A comprehensive look at the key features of Fleet software

A comprehensive look at the key features of Fleet software Most fleet owners today fail to keep comprehensive track of their vehicles in the business. This keeps them constantly concerned about their fleets and how to handle them effectively. To cope with such concerns, a well-integrated fleet management solution which not only helps businesses with data analysis but also identifies the weak areas that may be improved with real-time adjustments is essential. Fleet management software streamlines and automates the fleet processes and aids in finding commercial success in the Fleet business. In this blog, we will take a detailed look at the features of fleet software and how it simplifies vehicle management. Schedule management and carrier routes optimization Fleet software helps companies manage their driver's schedules and optimize carrier routes. Software that helps companies manage their driver's schedules is crucial to ensuring that drivers don't take too many hours on the road, which could lead to serious fatigue. Features like customizable windows for monitoring truck fleets can help identify problem drivers, so they can take a break or switch down to half-time work if needed. The software also helps managers by monitoring response times and mapping out recovery routes in case of emergencies such as accidents or breakdowns. In addition, accurately tracking each load with GPS allows fleet owners to maintain an accurate inventory level as well as ensure all consignments are accounted for from pick up until delivery at customer premises without any loss or spoilage. - Farhan Advani Director of Buy Here Pay Here Cost reduction, and increased productivity Managing all the cars and drivers in the company is not a simple task. That's why fleet software is indispensable Cost reduction With more precise control of the fleet, it is possible to spend less. This is because this control promotes, for example, fuel savings and savings with corrective maintenance caused by the lack of overhaul in the proper period. I have reduced 20% on maintenance and saved 15% on petrol consumption monthly. Productivity gain Fleet Software also allows for tracking routes and creating more efficient routes. Thus, the manager can draw maps that accommodate the greatest number of calls or that reach the destination more quickly, for example. More security With the fleet software, you can keep the team, cars, and cargo safe. Besides 24-hour tracking, the tools allow you to identify the drivers' driving profile–such as acceleration and hard braking. Therefore, the management team can guide drivers regarding responsible and preventive conduct in traffic. - Richard Lubicky, founder of Real People Search Track, analyze and manage data of vehicle and driver Fleet management software helps track, manage, and analyze vehicle and driver information remotely. To be effective, they must have task management features to check schedules and ensure the vehicles and drivers are in good shape to arrive at their destination and be back in time. The software needs GPS tracking capacity to enhance safety by pinpointing the exact driver and vehicle location. Enable real-time performance tracking by keeping records of infractions and ensuring the drivers are efficient. Furthermore, fleet management software needs to have a vehicle health monitoring capacity whereby mechanics can record every problem and maintenance undertaken on the vehicles and connect with onboard diagnostics tools. - Stephen Curry CEO of cocosign Read More: Top 12 Emerging Technology Trends for Fleet Industry Cloud computing Fleet software Fleet software that runs on cloud computing is the easiest and most efficient way of managing a vehicular fleet. With these programs, companies do not need to invest in physical hardware – it is maintained by the cloud. Not only that, but users are able to access all necessary information and data using different devices. For businesses with growing fleets, cloud-based fleet software also allows the program to grow at the same rate as the business – making it flexible. Another important feature is the notification system. While the software lets users see the status of their fleet, notifications can alert them to specific problems that a vehicle/driver may be experiencing. In this way, proactive action can be taken to assess the severity of the problem and solve it before it gets worse. GPS tracking is a necessary feature that all fleet software programs need to function. GPS tracking lets companies monitor the locations and routes of their vehicles in real-time. Apart from ensuring the safety of their drivers, it can also increase a business’s productivity as users will be able to predict arrival times, assess whether a specific route saves time, etc. All this information can be implemented into a company’s customer service strategy to ensure needs are met. Arguably one of the most important features of fleet software is its fuel management system. Companies can use it to monitor fuel levels in their vehicles to identify unnecessary fuel consumption (e.g. engine idling). Overall, it helps to keep costs low and, when used with GPS tracking, can even be used to keep an eye on the behavior of drivers. - Matthew Leong work at Left Leads Vehicle tracking and Alert notifications Fleet vehicle tracking It’s important to know the real-time location of your assets on the map. Because of this, GPS vehicle tracking becomes an integral part of a fleet management system. With this fleet vehicle tracking feature, you can identify exactly where your cars are. Alerts and notifications Alerts are the best-in-class feature, which lets you respond quickly to a cumbersome situation concerning your vehicles and drivers. If any mishap happens when your alerts are all set, you will be notified. This is how you can ensure that the vehicles are moving safely, and if something wrong happens, you can take swift actions cost-effectively. - Cindy Corpis, CEO of Search People Free Fleet software is the implementation of computer programs used by a company to organize and figure out how to use their company vehicles for a variety of purposes. It is especially important for businesses that use driving and delivery as one of their main methods for growth and not so important for those who do all of their business online. Fleet software needs to let companies know the locations of their vehicles and whether they can fit them into the parking available on their lot if they buy more. It should let the company know about the prices of all of the vehicles, their value moving forward, and whether it will be good or bad for their bottom line to continue with the current vehicles they own. - Shawn Laib Fleet Management Expert at Autoinsurance Driver behavior notifications and metrics Speaking of accidents with driver behavior reports, you can keep an eye on your fleet drivers to ensure they drive safely. To be more specific, the system monitors and creates reports and metrics, such as scorecards, to explain driver activity and behavior. Driver scorecards, in essence, assist you in identifying dangerous driving behaviors such as forceful braking, quick accelerations, RPM, and sharp corners. Furthermore, they may assist you in effectively addressing problematic behaviors. For example, you may utilize these measurements to develop and execute a company-wide safety policy as well as to deliver specialized driver training to your crew. Integration options Many fleets, even ones not currently using a fleet management system, currently use some form of technology to streamline processes. Telematics devices and fuel cards help with fleet management and provide vast volumes of data to track and analyze. While these technologies are valuable on their own, integrating them with fleet management software increases value by allowing you to track all fleet data in one location. Fleetio not only interacts with many of the leading telematics devices and fuel cards, but it also offers Maintenance Shop Integration, which allows you to handle external maintenance orders and simplifies invoicing. Geofence: A smart tracker Geofence is described as the circular areas which are defined around a certain location. It is set by the client in the fleet Management system to define the radius of the area. The GPS location of the middle of the circle and the radius define a Geo-fence. If a vehicle's GPS location is within the Geofence, then they are in a safe area and if any vehicle goes outside the area of geofence the client is reported by a text or email alert, and the event is recorded. - Shiv Gupta, CEO of Incrementors Looking for a reliable Fleet software development company? CONNECT US Route optimization and management You decide the best route for every fleet depending on the available constraints. As such, your fleet management software needs to be customizable to allow you to decide how every constraint impacts your planning. Constraints include delivery costs, weather conditions, vehicle capacity, and even road conditions. Vehicle Tracking - The software needs to show the vehicle's real-time location to provide customers and company managers peace of mind. Ideally, they use GPS tracking services which enables you to know if the vehicle stops or takes an unfamiliar route. - Harriet Chan co-founder of Coco Finder Multiple Reasons "Fleet management software features Fleet management software is primarily used to ease complicated fleet management difficulties in the logistics, supply chain, and other transportation sectors. There are a few key characteristics in fleet management software that can turn a small fleet into a multimillion-dollar enterprise. System for fuel management Fuel consumption is maintained, controlled, and monitored using fleet management software. Fuel management is the primary area in which a fleet manager may exert significant cost control. Real-time tracking Real-time tracking is utilized in a variety of businesses that rely on transportation, although it is most commonly used in logistics. Transportation of commodities from point of origin to point of consumption is the basis of logistics. Monitoring fleet movement is a common strategy for saving time, and money, and increasing production. With and without GPS, real-time tracking was carried out. GPS tracker systems are organized in a certain way. A GPS tracking equipment, GPS tracker server, and user interface are all required. Optimization of the Route Route optimization is a technique for reducing the amount of fuel, time, and money spent on a journey. Route optimization is a method for running a lucrative fleet management organization. Route optimization uses a specific algorithm to produce the best results. If any modifications occur with the vehicle on the road route, an alert will be raised in the interface application. Management of vehicles and drivers: Maintaining vehicle procurement, such as vehicle fitness certificates, insurance, and scheduling vehicle maintenance on a regular basis. A fleet manager cannot manage, maintain, or recall the fleet's maintenance schedules. As a result, fleet management software assists you in maintaining, managing, and remembering all of a vehicle's requirements. When it comes to driver safety, fleet management software keeps track of things like accident management, speed control, procurement management, and managing a driver's driving style, among other things A good fleet management software will give you all the tools you need to run a fleet management company. Customer service Yes, customer service should be given high priority. In the process of selling a product, the development and customer support chains are intertwined. It doesn't matter if it's a massive industry or a well-known brand; at the end of the day, it's all about consumer pleasure. The brand's image is based on customer happiness. How can you get a high level of client satisfaction? Provide better customer service and higher-quality items. Customer service is the portion of your website where you can win a customer's heart and grow your business." - Tim Davidson, President of Car Title Loan Lenders "Significant features of the fleet software are - Visibility in real-time. Capabilities for driver management Complete integration and open, scalable software. Software for fleet dispatch and planning (including vehicle management) Learning by machine. Driver retention and performance solutions" - Della Cloud, work at NWPH "GPS tracking of vehicles With these devices, you can track your fleet's location and movement in real-time. Vehicle arrival times can increase productivity and customer satisfaction. Analyzing driving behavior Driving behavior analysis modules can detect acceleration, harsh braking, speeding, and overheating. As a result, poor driving habits can be corrected, and accidents avoided. Fleet alarms Alarms help fleet operators respond quickly to any difficult situation. Fuel management Fuel cost is a significant part of a company's budget, so fleet managers must manage fuel consumption efficiently. Monitoring and planning routes When you monitor routes and anticipate future events, you can reduce fuel consumption, increase productivity, and improve fleet management." - Christian Velitchkov Co-Founder of Twiz LLC "Fleet management software is an application that looks at the needs of a business and helps it meet those needs. It has many benefits, from keeping you organized to be able to handle unexpected events as they arise. Furthermore, fleet management software can help make your company more profitable by making transportation expenses more manageable and tax-deductible. Here are some of the most important features to know about when you purchase fleet management software: Organizing your company Fleet management software can help organize your company so that it lasts longer and has more money in its wallet. Having a system that keeps track of what's being done can help eliminate problems such as employee theft, taxes, and damaged cargo. Some services even allow you to access your vehicle inventory electronically, making it easier to locate a vehicle when needed. Keeping your company safe Fleet management software can help keep your company safe from a variety of different things, from employee theft to safety issues. Some programs even offer a system that lets drivers and dispatchers know when a driver has exceeded their driving hours. These systems also allow you to track mileage so that you can claim it as a tax deduction. Preparing for the unexpected Businesses occur despite the best plans, and fleet management software can help prepare for these eventualities. For example, some programs provide a way to track your company assets. When there is an accident, you can find the exact value of your assets so that you know what to claim for insurance. Other systems provide an inventory system that can alert you when a vehicle is missing or lost. Driving behavior analysis The superior fleet management systems will have a classic feature to measure and assess driving behavior. Its driving behavior analysis module lets you assess acceleration, speeding, harsh braking, and over idling. It will quickly share feedback with the drivers to assist them in correcting poor habits and help prevent mishaps. It will also create a noticeable reduction in fuel charges as drivers are driving more economically. Fleet alarms Alarms are the most prominent and valuable feature for organizations to respond to any cumbersome situation concerning their fleets quickly. Therefore, fleet software must allow you to make custom alarms based on your needs, such as it can be set to analyze speeding or the temperature of the heat-delicate merchandise." - Lynda, Co-founder of Numlooker "Delivery management systems that help firms manage fleets for best performance, efficiency, and cost are fleet management software. These logistics management solutions should include fleet software for managing your whole fleet of drivers, dispatchers, and vehicles. Here are some of the vital features of it: Real-time visibility When companies search for technology to help them better manage their fleets, one of their main goals is to know what's going on and where it's going in real-time. If you want to know where each order is, whether it's with your fleet or with a contractor's driver, you'll require vehicle tracking (or GPS tracking per driver). Some of this visibility comes through fleet tracking, which gives all key stakeholders, including dispatchers or fleet managers (including an external contractor if it's their driver), shippers, and the end customer, visibility into driver whereabouts. Driver management capabilities Driver management is having complete control over your drivers to ensure that you fulfill your KPIs and SLAs, that your drivers arrive on time, and that your deliveries go successfully. Calculating profits, scheduling, tracking and understanding performance, and permissions control are all part of this process. It would help if you had comprehensive control over your drivers, whether your fleets are internal or external, to guarantee that deliveries are made on time, that SLAs are satisfied, and that delivery runs smoothly. Machine learning You need as much data as possible – on both macro and granular levels – to achieve optimal fleet performance and efficiency. Understanding which fleet delivers faster, for example, might help you select who to deploy – but knowing whether that speed is due to faster time on the road, time on site, or time returning to the base can also be helpful (e.g., a warehouse or store). Look for a fleet management system that can track time to base, time on the side, vehicle unloading time, and other parameters using historical data and machine learning." - Steven Walker, CEO of Spylix "Fleet vehicle tracking Knowing where your assets are on the map in real-time. That is why GPS vehicle monitoring is an essential component of fleet management. With fleet vehicle tracking, you'll always know where your cars are, what route they're on, where they've stopped, and how long they've been there. Imagine what you could accomplish with this information in your hands, for example, the cost-cutting modifications you could make, not to mention all the mishaps you could avoid. Alerts & Notifications Alerts are a handy function when you need to react fast to a challenging scenario involving your vehicles and drivers. When you set up your alerts, you'll be notified when something goes wrong, and you'll be able to take action right away to ensure that your vehicles are running efficiently and cost-effectively. Fuel management Fuel consumption monitoring and reporting are essential features of a sound fleet management system for controlling and optimizing fuel expenses, particularly those resulting from excessive engine idle, risky driving behaviors, and fuel theft. Thankfully, fleet management systems can provide such reports, including information on every fuel purchase and usage activity. Vehicle maintenance Another critical component of a suitable vehicle management system is proactive vehicle maintenance. You can access all the vehicle status and diagnostics data you need with this feature, allowing you to keep everything under control. You'll also be notified of routine checkups and repairs when using this option." - Daniela Sawyer, Founder of FindPeopleFast.net Conclusion Fleet management software is imperative in the Fleet business as it helps to discover commercial success in the fleet company by streamlining and automating fleet activities. It helps owners monitor their vehicles, track the behaviors of drivers, and recognizes weak points in the business which could be rectified in real-time. This article went through the crucial features of fleet software and how it facilitates vehicle management.

Kapil Panchal

A passionate Technical writer and an SEO freak working as a Content Development Manager at iFour Technolab, USA. With extensive experience in IT, Services, and Product sectors, I relish writing about technology and love sharing exceptional insights on various platforms. I believe in constant learning and am passionate about being better every day.