Vehicle tracking solutions: what they are and how to use them

Companies that have fleets of vehicles take advantage of the most innovative technologies to make the most of their resources and optimize their operations. One of the most common types of software used by such companies is vehicle tracking systems. As the name suggests, such solutions allow tracking vehicles – but they offer much more than just location tracking.
Vehicle tracking tools allow tracking the performance and maintenance of vehicles, the driver’s behavior on the road, and more. They also facilitate fleet management and dispatching, alert about dangerous driving behaviors, prevent theft, and generate reports full of actionable insights. Fleet management solutions come in two variants: passive and active. Passive systems collect and save the information so that companies can retrieve it later on. Active tracking systems are much more advantageous because they collect and send data in real time.
Naturally, that type of software offers many more benefits that help fleet managers make smart, data-driven decisions quickly.

How do the vehicle tracking solutions work?

A GPS tracking system is composed of two parts. The first part is a tracking device installed inside the vehicle. It collects and sends data about the vehicle: its location, movement, and other factors. The second component of a vehicle tracking system is a centralized application that receives data from tracking devices, processes it, and presents it on a user-friendly interface.
Most tracking solutions include maps that show where vehicles are located in real time. Some feature sophisticated analytics dashboards to bring fleet managers more insights.

Benefits of vehicle tracking

GPS tracking software brings organizations many different advantages:

Cost-saving

Vehicle tracking systems allow better fleet management thanks to the availability of critical insights on fuel consumption and driver behavior. Fleet managers use tracking software to eliminate unwanted behaviors such as speeding and improve their management of idle time or vehicle maintenance. Fleet managers can also use vehicle tracking systems to learn how their fleet is operating and discover opportunities for optimization.

Better insurance premiums

Another area where vehicle tracking software helps companies to save costs is insurance. Insurance companies usually give discounts to organizations that use vehicle tracking systems for fleet management. Such solutions provide accurate information on the fleet, improve the safety of employees, and help in proper vehicle maintenance.

Improving safety

Vehicle tracking tools allow reducing traffic accidents and avoid problems such as traffic jams or construction on the road. Such systems usually come with special theft prevention features and notify fleet managers about suspicious behaviors, so they can quickly get in touch with the relevant authorities.

Better customer service

The information fleet managers gain from vehicle tracking systems can easily lead to better management of all business processes, including ones that involve customers. For example, since the company has access to information about the vehicle’s route, stops idle time, and estimated arrival time, notifying customers about all that is easier than ever. As a result, companies can provide a better service for customers.

Employee management

Another advantage of such software is improvements in employee management thanks to monitoring of drivers’ behavior that improves the overall fleet management. Such features help fleet managers spot drivers who might not be behaving in accordance with the company standards. They can also use the information for training drivers.

Productive administration

Vehicle tracking systems help employees save time on administrative processes by automating tasks. For example, fleet managers don’t need to contact offices or drivers to ask about the location of the vehicles or the chosen routes. All it takes is one glance at the map, and they get all that information.

Theft prevention

This feature comes in handy to all companies that have fleets of vehicles. Theft causes severe disruption to company operations and may even result in the loss of reputation as a reliable service. Theft prevention features send notifications whenever suspicious behavior occurs, allowing fleet managers to react quickly. That way, organizations avoid excessive costs that come with acquiring new vehicles.

Improvement in life cycle management

Quality lifecycle management is essential to improving fleet management. Tracking systems allow improving lifecycle management by providing technical data about vehicles combined with the information on drivers’ behavior, idle time, maintenance time, and service.
Vehicle tracking systems come with many perks for companies that want to make the most of innovative technologies for operating their business at top efficiency.
Do you have any questions about implementing a GPS tracking system on your fleet? Get in touch with us; our teams of experts are well-versed in introducing such solutions to fleets of all sizes.