Fleet monitoring is the process used by fleet managers or managers to manage assets, dispatch and route vehicles properly, and take care of vehicle maintenance, acquisition, and disposal. Usually, this involves the use of telemetrics and data acquired through fleet dash cams for driver satisfaction.
Fleet managers for government fleets use vehicle telematics to analyze fleet vehicles, track the location of vehicles for service delivery and coverage, track driver behavior, routing, vehicle and driver diagnostics, and preventive maintenance in order to optimize the service to the community and citizens through proper utilization of government fleets.
The same principle should apply to private companies whose business requires them to have a fleet on hand. While a fleet monitoring system allows managers to track the activity of all mobile assets a company possesses, it is usually done through a GPS tracking system outfitted in the vehicle.
However, fleet dash cams of a higher quality allow much more flexibility and data to be gathered as most of them come equipped with their own GPS systems. The data gathered through these activities could be used to get a clear picture of how everyone in the firm is performing, either in real-time or historically. Such insights could be used to improve the productivity of mobile workers and timely responses to customers.
Through insights gleaned from fleet dash cams, managers can use mobile resources in the most profitable way. Fuel consumption, driver safety and behavior, and proper routing and dispatch can promote an organized approach to work and improve a company’s bottom line.
Companies with large fleets should also consider employing an asset management system to properly manage mobile assets throughout their lifespan. With this combination of systems, managers will be able to know which vehicles drain their budgets, which departments operate at their highest efficiency, and when to service and replace certain assets.
In terms of installation costs, fleet tracking hardware and software will depend mostly on the number of vehicles in a fleet, which supplier seems most suitable, and the level of sophistication required. For managers looking to go the “do-it-yourself” route, the best starting point can be the installation of fleet dash cams and tracking the data through asset management systems.
However, large fleets could potentially eat up a lot of time for a manager looking to track his own fleet, which is where fleet managers or fleet management companies can lend a hand. Furthermore, good connectivity and network coverage is a must in the area and routs the fleet is traversing.
When it comes to data that is being accrued, it is important to have and to gather the most relevant data points. When it comes to fleet monitoring, the most important metrics that should be tracked include but are not limited to cost per mile, total cost trend, and operating cost summary. Having this data in a digital form, for example, through an asset management system, can additionally streamline the entire operation and increase company-wide visibility and transparency.
