5 Benefits of Using Telematics Software for Fleet Management

Are you looking for ways to minimize operating expenses and increase profitability?

Then you’ll want to think about telematics software. These high-tech systems provide effective, and surprisingly easy ways to optimize your fleet.

5 ADVANTAGES OF ADOPTING FLEET TELEMATICS

1. Reduce, or Even Eliminate Liability Costs

Did you know, a single collision can cost your company as much as $1,669,100? Telematics can play a key role in helping you avoid such liabilities.

The technology features advanced in-cab driver feedback that alerts drivers if they’re driving dangerously. These alerts can drastically reduce the likelihood of an on-duty accident. In fact, the use of telematics has resulted in a 45% reduction in accidents and a 50% reduction in accident payout costs.

2. Save Money on Fuel

Want to reduce fuel costs? Then it’s critical to focus on driver behaviour.

Speeding, idling, and fast accelerating all waste gas. Telematics alerts drivers every time it detects these activities. The driver can then take action and adjust their behaviour.

The system also provides real-time route conditions, so drivers can avoid traffic jams by re-routing to less congested and safer roads. This means less idling—and less time and fuel wasted.

(To learn more about reducing fuel costs, see Fleets: Here Are 5 Proven Tricks to Reduce Fuel Costs.)

3. Keep Drivers Safer

Driver behaviour affects not only vehicles, but also the drivers themselves. To keep your fleet productive, you must make driver safety a top priority. (If you need help with that, check out our blog: How to Make Fleet Safety A Priority for Executives.)

A big advantage of telematics is that it helps you keep drivers alert and careful on the road.

It constantly tracks in-vehicle activity and sends actionable feedback both to you and to drivers themselves. For example, it can gather cumulative data on each driver’s acceleration, braking, cornering, and speed.

Further, the driver scorecards produced by the system, assess each driver’s behaviour and provide target areas for improvement.

Here at Foss National, in addition to telematics/GPS technology, we work with eDriving’s Mentor app, which is a closed-loop smartphone telematics solution. The app goes beyond just measuring activity. Based on a driver's data, it coaches on how to improve. If you correct the weaknesses of your costliest drivers, you'll boost your overall productivity.

4. Cut Maintenance and Repair Costs

You can't avoid maintenance costs. After all, preventive maintenance is an essential part of vehicle ownership. That said, there are ways to avoid extra repairs due to aggressive driving and vehicle misuse.

Hard accelerations, harsh cornering, and braking can drastically increase wear and tear on vehicle components—resulting in more frequent maintenance. Further, business interruption as a result of unscheduled repairs can lead to lost profits of between $400 to $700 per day, in addition to the actual repair costs.

As mentioned, fleet telematics software lets you keep an eye on driver behaviour every time they’re on the road. Such monitoring promotes wiser driving, which will spare your vehicles from unnecessary abuse. The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development reports that telematics technology can help reduce maintenance and repair costs by as much as 14%.

5. Improve Your Service Commitments

Did you know, you can also use telematics data to improve customer service? The real-time road conditions provided by Telematics GPS can inform drivers of road conditions and optimal routes. By avoiding congested or dangerous routes, they're less likely to have late or missed deliveries.

Conclusion

Fleet telematics provides a vast amount of real-time data—and distills it into actionable insights. With such insights, you can make accurate, data-driven decisions to improve overall fleet operations. The result? Smart driving, high efficiency, and strong profitability.