How to improve fleet management to speed up and streamline logistics

Fleet managers play a significant role in the logistics business, where they’re tasked to keep the fleet in excellent working condition, and ensure products are delivered on schedule and without delay. To speed up the logistics process, fleet managers can look into investing in fleet technologies to automate fleet management.

Using the above-mentioned method, fleet managers can accelerate planning and transportation to ramp up fleet efficiency, and in turn, increase profit. It is for this reason that many fleet managers use fleet management systems to save time and money on route planning, driver supervision and tracking, and to reduce fuel and maintenance costs.

What should fleet managers focus on to ensure efficient fleet management?

Fleet managers need to pay attention to many aspects in fleet management to maximise fleet operations, such as vehicle location tracking, fuel usage monitoring and driver management.

The primary purpose of fleet management is to improve an organisation’s fleet operations by increasing vehicle utilisation, dependability and efficiency. Having comprehensive knowledge of fleet performance can help to lower operating costs and the risk of accidents and breakdowns, and also enhance vehicle planning and fleet coordination.

What makes good fleet management in logistics and how does it benefit your fleet?

1. Real-time on-the-road monitoring

Vehicle monitoring and remote fleet management are possible with today’s fleet management systems, which come integrated with GPS tracking devices. GPS monitoring makes it possible for fleet managers to identify drivers in minutes. Instead of individually engaging each driver or making assumptions about their arrival time, fleet managers can use GPS tracking to gain real-time visibility on vehicle statuses.

2. Quick and efficient route planning

Preparing routes in advance using fleet management software helps fleet managers to ensure that their vehicles cover as much ground as possible in the shortest period of time. It also allows them to monitor fuel consumption and compare it to their fleet’s performance, which is essential to achieve optimum fuel savings.

3. Improved security

Additionally, the real-time tracking capability of a fleet monitoring system will allow fleet managers to instantly receive alerts when events out of the ordinary occur, such as detection of unauthorized vehicle use or non-compliance with safety and regulatory requirements. This enables fleet managers to stay informed on situations which compromise fleet security and allows them to take action immediately.

4. Real-time analytics

Fleet managers can use fleet analytics to understand driver behavior better so as to reduce accidents. By analysing fleet data, they can identify which drivers are prone to risky driving habits such as speeding and harsh braking, and monitor their progress over time. Good driver retention can then be easily implemented, as well as driving safety initiatives.

5. Tracking of fleet operations

Fleet managers can also utilise fleet management systems to monitor and gain control over their fleet. They can track vehicle and fuel usage, as well as vehicle health and maintenance servicing schedules in less time and without the worry of missing out on vehicles amidst a growing fleet size. Also, by keeping track of vehicle maintenance, fleet managers can better plan for vehicle replacements, leading to more savings on costly emergency repairs.

What are the current fleet management technologies fleet managers can use to increase delivery efficiency?

There’s a good reason why fleet management systems have taken over the logistics and transportation industries. Because of the many advantages they provide, they’ve not only made the delivery process more straightforward, but are also invaluable in boosting efficiency.

1. Real-time dynamic routing

Real-time dynamic routing enables managers to utilize real-time fleet data to find the best possible route for their vehicles, hence allowing for more efficient planning. It considers several factors: customer location, fleet resources, weather conditions and traffic flow.

It also enhances the company’s ability to meet tight delivery schedules. Aside from the fact that it saves precious fleet coordination time, it also helps drivers to accomplish more deliveries in a day.

2. Third-party and legacy systems integration

Traditional logistics systems are known for not being compatible with other systems. As a result, logistics operations generally face issues such as inadequate visibility, erroneous insights, and resource wastage.

On the other hand, modern fleet management solutions are unaffected by this problem since they can integrate seamlessly with legacy systems and third-party IT infrastructure, making data synchronization fast and straightforward. By combining data from various sources into a single dashboard, fleet managers can better manage company operations while ensuring that data is always accurate and transparent.

3. Complete visibility from start to end

Real-time fleet data makes it possible for fleet managers to make better decisions and increase overall performance across the supply chain.

With the assistance of a fleet management system, fleet managers can get information on their vehicles and drivers in just a few clicks. Fleet managers can then improve supply chain efficiency with easy access to data, automated reporting and real-time insights into fleet operations. Additionally, they can improve budgeting and planning by utilising these insights, leading to profit gain for both the company and its customers.

4. Visibility of goods transportation

When more than one mode of transportation is involved, things will start getting complicated. This is due to the difficulty of tracking goods when they are passed during transit from one vehicle to the next.

Thankfully, with the assistance of fleet monitoring technology, transportation visibility has increased, allowing fleet managers to coordinate their vehicles properly. It also boosts transportation capacity and ensures that goods are correctly handled.

5. Digital proof of delivery

Digital delivery receipts are more helpful than traditional ones for they promote sustainability while enabling fleet managers to monitor delivery evidence in real-time.

Fleet managers will no longer have to waste time manually inputting delivery data into the system or deal with errors caused by incorrect data entry. Furthermore, since digital receipts are readily accessible, fleet managers will be able to save time and effort when handling shipments.

6. Automated shipping

The delivery process in the logistics chain can be made more efficient by using fleet management systems to automate the tracking and management of vehicles.

These procedures can be automated to minimize costs by reducing the inefficiencies in manual and repetitive operations. As a result, delivery turnaround time is reduced, and the risk of human errors is eliminated.

7. Measuring of realistic key performance indicators (KPIs)

Effective delivery operations can be achieved by continuously monitoring crucial KPIs and quickly resolving any discrepancies.

An intelligent fleet management system provides businesses with the tools to run their operations effectively and measure their KPIs against their company’s objectives. With the support of a fleet management system, fleet managers can make better choices and boost customer satisfaction, from choosing ideal routes to ensuring on-time deliveries.

8. Contactless delivery and remote monitoring

Customer notification and delivery confirmation through electronic signatures will reduce the number of contact points in the supply chain while maintaining social distance in compliance with health regulations.

Real-time remote vehicle monitoring gives fleet managers a clearer idea of their goods arrival time, which will in turn improve communication with clients and other key stakeholders throughout the delivery process.

Conclusion

Because modern fleet management focuses on and is proven to increase delivery efficiency, companies can use such technology to manage their fleet, enabling them to optimize vehicle routes and driver schedules better than ever before.

At V3 Smart Technologies, we can help you meet all of your important fleet objectives with customised fleet management solutions. Talk to us to find out how we can help your company optimize and speed up its transportation processes.