3 Key Steps To Fleet Tracking Implementation
How to Determine The Best Fleet Management System
Knowing the key steps for your fleet tracking implementation is almost as important as making the buying decision. If used correctly, fleet tracking can be an extremely beneficial tool for your company. But, if features go unused, or specific steps are not taken, you most likely are not reaping all the benefits for your operation.
The unfortunate thing is that some companies buy a system and don’t use it to its full potential; wasting money and likely operational efficiencies. So, here are three key steps to keep in mind when implementing your new fleet tracking system.
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step 1
Separate Your Fleet Into Groups & Locations
- Label Your Vehicles
- Create Asset Groups
- Setup Vehicle Location
The first thing you want to do is label your vehicles. Separate them into groups or locations, so you can quickly identify what you’re looking for and be able to pull up your different fleet views on your screen. Don’t worry about anything else until you have the system looking exactly how you want it. Now keep in mind that some fleet tracking systems require you to call in for vehicle naming, location, and group assignments.
Do yourself a favor, if you need to call in changes, make sure you have them all listed before you go into the call. Name your vehicles what you call them in real life this makes everything a lot easier when you’re looking at them on the screen.
step 2
Evaluate The Data & Optimize Your Fleet
- Real-Time Vehicle Data
- Schedule Reporting
- Dispatch Vehicles to Jobs
You started using fleet tracking for a reason, so you should get comfortable utilizing it to your advantage. Now’s the time to watch the tracking. Take time with this step before you go into any other tools.
Don’t drown yourself with technology until you feel comfortable. Most systems have live tracking – watch the routes your employees are taking and determine if that’s the most efficient route. Use this step as a way to amp up your dispatching game; using just the tracking portion of your system will make a world of difference. Tools like historical maps allow you to go back and see if everything that needed to be accomplished was or not
Get used to tracking your fleet before you go any further; are there inefficiencies you can immediately fix? Do this before you move on to step three.
step 3
Fleet Management Has Never Been So Easy
- ELD & Idle Times
- View & Schedule Maintenance
- Vehicle & People Management
Now you should utilize the management features in the system. Some tools determine how long a vehicle was idle vs. how long it was driven, as well as, how long it was stopped and alerts when it needs a maintenance check. Get comfortable with these tools and what they do. Once you’ve done that, you can use the management features to its full advantage. There is a reason these management tools are in your system; they make your organization and efficiency better. Use them.
When looking at statistics of how fleet tracking can positively impact your company, those statistics are coming from people who are in these phases using the tools to their best ability. So, take your time, look at the numbers, and start cutting cost by using the reporting and history maps.
