6 Ways to Extend the Value of Your Fleet Management Technology
Whether it’s due to higher inflation, rising gas prices or just plain old fiscal responsibility - we are all looking for ways to ensure the value of the dollar goes further. The world of fleet management technology is no different.
Implementing fleet management solutions and other in-cab technology can help you quickly realize a return on investment (ROI), whether that is through improved driver/back office communication, streamlined driver workflows or compliance with key rules and regulations.
But, the value of this technology doesn’t have to end there. In fact, building off your core telematics solution is a crucial way for you to get even more out of this technology ‒ to help your fleet reach new levels of efficiency and productivity and to help you realize a faster ROI for your bottom line.
Curious to learn more? Six ways to expand your use of in-cab technology include:
1. Leveraging commercial navigation
It’s not just important to know the final destination of a load but how to get there. Adding in a commercial grade in-cab navigation platform can enhance driver efficiency and safety, reduce out of route miles and increase overall fuel economy.
Unlike consumer-focused solutions, commercial navigation is built for trucking, featuring guidance to commercial locations with truck entry and exit gates as well helping eliminate delays, unsafe driving conditions and dangerous vehicle maneuvers.
2. Gaining video intelligence
Whether you are a fleet of 10 or 10,000, it is imperative to understand what your drivers are facing in and along their routes. Adding in dash cams can help by capturing the front, sides, rear and inside of a truck to help you get a neutral eyewitness perspective to your drivers’ experience on the road.
Not only does this footage help improve liability protection in the event of an accident but can help pinpoint driver coaching opportunities and help improve the overall safety of your fleet. Likewise, newer video platforms leverage artificial intelligence (AI) to provide drivers with feedback in the cab on items such as distractions, lane departure and fatigue ‒ all designed to help them operate safely and more effectively wherever the road takes them.
3. Streamlining document management
No one likes paperwork but the process can be streamlined with an electronic scanning solution in the cab. Providing drivers with a scanning platform can help simplify the document management process, with barcode scanning and pre-filled data fields to make scanning documents easier and eliminate manual steps for drivers.
Adding this capability can also help you collect documents to not only improve back office workflows but result in faster invoicing.
4. Bypassing the weigh station
Weigh station bypass programs are a tool to help fleets with positive safety track records to potentially skip a weigh station along a route. The technology enables law enforcement to examine key data points, empowering inspection personnel to let safer fleets continue down the road and instead focus their efforts on potentially unsafe trucks or carriers.
For fleets like yours, this means eliminated route delays, improved operational efficiencies and an enhanced driver experience.
5. Coaching drivers on fuel consumption
Fuel costs are one of a fleet’s biggest operating expenses. With diesel prices reaching record highs, it is more critical than ever to better manage these fuel-related costs and optimize usage across their driver base.
Innovative technology solutions can help by providing real-time driver coaching in the cab to reduce fuel waste as it is occurring. These platforms can also empower fleets with comprehensive reporting to measure fuel economy across drivers and vehicles, including by separating variables such as truck configuration from driving style, to provide a more accurate picture of overall fleet fuel usage.
6. Integrating in-cab technology to key back office platforms
The effectiveness of your fleet management technology also depends on how it connects to key back office systems. The rich amount of driver and vehicle data can be crucial to integrate to solutions such as transportation management systems, maintenance software, routing and optimization tools and supply chain visibility platforms.
Verifying these integrations are available and properly configured can help enable a seamless flow of information across your organization. The end result? Eliminating silos in your technology stack and ensuring key stakeholders have access to the information they need to operate effectively.
Extend your fleet management ROI with Trimble
At Trimble, we help fleets just like yours get the most out of their technology investment. Download our recent eBook to further explore some of the ways you can operate more effectively, regardless of what you haul or where you fit in the transportation supply chain.