Another benefit is that you will now know when your vehicle is idle and that potentially time is being wasted. If a driver is taking long breaks and not doing as many deliveries as might otherwise be accomplished then this is inefficient and in the end costing you.
Look at all the angles and you will soon find that with a GPS vehicle tracking system there are many ways to make your business more profitable by reducing vehicle running costs and the lowering the cost of expensive employees.
How to Identify Reputable Suppliers of Fleet Management Vehicle Tracking Systems
The supply and maintenance of vehicle tracking systems for fleet management has become big business in the last few years. With the advent of more up to date GPS tracking and smaller, vehicle mounted GPS devices, it is now easier than ever for a fleet manager to keep an accurate log of the whereabouts of all of the vehicles on their fleet. However, choosing a reputable dealer has become increasingly hard because of the inevitable attraction of a fast buck to some less than honest vehicle tracking system suppliers.
To make sure that the dealer you choose is the right one for your business, there are a few questions you can ask first before selecting your provider.
Are they here for the long haul?
Ask your potential vehicle tracking system supplier for a list of other customers. Recommendations from existing customers are gold in any business, and it’s just as important in modern GPS network supply as in any other field. From talking to other customers you can find out what their after-care service is like, whether the company is flexible and has an established research and development programme (making sure that they’re not going to use your fleet as a ‘guinea pig’ to try out a new system) and that they’re reputable.
Show me the money…
Ask to see their accounts. This is a sure way of knowing if a company is reputable or not. Just looking at their advertising literature isn’t enough – anyone can have a glossy brochure printed up – is the company behind the blurb reliable?
TrustMark
The major players in vehicle tracking and GPS tracking devices are currently lobbying the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform to introduce a ‘TrustMark’ initiative for the industry. The TrustMark initiative has been used successfully in other industries such as building, raising standards and marking out companies that take on the initiative as reliable and dependable. The vehicle tracking industry has attracted some unscrupulous businesses, all looking to make a quick profit from customers who are ill-informed and perhaps a little over-eager to join a technological revolution they know little about. Approved operators would have to meet strict criteria concerning hardware quality and after-care service standards. Although not yet inforced, questioning your supplier on their opinion of the scheme may give you a little insight into their commitment to provide a comprehensive and quality service.
Where’s the warranty?
Both hardware and software should be covered by a warranty that includes generic updates and continuing after-sales servicing. If the warranty has ‘escape’ clauses, the provider (and the equipment) may prove to be unreliable, which can be costly.
At the next junction, turn left…
Don’t get mesmerised by a wonderful collection of onboard maps, moving location dots on a screen and fancy software. That’s only a small part of the capabilities of good vehicle tracking devices. A good system should be able to provide you with a wealth of additional data including such features as unauthorised mileage reports, out-of-hours activity, speed of vehicles, programmable route planning and even silent alarms that are activated when the vehicle is supposed to be stationary (indicating possible theft).
Is it right for your business?
It is essential that you stay in control of the solution offered to you. Fleet management is a complex business, and you know the requirements and needs of your fleet far better than the GPS vehicle tracking supplier. An off-the-shelf system may seem like a cheaper option, but it could tie you in with a supplier who cannot grow with your business and cannot provide you with the information you want. Know exactly what you want from your system before you begin the search for a supplier.
The emphasis is on the fleet manager to research carefully beforehand and draw up a business plan indicating exactly what they expect a GPS system to achieve for your business, how much you are prepared to invest and a list of potential suppliers. Only then can you make an informed choice as to which is the best supplier to choose.
GPS Fleet Management Tools; Vital In Business
The world of fleet management in recent years has been revolutionised by the introduction of various tracking technologies. One of these technologies is GPS or global positioning system that utilises satellites to track vehicles pretty much anywhere in the world. These systems also make navigation easier and give the manager vital information on any driver in the fleet at any point during the day. While the initial outlay can be expensive for fleet management tools, the monthly charges are usually affordable and in most cases the money saved will outweigh the costs of implementation after around six months to a year.
GPS fleet management tools give the manger essential information on vehicles and the behaviour of drivers while they are on jobs throughout the day. In some cases, these systems can be helpful in identifying drivers who are taking liberties, such as driving the vehicle in an abusive way or using the vehicle for purposes not related to the business. With the option to monitor vehicle speed and direction, managers are given the opportunity to pick up on driver behaviour; seemingly drivers who practice clutches gear changes in company motors will be a nonentity in the future.
The benefits of GPS fleet management tools are not just concerned with driver behaviour and vehicle use; they can also be used to improve administrative functions. In some systems the option to include a maintenance tool is a possibility. This type of inclusion can help managers identify which vehicles in the fleet need to undergo oil changes or servicing. This type of system will in fact work towards reducing maintenance and running costs in the long run. Understandably a better maintained fleet will be more fuel efficient and cheaper to run. Maintenance tools allow fleets to reduce maintenance costs, allowing vehicles to run for longer and save money of fuel.
Additionally GPS fleet management solutions allow managers to undertake a detailed examination of any accidents that may occur. Unfortunately accidents are an inevitable part of owning a fleet, GPS tools however act in many ways like a mini black box recorder, like those on aircraft. Giving information on speed and direction, insurance claims are made far more straightforward, giving an accurate indication of liability in any accident.
While employees may be initially be wary of GPS fleet management systems as an invasion of privacy, the benefits soon become evident. The result will be that employees take better care of their vehicles, meaning that as a manager life will be made far simpler. Employees will not only drive safer, unscheduled stops and detours will become less prevalent, meaning that the management role is made that much easier. Drivers will also feel the benefits however, GPS tracking systems work towards reducing the amount of paperwork that must be filled out by employees whilst also reducing the amount of time they must spend on the road.
Another way in which vehicle tracking systems reduce costs is through insurance premiums. Many of the major insurance providers will give discounts for fleets that have tracking systems, this is because of the benefits in safer driving and also because GPS tracking will allow any vehicle that has been stolen to be recovered more quickly.
Hopefully this information will help fleet managers to recognise the benefits that GPS tracking systems can bring. In a world of rising fuel costs and maintenance bills, having a method to reduce this expenditure should be investigated thoroughly. The big question is whether your fleet can really live without the implementation of GPS technology.
Choosing Between Free and Paid Vehicle Tracking
The advent of cheap (and even, in some cases, free) GPS tracking systems has revolutionised how the general public move from point A to point B. The days of paper maps are regarded as numbered by many. However, GPS has far more applications than acting as mere electronic maps and GPS tracking has become an important business tool in fleet management. Vehicle tracking enables fleet managers to keep a close eye on the exact location of all their vehicles and also allows them to gather information on how the fleet is operating, optimum routes and even incidences of speeding.
Recently Google and Locatea.net have thrown a new ingredient into the mix – free GPS tracking. Google has launched ‘Latitude’ – a free access system showing participants their exact (to within a few metres) location on the planet and the location of all their friends and family who sign up to the system. More of an extension of their highly successful ‘Google Earth’ package, Latitude is a fun way of keeping in touch with friends and family, but it doesn’t really have a practical application in the business world. The same is true of Locatea.net, which gives an accurate portrayal of the locations of everyone who wants to be involved in the programme. And herein lies the problem with free vehicle tracking systems. They are really more of an addition to social networking collectives and do not as such have a practical application as a business tool. Free vehicle tracking is also voluntary, so it’s easy to exclude yourself from the system should you so wish to.
Paid vehicle tracking is completely different. Designed for a specific purpose, it allows fleet managers to manage and control fleets of vehicles for business use. A paid-for system is a tailor-made business solution that is far more accurate and reliable than a free system. Not only does it allow a fleet manager to identify and locate all vehicles on the system – it also supplies vital additional information that can make an important contribution to the overall efficiency of the business. Vehicle tracking systems supply information about unofficial out of hours usage, calculate average speed of vehicles and can act as a locator beacon in the event of an emergency (particularly important if the fieldworkers are operating in remote locations). GPS devices also act as a security measure. If a vehicle is stolen, a fitted GPS tracking system will enable the fleet manager to locate it immediately, notifying police and ensuring that the vehicle is recovered as quickly as possible. Because of their use in this aspect, GPS tracking systems can also help to reduce the overall insurance costs of a fleet and so save the company money in the long run.
Another major advantage of paid-for vehicle tracking systems is the after-care and systems support that it brings with it. Updates and both hardware and software are covered by a warranty, which means that the system is always operating at maximum efficiency and running costs can be kept to a minimum. With free systems, updates are much more generic in nature and less frequent. Although the mapping functions may be updated regularly these are still only designed for general use and rarely have additional features attached that are business-specific in nature.
For fleet management and business use, a paid vehicle tracking system is a worthwhile investment. By carefully selecting a supplier that can provide you with a custom-made system which suits your business needs, the initial investment can actually turn into a business asset that will save your company money over time.
