On its face, trucking seems very simple. After all, there doesn’t seem to be much science behind transporting cargo from one location to another. As such, most people outside of the said industry don’t associate it with emerging technology. However, tech plays a much larger role in trucking than people on the outskirts realize. This is particularly true when it comes to fleet management telematics. Also known as “GPS fleet tracking,” telematics has had a number of important impacts on the trucking industry over the last decade. Trucking companies that have yet to embrace this technology would be wise to consider the following advantages.
Keeping Drivers Safe
It’s so an exaggeration to say that truck drivers face danger on a daily basis. Between traffic pile-ups, inclement weather, and inattentive motorists, professional drivers have their work cut out for them. Needless to say, contending with all these perils while working against tight deadlines is a surefire recipe for stressful working conditions. While there’s no way to completely remove the danger from the equation, fleet tracking software and ELD devices have gone a long way in enhancing driver safety.
For starters, being able to monitor a driver’s location at all times ensures that monitors are able to warn them about accidents, extreme weather, or perilous road conditions and assist them in altering course. Secondly, if a driver is unable to call for help after falling ill or becoming injured in a remote area, a monitor can instantly send an ambulance to their location. Drivers are a transport company’s most valuable resource, and it behooves companies to keep them out of harm’s way. Fortunately, with the aid of telematics technology, this has become easier than ever.
Keeping Track of Your Vehicles
Knowing the exact location of every vehicle in your fleet can provide you with tremendous peace of mind. Before the introduction of GPS fleet tracking, most transport companies had no surefire way of ascertaining the location of vehicles that were on the road. Being able to closely monitor your vehicles’ respective locations can provide you with a better understanding of your drivers’ preferred routes, as well as their individual schedules. This will prove useful in plotting out more efficient routes and keeping track of drivers’ side-trips. Freighting trucks represent a substantial investment, and any transport company looking to protect that investment can benefit from telematics technology.
You should also consider investing in an auto garage management system. This will enable your drivers to update the status of each delivery so that you are aware of where your vehicles are and the number of deliveries that are complete for the day. Moreover, it can also help plan better delivery routed for greater efficiency.
Protection against Theft
Vehicle theft can be an absolute nightmare for a transport company. In making off with a truck, vehicle thieves also gain access to all of its cargo. Worse yet, if your company develops a reputation for having its vehicles stolen, you can expect to lose a sizable number of clients. This is where GPS fleet tracking software enters the equation. Equipping every truck in your fleet with telematics technology ensures that even if any of your vehicles are stolen, you’ll be able to ascertain their exact location, which can then be passed on to law enforcement.
Timelier Deliveries
GPS fleet tracking can also prove beneficial to your company’s financial bottom line. The timelier your deliveries are, the better your reputation will be – and the better your reputation is, the more clients you’ll attract. Telematics technology enables monitors to keep a watchful eye on traffic conditions and inclement weather and provide drivers with tips on how to avoid them in real time. Unsurprisingly, this is highly conducive to timely deliveries and likely to lead to a significant drop in missed deadlines. In the end, your drivers will be happy to avoid undesirable travel conditions, your clients will be happy to receive their cargo ahead of schedule, and your company’s reputation will prosper.
When people think of tech-focused industries, trucking typically isn’t among them. As far as many people outside the industry are concerned, trucking is as rudimentary as a profession gets. While it’s true that there’s a core simplicity to driving cargo from Point A to Point B, the overall mechanics of the transport industry are far more complex. In recent years, GPS fleet tracking technology has led to a number of significant developments in the trucking world – most notably, enhanced operator safety and increased efficiency. Any transport company that has yet to invest in telematics is missing out on one of the freighting industry’s greatest innovations.