When assuming the responsibility of managing a company's fleet, it is essential that, as a manager, you know where they are and how to locate their cars. This is because by accepting this post, you commit to maintaining control over the use of the company's assets or monitoring the work of the outsourced fleet.
In the past, before geolocation technologies as precise as those we have today existed— making fleet management much more efficient —when the question "where is the car?" arose, the answer could be "in transit," and that was enough.
But today this is no longer the case, it has become part of the job to monitor the displacement of the cars that the company has. This practice is also interesting for the customer who will know what time the contracted company's service will arrive, as it will have complete control of where their cars will be.
Therefore, being aware of where the company's vehicles are is essential information for various aspects of fleet management and directly influences the quality of service, as well as the final evaluation of the team's performance.
But do you know the main consequences of not knowing where your fleet is during and after hours?
Continue reading to find out!
The problems of the lack of localization of cars: where they appear and what are their consequences
How to solve this problem?
The problems of the lack of localization of cars: where they appear and what are their consequences
Complications in present and future management
To manage a fleet efficiently, it is essential to have access to a series of strategic information. Otherwise, the manager's work will be hampered in the future by lack of data. This lack makes it difficult, for example, to draw up a plan aimed at the development and growth of the company.
Information regarding the performance of cars in service is essential for management to be able to set future goals and prepare actions to improve the company's activity.
Likewise, this data is crucial for the manager to be able to implement corrective measures in relation to any problems that occur frequently during the journey and that end up impacting a good delivery of results and even the profitability of the business.
In addition, the manager needs to be aware of the possibility of optimizing existing processes. This is another task that is only possible when this professional knows in detail the work routine inside and outside the office.
Read more: Technology in fleet management
Lack of control over own fleet
So we return to the title question of this article: do you know where your company car is? And more: do you know which path he's taking? Is the conductor strictly following the proposed itinerary? How long does it take to complete the routes? Is this variable depending more on the traffic or on the driver's driving?
These and other questions are basic for any fleet manager. Not knowing the answers represents a serious problem, since the lack of knowledge compromises the quality of the company's service, since the administration does not even know what is happening during the journeys.
Not to mention that, as mentioned, the lack of data makes it difficult to analyze fleet performance, hindering its improvement . Therefore, not having control over the fleet practically prevents the manager from fulfilling their role with excellence, no matter how well-trained they are.
Another important point that needs to be thought about is the preservation of vehicles. Knowing and controlling where they go and how they are being used is the key to reducing maintenance costs and increasing the useful life of cars.
Vehicle unavailability
When working with fleets, any uncalculated episode can result in losses. Therefore, it is always a good idea to be able to count on a vehicle to cover the unavailability of others.
A practical example: suppose a vehicle breaks down on the way. The best solution would be to send another to continue the service while the damaged car is taken in for maintenance.
But let's say the company doesn't currently have a car available to be used. In that case, one option is to call another car that is close to completing the service to continue the work.
However, to do this, it is essential to know the location of both the vehicle that needs to be replaced and the one that will take over the service. Without a vehicle telemetry tool that allows for vehicle tracking, managing this operation becomes a much more complex task.
Using this situation as an example, it becomes easy to understand the importance of the fleet's precise location so that management can handle unforeseen events quickly and efficiently. Therefore, use technology to your advantage in fleet management.
Safety problems
Putting cars on the road, unfortunately, also means exposing them to various dangers that are characteristic of traffic in urban centers and even on roads. This includes anything from accidents to car theft.
In these cases it is even more important to know exactly where the vehicle is. Not having access to this information hinders the service, generates losses, prevents the taking of legal measures and, above all, can jeopardize the safety of drivers.
Being able to accurately track cars will certainly help the fleet manager to act quickly to resolve any safety issues, as well as providing data for preventive actions that can prevent such events from happening again.
drivers' conduct
It is obviously very important to trust all of the team's collaborators, especially the drivers, since they are the ones who will be in operation with the company's fleet on the streets, in addition to the fact that, in many cases, they also deal with customers at the time of carrying out the service.
As reliable as these employees are, the manager needs concrete data to carry out his analyzes and set up a plan with proposals for actions, as well as to report results.
If this does not happen, none of these actions will have foundations that support them, which makes the whole management work very fragile.
In addition, the way in which the driver drives increases or reduces the risk of accidents, not to mention that it directly affects the wear and tear of the vehicle, making it need more or less frequent maintenance, among other things. This defines much of how much the company will spend on the fleet.
Read more: 6 steps to reduce fleet costs
Expenses with fines
Closely monitoring the movement of vehicles is the basis for monitoring the behavior of drivers on the streets. As much as driving follows basic rules, when driving frequently the driver tends to develop some vices that, without realizing it, end up resulting in breaking traffic rules.
These violations can result in fines and, consequently, unnecessary expenses for the company.
Therefore, knowing where the fleet is can be the solution to observe the behaviors of drivers that are leading to violations and apply corrective and preventive measures, thus avoiding the costs of fines.
lack of financial control
It is practically impossible to manage fleet costs well if the professional responsible for it does not even know where the company's cars are.
Throughout this article we cite fines and maintenance costs as examples that fit this and other topics. But when it comes to managing how much vehicles are spending, there's even more to think about.
Another great example of this is the cost of fuel. This input can be saved when optimizing routes for drivers are defined. Thus it is possible to reduce the time in traffic, avoid traffic jams and control the speed of the car.
But to ensure that they are being fulfilled and reaching the proposed objectives, the fleet manager must analyze his cars in relation to the path taken.
How to solve this problem?
By now it has become clear that knowing where the company's vehicles are is of paramount importance for efficient management. If that's your problem and you're feeling the consequences, know that there are ways to end it.
We can imagine that a possible solution is to be in constant contact with drivers. However, depending on the size of the fleet, the idea becomes impractical. In addition, even with few cars, it is not practical to keep asking drivers for frequent updates, because behind the wheel they will not be able to respond. So in the end this option falls to the ground.
The best way to always be aware of the location of vehicles without a doubt is with a telemetry system. With this tool, the company will know in real time where each car is and, depending on the chosen software, management will have access to more relevant information.
Through intelligent resource management based on data, the productivity of the team and cars will increase considerably, delivering more results and the possibility of expanding the profitability of the business.
All this can be achieved when the company adheres to a fleet management system! So, contact us and learn more about our solutions to bring more efficiency to your company.
Want to have excellent tracking for your fleet and improve your management? Then check out Golfleet Telemetry :
