The power of fleet telematics

Fleet management is rapidly evolving, with fleets of all sizes looking to telematics platforms to optimise their operations. If you choose correctly and spend the time to customise it to your fleet’s unique needs, your telematics software can be a huge value generator. 

In this article, we look at five key areas where data from a telematics system can be leveraged to improve operational efficiency, driving savings on the bottom line and making your fleet safer and greener. 

Assisting a tailored driver behaviour management and training programme

Telematics systems provide real-time data on driver safety metrics, including excessive speeding, seat belt usage, harsh braking, acceleration and cornering. Many will rank drivers on these safety indicators so that you can quickly identify your strongest and weakest performers. 

This allows fleet managers to identify the drivers who require additional training or coaching to improve their driving habits. Meanwhile, you can reward the drivers who are working the hardest to align themselves with your safety culture, boosting morale and ensuring this culture permeates through the fleet. 

With active driver management, enhanced by the data provided by your telematics solution, you’ll be able to significantly enhance road safety, protecting your drivers and other road users. You’ll also see connected benefits of a reduction in fuel consumption and vehicle wear and tear.

Identification of excessive fuel consumption and poor fuel efficiency

Telematics systems track fuel consumption and provide detailed reports on fuel efficiency. This data can be used to identify vehicles (or drivers) that are consuming more fuel than expected, or that have poorer fuel efficiency than the rest of your fleet. 

Fleet managers can then use this data to investigate the causes of excessive fuel consumption, such as poor driving habits, maintenance issues, inefficient routing, or even fuel theft, and take appropriate measures to address them. 

As changes are made, the effects can also be tracked to judge their success in improving fuel efficiency and reducing associated costs and carbon emissions. 

End-to-end preventative maintenance programmes

Proper vehicle maintenance is essential for the safe and efficient operation of your fleet, and can improve fuel economy by as much as 5% to 10%.

Many telematics systems connect into a fleet management platform, from which a preventative maintenance programme can be managed. By moving away from a paper- or Excel-based system, towards these end-to-end maintenance software solutions, you can cut vehicle downtime and maintenance costs significantly. 

The software allows you to schedule every vehicle’s regular services and inspections, and keep accurate records of vehicle issues, maintenance work, and parts inventories to ensure the maintenance scheduling process always runs without delay. A centralised calendar means that all parts of the team, from workshop to customer services to dispatch, know which vehicles are available for work, preventing costly scheduling errors. 

From a predictive or proactive maintenance perspective, many telematics systems now actively monitor vehicle conditions including engine performance, tire pressure, and fluid levels. Receiving EML alerts directly from on-board vehicle diagnostics, your fleet maintenance system can monitor vehicle health in real-time. This enables the team to triage alerts depending on severity and potential operational impact. 

By conducting timely maintenance before minor problems escalate into major breakdowns. This proactive approach further reduces vehicle downtime, extends service lifespan, and enhances safety.

Increasing operational productivity 

Providing data on vehicle and driver utilisation and route performance, telematics systems can help fleet managers to optimise vehicle allocation, reduce empty miles, and improve overall utilisation. 

By ensuring that vehicles are used efficiently, fleet managers have the opportunity to reduce operational costs and may even be able to downsize their fleet, resulting in even greater cost savings. 

Supporting your sustainability objectives

Telematics systems can generate detailed reports on sustainability indicators such as excessive idling, fuel efficiency, and carbon emissions. This data is increasingly necessary for sustainability reporting and compliance, and provides the necessary KPIs to track your fleet's progress towards reducing its carbon footprint. 

By demonstrating your organisation’s commitment to sustainability, you can enhance its corporate reputation, attracting quality drivers and environmentally conscious customers alike.

Grasp the benefits of your fleet telematics system 

Fleet telematics systems offer a wealth of insights that can help you to improve the sustainability and operational performance of your fleet - if you have the time to customise them to your needs. 

Green Steps are experts in fleet telematics. Whether you already have a system, but you’re not seeing the value of it, or you’d like to install one and don’t know where to start, then we can help you.

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