How to Prevent Vehicle Breakdowns and Expensive Repairs With Fleet Tracking?

  

     Fleet owners won't be willing to have their fleets under shed due to some breakdowns. To improve ROI(Return On Investment) the fleets must be kept engaged as much as possible.Effective utilization of resources is very important to achieve a better ROI. To achieve this the vehicles must be properly maintained. Lack of minor initial maintenance works may lead to some major problems which may further lead to some expensive repairs. The best example is periodic oil change. The Engine oil must be periodically changed. If not so it may lead to some serious engine problem.

    The best way to avoid all such problem is to have a scheduled maintenance. To have a scheduled maintenance one must maintain a proper maintenance records. Again here comes the problem. Maintaining a record in paper is another tedious process. 

      GPS based Vehicle Tracking System gives you the solution for all the above problem.

     With a GPS fleet tracking solution and its automated maintenance scheduling functionality, you can:

• Easily create and schedule vehicle maintenance with just a few clicks of a button

• Receive alerts to your computer or mobile device when it’s time for upkeep or repairs

• Conveniently set service reminders by days, miles  and/or engine hours

• View details of services performed on any or all vehicles – all on one screen

    As a result you could properly maintain your vehicles with a minimum maintenance cost. Properly maintained vehicles will help you to achieve effective utilization which results in high return. 

Protect Your People,Property and Profitability 

Fleet Risk Management

             Managing risk is part of operating any business. It's also a smart way to lower costs and boost profitability. If you operate a fleet of vehicles, you can reduce the risks to your organisation by implementing a GPS based fleet management solution to continually monitor vehicle and driver performance gaining more control over fleet performance while helping to protect your people, assets, and bottom line.

5 Steps For Managing Fleet Risk

1.Improving Safety:

              Speeding wastes fuel, increases the risk of accidents, and can lead to other behaviours that put your drivers and vehicles at risk. According to the Bureau of Energy Efficiency of India, aggressive driving  including speeding  can lower highway fuel mileage by 33 percent and city mileage by five percent.

            To reduce speeding, you first need to know when and where your drivers are doing it. A fleet tracking system reveals this information by monitoring the speed and location of every vehicle, at all times. It also comes with customisable alert and reporting features that provide the data required to effectively coach or discipline drivers and bring them into alignment with company policies.

         For example, alerts notify you in real time when speeding incidents occur. You determine the alert criteria, such as speed thresholds, time of day, type of vehicle, etc., and the system automatically sends a text or e-mail alert when a violation occurs. Speeding reports also provide detailed and summary data on all speed-related incidents. The reports can be scheduled for automated delivery on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis, allowing you to identify current violations as well as month-by-month trends in driver behaviour.

2.Limit Unnecessary Driving:

        Risk can be reduced by avoiding unnecessary driving. With a wireless fleet management system, you can reduce unnecessary driving by routing vehicles more efficiently, tracking their locations, monitoring off-hours usage. You can also use a variety of reports to monitor and manage vehicle utilisation that show

• The daily start and end location of every vehicle: With this data you can confidently allow drivers to take their vehicles home at night, knowing you can easily identify any unauthorised use.
• Vehicle usage outside of normal business hours.
•  Vehicles entering or exiting an "off-limits" area.

3.Reduce Vehicle Breakdowns:

             Poorly maintained vehicles can become increasingly unsafe to drive. With a Fleet management system, you can reduce the risks related to malfunctioning or poorly maintained vehicles in several important ways. Your Fleet management system will also provide comprehensive service records. These allow you to maintain fleet health and help extend the life of your vehicles for cost savings and safe operation.

4.Protect Against Vehicle Theft:

               Vehicle tracking system will help you to protect your vehicle from theft.It can alert you when there is any suspicious vehicle movement. It can also help to retrieve stolen vehicles by enabling you to provide police departments with a van or truck's precise location the moment you realise it's been stolen.

         Geofencing will intimate you when your vehicles move out of the predefined boundary. And if you feel that there is some unauthorised movement then you could stop the engine by cutting the fuel supply just by sending an SMS from your mobile. 

5.Protect Drivers Against False Claims:

                Drivers might be falsely accused of speeding in a school zone. A customer might complain that they didn't receive a delivery on time. Another customer might accuse a service technician of over-charging by falsifying the amount of time spent at the location. In some cases, drivers might be blamed for causing an accident they weren't even part of.GPS based vehicle tracking can help reduce these risks by providing the precise speed and location of every vehicle in your fleet.     

Top 3 Driving Mistakes A Web-Based Fleet System Can Prevent

        The trucking industry is one of the most important transportation industries in India today, hauling food, clothing, and business and consumer goods all over the country. In order to get the most out of this industry, you need to have the best drivers out on the road at all times.

        Unfortunately not all truck drivers are operating their vehicles in the safest and most efficient ways at all times, but if you were able to be sitting in the passenger seat of every truck that you have out on the road, it might help avoid the top three mistakes that most drivers make. Since you can't be in every vehicle at all times, a Vehicle tracking system can monitor trucker behavior as though you were riding along in each vehicle at all times.

Mistake #1: Speeding

        According to the National Highway Authority of India, speed is a factor in about 1 out of every 3 fatal crashes, and it is one of the leading factors that contributes to non-fatal crashes as well. These dangers are amplified when they involve a speeding semi-truck because of the size of the vehicle. There are a lot of reasons your drivers might be speeding, whether it's because they are behind schedule for a delivery, they are not paying attention, or they are trying to make the delivery faster to get home sooner, but whatever the reason, the behavior is dangerous. In addition to the risk of causing a crash, speeding can be costly because it decreases fuel efficiency and may result in speeding tickets or other fines. If drivers knew the boss was monitoring their driving behaviors, they might be less likely to speed.

Mistake #2: Unscheduled Stops

       When a driver is out on the road all alone, it can be tempting to make unscheduled stops or take detours to see something that is nearby, but not necessarily on, their routes. Even if your drivers aren't taking detours, they may be wasting time and money by driving less efficient routes by driving in high traffic areas, at rush hour, or during peak hours. Detours and inefficient routes will often put a driver behind, causing him/her to speed, drive for longer hours, or take other risks to ensure they make the delivery on time. If you don't have a Vehicle tracking system , you may not know about unscheduled stops or inefficient routes that are putting your shipments behind schedule.

Mistake #3: Inefficient Driving

         Aggressive driving tactics may be costing you extra money. Things like rapid acceleration and hard braking can reduce your gas mileage by as much as 33 percent, according to estimates by the Bureau of Energy Efficiency of India. If your business has a fleet of vehicles out on the road, monitoring drivers' behavior to ensure they are obeying the speed limit and maintaining a constant speed as much as possible can improve fuel efficiency and reduce your costs.

        Since you can't be out on the road with your drivers at all times, find out how Tranzlogix Info Solutions can help you be with every vehicle virtually, monitoring driving behavior and ensuring efficient, safe operation on every delivery.

GEOFENCING :

      Geofencing is one of the important application in GPS based vehicle tracking system.Every fleet owners will be happy if they could create a fence around his boundary to prevent his vehicles to cross the boundary. Its impossible to create a real fence for such a vast area. But Geofencing made it possible.It helps you to create a virtual fencing around your working boundary and have control over your fleets.

        Geofence is a virtual boundary around a physical geographical space. A geofence consists of a set of coordinates that define an area. Geofences may be established and maintained by a range of GPS-enabled devices, including smart phones, handheld GPS devices, laptop computers, and commercial GPS devices used in farming, construction, trucking, and more.

Five Biggest Advantages of Geofencing

1. Stay on Course

           Identify where drivers are able to travel by setting up visible parameters on a map that designate appropriate driving areas. Creating these landmark locations (such as work sites, drop off points, freeways, etc.) shows fleet drivers where they are allowed to go while on the clock. The GPS software then reports whether a vehicle enters or exits a geofenced area, and how long it spent in those zones.

2. Cut Down on Inappropriate Vehicle Use

       Because the GPS software reports on how long a vehicle has been outside of a designated zone, fleet managers can then notify drivers of their actions. Recognizing if a driver is routinely using a vehicle in an inappropriate manner and eliminating that action will save the company a lot of money in fuel costs and man hours.

3. Increase Safety

          Knowing where a driver is at all times means a person is there to protect them by monitoring their adherence to safety standards. And distinguishing driver habits will alert managers if something seems out of the ordinary. Being able to see if a driver is stuck outside of a geofenced area enables fleet managers to contact a driver and send help if it is necessary.

4. Reduce Theft

           Geofencing and landmark usage also allows fleet managers to quickly retrieve stolen vehicles. The GPS software displays where a vehicle is at all times, which enables companies to quickly notify the authorities regarding any missing or stolen vehicle, as well as the ability to send them the exact position of where the vehicle is located.

5. Automated Updates

          The technology provided by geofencing software enables for fleet managers to receive constant, automated updates. These updates provide fleet managers with validated, time-stamped records of any vehicle’s activity. 

Improve Customer Service With GPS Based Vehicle Tracking System

    The Information Age allows us to read breaking news, review up-to-the-minute stock-market information and check on the status of our bank account—all on demand. We take for granted the ability to find what we want to know when we want to know it.

    The concept of a constant flow of information through precise, up-to-the-minute notification is accepted by a majority of society. Having our email forwarded to our cell phones is another example of how ‘connected’ we are today.

     So, why do we ask our customers to put up with delivery estimates of ‘sometime between 9 a.m. and noon?’ Do we put our customers on hold while we call our service technician to find out when they’ll be at the customer’s site?

        Are you providing your customers with outstanding service? Are you taking advantage of every tool available? Or is your competition?

        Consider using GPS vehicle tracking systems to bring your business into the

 Information Age.

      Who should consider GPS vehicle tracking systems? Any business using vehicles, who has demanding customers and faces competition in selling a product available from several sources.

       A broad spectrum of business types use GPS vehicle tracking systems. 

      Why? GPS vehicle tracking systems provide up-to-the-minute information you can use to answer your customers’ questions. Improving customer service equates to more satisfied customers, resulting in more business and more profits.

     With the real-time data provided by GPS vehicle tracking systems, you can tell your customer where your employee is right now and estimate more accurately when your employee will be arriving. WOW your customers with precise delivery estimates.

      The historical data from GPS vehicle tracking systems will tell you and your customer when your employee last visited their site and how long they were there. You can also analyze visits to their location for the last 30 days or longer with data downloaded from your tracking system.

      Using GPS vehicle tracking systems requires devices installed in each vehicle and a PC connected to the Internet. The system provider operates a secure server which displays data: speed, direction of travel, location. After logging into the server, you view the data using a web browser.

       

       Some systems allow you to add a specific location, such as a customer’s building, to the map. This simplifies determining which vehicle is closest or visited that location last.

Where do GPS vehicle tracking systems work? Some GPS systems are limited to cellular system coverage areas; others use low-earth orbit communications satellites for coverage everywhere.

 
 Now, before your competition realizes how to use GPS vehicle tracking to their advantage, research your options, pick your system and buy it. Do it today.

Using A Vehicle Tracking System In Your 

Business Can Reduce Your Fuel Costs

        While fuel prices fluctuate the general movement tends to be on the rise. Fuel costs will continue to be a significant expense for business no mater what the size of the fleet.

        Vehicle tracking systems can provide a successful and effective way of reducing fuel consumption. A fully integrated vehicle tracking solution will provide additional functionality that will help you to manage and reduce fuel consumption within your fleet. In many business, tight profit margins and strong competition means that competitive advantage in delivery, distribution or transportation can have a significant impact on your revenue.

How Will Vehicle tracking reduce Fuel costs?

        When you implement a vehicle tracking solution across your business fleet you can reduce your fuel costs in a number of ways.

Reduce Engine Idle Time

         Your drivers might want to maintain a comfortable temperature in their cabs no matter what the season: the heater on in the winter and the air conditioning on in the summer, so when they make a delivery they leave the vehicle running and the engine on.

         This might mean an engine idling for hours throughout the working day, consuming unnecessary petrol or diesel. Excessive idling can prematurely age a vehicle and when a vehicle ages this has a direct impact on fuel economy and engine efficiency. By installing vehicle tracking a business owner, or fleet manager, can manage each vehicle in the fleet. The reports received and the alerts generated, from the vehicle tracking system, help monitor driver behavior, show when vehicles are moving, when the engine is idling, whether the engine is on or off, if the vehicle is speeding or using excessive braking. 

Monitor Vehicle Speeds  

          When you dispatch your delivery vehicles, your service engineers or sales reps to a customer, you probably ask them to arrive as quickly as possible. Your drivers almost certainly drive to their appointed destinations as fast as possible, perhaps regularly exceeding the speed limits as they go.

         However excessive speeding, conceivably all speeding, is dangerous for your employee making their journey more risky, using more fuel and adding to the overall cost of the journey and the vehicle.  A vehicle tracking systems will send alerts to the business owner, fleet manager or driver to tell them when they're exceeding speed limits and encouraging them to slow down.  It has been estimated that excessive speeding could reduce the fuel economy of a vehicle by to 20%.   Even if you have a small fleet, making a fuel cost saving of 20% each year quickly makes a positive impact and goes some way to offset fuel price increases.  If you have a large fleet then the potential benefit will be even more dramatic.

Improved Delivery Planning

        Simply starting a vehicle, running it and letting it idle consumes fuel and increases fleet costs.   Any or all of your businesses vehicles may make numerous stops every day.   With a vehicle tracking system you can save time and reduce fuel use by improved vehicle scheduling.  If your business has deliveries that are subject to frequent change, or are not necessarily scheduled by appointments, then it's essential to determine the most efficient route.   Scheduling routes and planning deliveries help to save fuel and make drivers more effective.  However, there is an important difference between simply planning the route and optimising the routes.

           Optimising a route means assisting the driver not only to navigate to the destination but to avoid traffic problems, such as congestion and road works.  This in turn will reduce vehicle inefficiency, such as engine idling, and will save on fuel costs and vehicle wear and tear.   A fleet manager can communicate with drivers quickly and decide on the best route or changes to the route as driving conditions or work loads change throughout the day.

      It is estimated that by introducing a vehicle tracking system can increase vehicle productivity by as much as 25%.  The tracking system can monitor multiple vehicles and their drivers simultaneously and so find the best vehicle for a specific delivery or location quickly and easily.  Better scheduling means less miles travelled and consequently less fuel used, an extended vehicle life, better customer service and a reduced carbon footprint.  

Keep Up-To-Date records

        A vehicle tracking system can show the location of service stations, vehicle mileage, routes travelled and stops made.  Tracking fuel costs in this way, by vehicle as well as driver, make it easier to control fleet expenses.

           Unauthorised use of company vehicles, or after-hours use, can add significant additional expense to fleet costs , not only from the extra fuel used but also engine wear and tear. The tracking system can send a notification to you when a vehicle is used outside of working hours. Any fuel consumed on unapproved journeys can be identified and eradicated, further reducing fleet expenses while increasing vehicle productivity.  

Proactive Vehicle Maintenance

       Well maintained vehicles perform better than those that are less cared for.  A vehicle tracking management systems will provide maintenance information to ensure every company vehicle is performing efficiently.  The systems maintenance reporting can notify a fleet manager or business owner when maintenance is due based on different variables including mileage, drive time etc.

     Routine maintenance schedules can improve a vehicles fuel economy by up to 10%.  These savings can be significant for fleets with twenty five vehicles or more. If you want to ensure the best fuel economy then it's critical to maintain your company vehicles.  A vehicle tracking system will not only notify you when a vehicle is due for a service but it can also keep information about previous services and any past repairs.

    Vehicles that are regularly serviced stay operational for longer and work more efficiently. 

Benefits of Vehicle Tracking System:

        The GPS or Global Positioning System has become a very advanced technology. The main idea behind using this system is to find the location of the person, vehicle or an item. Most people think about vehicle tracking GPS system as something that helps find a stolen vehicle.

However, its uses have expanded into many other fields where the data obtained through this device is combined with other processes to efficiently manage a business or an organization. It not only protects the driver and passengers but also allows the vehicle owners to keep track of their vehicle’s position. Some systems can immediately alert the owner or monitoring department about any deviation from the fixed route.

Vehicle tracking GPS devices are being used in a wide range of industries. Companies use it to better organize movement of vehicles and goods. It helps in efficient management of trucks, buses, cars, or any other type of vehicles.

It results in saving time and money because drivers do not waste time in finding destination. They stay on the route and cannot bill incorrectly. Goods are delivered on time and various things like sales, delivery and inventory can be coordinated more efficiently.

There are various benefits of using vehicle tracking GPS system. These benefits include:

•                  Finding the position of a stolen vehicle
•                  Receiving alert message if the vehicle deviates from its route
•                  Keeping clients informed about the position of their goods
•                  Efficient inventory management
•                  Driver can easily find the nearest emergency center or service station
•                  Company knows exact position of goods, vehicles, drivers and passengers
•                  Receiving unit can prepare better for the arrival of goods or a VIP guest
•                  Efficient management of fuel and time