For any small-business owner, every dollar—and every moment—counts.
This is especially true for those who have a transportation component (vehicles or fleets) to their business. There is always so much to do: products to deliver, vehicles to service and maintain, and driver calls to respond to. Just keeping the daily flow of operations running on track and on time can feel like an overwhelming task.
The great news is that there are tools available that can help. Yes, they are based on technology, but they are simple to implement and use—and they are available today. In fact, these tools even helped keep transportation companies afloat and thriving during the recent pandemic.
In addition, these technology tools can make a huge difference in boosting a company’s competitive edge as well as helping make the shift from being in a reactionary role, with little control, to a more proactive one. In this blog, we highlight some key components to embracing these new technologies, and how they can benefit your business.
One little tool has revolutionized how people navigate from point A to point B: GPS device tracking. It is easily accessible everywhere, and it is transforming how transportation companies manage their vehicles. With a GPS tracking device, a driver can find a location, and the business owner can track where that driver is at any given moment. That means greater insight into the status of when products or services are delivered, or how vehicles are performing on the road. Real-time alerts can also be set up to help drivers or business owners respond to situations as they arise. This tracking ability provides crucial information and greater visibility to ensure all operations—on the road and off—are running smoothly, cost-effectively, and on time.
More than ever, information is everywhere. The problem is that not all of it is equal. There is just too much of it, and it takes too long to sift through it to figure out what is usable.
This information overload is a challenge for any company, especially one that is actively transporting goods and services. So being able to seamlessly collect and use specific information generated from your daily operations can help you not only better manage your business but make better decisions, and faster.
With the right transport vehicle management software, you can access valuable information on:
Your products or services, as well as every one of your drivers and vehicles, matter. As a result, ensuring their safety is key.
According to the US National Highway Traffic Safety Association, “22.2% of the crash report was brought down when AI was implemented on route planning, which can detect roadblocks, heavy traffic, intersections, and roundabouts.” This statistic alone highlights the added benefit of using technology to improve safety. Specifically, it is essential to have the ability to:
Embracing transportation technology tools can feel intimidating, but they can actually help evolve your business by:
Ensuring your vehicles’ operations are running smoothly, efficiently, and safely—at all times.
Satrack knows technology—but we also know how to integrate that technology easily and effectively into your business. Our staff of industry experts can help you every step of the way, from the initial device installation to maximizing how the device can best work for your business. Satrack’s experience and international presence are the perfect combo for companies needing greater visibility and support to successfully manage their vehicles and positively impact their bottom line.
By choosing Satrack, you gain:
Contact Satrack today to get a free demo.
Tracking technology is all about optimizing the efficiency of your business. There are many benefits to equipping your vehicles with GPS tracking devices, but by far one of the most interesting is the savings you can make with regard to fuel consumption. Fuel accounts for around 30% of your total operating costs when you manage a business dependent of vehicles, so it is only natural that managers are looking to save in this area of their business’ expenses.
Many companies across the country are turning to GPS tracking software to save money on fuel in their business. The return on investment (ROI) with a GPS tracking system makes the investment well worth it. GPS tracking uses a fuel sensor to monitor the usage of fuel in real time, allowing you to make adjustments where necessary and reduce your overall fuel consumption over time.
For any business that uses vehicles on its operation, fuel consumption is one of the biggest expenses after payroll. Therefore, it is understandable that companies want to monitor their fuel usage and see where they can reduce it. Vehicle management systems allow us to do just this, potentially saving us thousands of dollars every year.
The use of GPS tracking devices is not just for larger businesses. Even companies with one or two vehicles can reap the benefits of vehicle tracking systems. Here are some of the ways GPS tracking systems can help you reduce your company’s’ fuel consumption, saving you money at the same time as saving the planet:
One of the highlights of installing a GPS tracking system is that these can generate a series of reports. Within these, you can find information about driver operations, inefficiencies, and driver safety concerns. Not only this, but you can print or download them as PDFs or spreadsheets, providing you with tangible material to make changes that can save your business a lot of time.
Customize a geofence and receive alerts when a vehicle enters or exits your digitally prescribed boundary, so you know where your vehicles are and when. These systems also help you to discover unauthorized vehicle use, so you can cut out any undesired behaviors and analyze where your vehicles are doing right, to further incentivize your drivers.
Another way that GPS tracking technology helps you to economize on fuel is by alerting the driver and the system when the vehicle is idling, allowing us to bring this bad habit to light and work to break it. Idling uses up to half a gallon of fuel per hour.
While most drivers will turn off the engine when still for longer periods of time, GPS technology can flag when drivers are idling for minutes, prompting them to switch off the engine even for short intervals – over the course of time, this fuel-conscious habit can help increase savings, reduce outgoings on maintenance and is a sure win for the sustainability movement.
GPS tracking software can highlight how often drivers idle their vehicles so you can see where the numbers are adding up. The software collects and provides data which you can use to train your drivers in conscientious habits, such as turning off the engine when idle for any length of time. It is a myth that turning off and restarting the engine uses more fuel – just thirty seconds of idling uses more fuel than stopping and restarting.
Gas mileage can be improved by as much as 10% when hard braking is avoided. Aggressive driving habits lead to more fuel consumption and cost small businesses money. The way GPS tracking software counteracts this is by registering the behaviors of your drivers, pinging the system when drivers accelerate quickly or brake abruptly.
It can’t always be avoided, of course. But when the system flags harsh braking as a regular occurrence rather than a necessity, it is an opportunity for small businesses to take the data accrued by their GPS tracking system and turn it into a learning point for their team. Not only can you save your company money on fuel consumption, but you also reduce the risk of rear-end collisions, so often caused by sudden braking.
The nature of GPS tracking software is more than keeping tags on drivers, it is a way to essentially be in the vehicle with them and monitor safe and efficient driving behaviors. With regard to speed, fuel efficiency doesn’t really even begin until you reach speeds of around 60 mph, at which point you are already driving at the optimal speed for fuel economy.
How smoothly you drive affects fuel consumption much more than speed itself – constant acceleration and deceleration is a lot more draining on your fuel consumption than driving consistently at 70mph. GPS tracking devices allow you to oversee the speeds at which your team drives, and intervene if necessary.
With tracking technology, the speed at which your drivers work is recorded on the customized reports, so you can see over time how this is affecting your overall fuel economy.
GPS tracking software grants small business owners the possibility to monitor the driving habits of their teams, however small. By planning routes more efficiently and registering the driving behaviors of your team, you can save thousands of dollars per year – much more than the initial investment required to equip your fleet with the technology.
Aside from GPS tracking, remember to carry out regular maintenance on your vehicles to ensure they are in optimum conditions for fuel economization – badly-inflated tires and suboptimal air-conditioning units are regular culprits for unnecessary loss of fuel.
Additionally, using the wrong engine oil, and poor fuel quality can also have an impact on fuel consumption, so it is wise to be aware of your purchasing choices in this regard. As GPS tracking technology advances, more and more alerts are becoming available to ensure we use our vehicles correctly and economize on fuel, helping us, as small businesses, reduce one of our biggest overheads – fuel consumption.
Sources:
https://www.fleetowner.com/technology/article/21684303/fleets-online-effective-routing
https://blog.bigroad.com/blog/3-operating-costs-to-track-while-maintaining-your-fleet#:~:text=Fuel%20takes%20up%2030%25%20of%20your%20total%20fleet%20operating%20costs.&text=This%20is%20a%20major%20outgoing,keep%20an%20eye%20on%20it.
https://scdhec.gov/sites/default/files/Library/CR-010109.pdf
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/6-myths-about-gas-mileage/
https://vocal.media/journal/top-9-industries-that-use-gps-tracking
https://www.tyrepower.com.au/news/how-does-tyre-pressure-influence-your-fuel-economy#:~:text=Under%20inflated%20tyres%20increase%20your%20vehicle’s%20drag%2C%20which%20increases%20fuel%20consumption.&text=With%20tyre%20pressure%20at%2040
Thanks to technology, today everyone is searching for speed in transitions, and just like you can purchase quickly, the transition is also completed in the least time possible and under the best conditions. On this front, logistics and transport companies today are being confronted with challenges that will determine who makes it in the business and who does not.
Technology and its advances are generating a revolution across all industries and by association the logistical tools that are needed to administrate these technologies: gps vehicle tracking solutions, sensors, automatic communications, gps equipment tracker, robots and “The Internet of Things”, where objects can communicate with each other, as well as artificial intelligence that permits machines to learn.
Logistics, as part of the industry, must advance alongside the transformations that are arising and make the most of this moment of accelerated development in software, apps and sensors which some are calling “transport 4.0” to successfully administrate activities which include:
By doing this advantage can be obtained such as: greater customer satisfaction, which can have real-time information about their merchandise, cost reduction and operation optimization.
Some trends that are changing transportation today:
Learn more about how to optimize your fleet performance
If you run a grocery store you know how difficult the industry can be. Margins are low, food products have a limited shelf life and the cost of getting produce from the farm to the shelves is high.
GPS fleet tracking software can address all of those issues, lowering your costs, making your operation more efficient and potentially boosting your profit margin. Here are a few of the many benefits GPS fleet tracking software can bring to your grocery store operation.
Nothing can make running a grocery store chain simple, but having the right technology in place can make it easier. If you have never considered a GPS fleet tracking software solution for your company, now might be the time.
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GPS tracking is the process of using the Global Positioning System (GPS) to determine the location of a vehicle in real-time.
GPS tracking relies on a network of satellites orbiting the Earth. GPS-enabled devices receive signals from these satellites to determine their precise location. However, to transmit or receive real-time location data, an internet or cellular connection is also necessary.
Satrack GPS tracking can be used to track vehicles and assets including: Trucks, cars, trailers, Pickups, Trucks, Fleets, Equipments, Heavy Duty Vehicles, dumpster, bobcats, jet ski, motorcycles.
GPS tracking offers numerous benefits, including improved asset utilization, increased safety and security, better route planning, and reduced operational costs.
There are various devices used for GPS tracking:
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