The Best Fleet Management Software: How to Select It

Make sure the program you select includes these essential qualities when looking for the finest fleet management software:

Driver Control

Monitoring and assessing crucial driving factors like acceleration, abrupt braking, speeding, and excessive idling are referred to as driver management. The drivers can make improvements when you give them input so they can:

• Boost productivity and efficiency of drivers,
• reduce the likelihood of accidents,
• reduced need for gasoline,
• enhanced driving performance,
• Driver retention also rises when you invest in creating healthy driving habits.

Vehicle Administration

A fleet alarm system and a GPS car tracking system are two examples of vehicle management.

REAL-TIME TRACKING OF WARRANTY AND INSURANCE INFORMATION:

It can be difficult to manually keep track of fleet insurance and warranty details. With a fleet management system, this duty is easier to handle. The system can be set up to automatically alert interested parties when a warranty or insurance policy for any component of a vehicle is about to expire and has to be renewed right away to avoid fines.

GPS tracking technology. Fleet managers may view the current whereabouts of their vehicles thanks to GPS vehicle tracking. They may use this to determine the location of vehicles at any given time, as well as whether they are in motion, sitting still, or parked. GPS tracking improves customer satisfaction by helping fleet managers maximize production and giving customers precise information about expected delivery dates. The majority of fleet management systems provide GPS tracking via the driver’s phone.

Alarm system for a fleet. While your cars are in use, a fleet alarm system can alert you to problems. For instance, if a vehicle has been stopped for a long time with the engine running, an alarm system may alert the driver to turn off the engine. By doing this, fuel waste may be decreased. The fleet manager may also be notified to get in touch with the driver if the driver doesn’t shut off the engine.

Management of Operations

Route planning and monitoring, fuel management, and task management are components of fleet operations management.

CAREFULLY TRACK FUEL CONSUMPTION: With the help of this software, fleet owners may closely monitor the fuel usage of every vehicle in their fleet. This function monitors fuel use per vehicle and can spot irregularities that point to the need for fleet maintenance or quick service. Additionally, drivers can submit fuel receipts along with mileage to the firm for verification of any erroneous claims.

Monitoring and planning your route. By evaluating previous results for the documented trips and projecting future outcomes, fleet management software aids in route optimization. This contributes to quicker arrival times and improved client satisfaction, automatically improves fuel efficiency, cutting costs.

Managing tasks. To ensure that every order is filled as quickly as possible and to improve the customer experience, operations management optimizes vehicles, drivers, and routes. The current position of each product is provided via fleet management software. Therefore, in the event of delays, consumers may fuel control. A fleet operations budget’s largest component is fuel costs. Route optimization provided timely warnings and, if necessary, made appropriate adjustments.

Integrations of software

Fleets don’t function independently. They must seamlessly mesh with all other corporate operations. A seamless integration with other business tools like CRM and inventory management should be possible with your fleet management software. Drivers can submit real-time data into mobile apps for the fleet management tool after each delivery, which changes the status at all other locations automatically.

Inventory Control

Inventory management, whether it be for products being delivered or parts needed for fleet maintenance, may be made simpler for you by fleet management. Drivers’ mobile apps can be directly connected to inventory levels, updating the status as components are utilized or deliveries are made. When stock on particular items drops to a certain level, a platform may in some situations even submit orders on your behalf automatically.

Common characteristics of fleet management software

Assign delivery jobs to the drivers and monitor delivery progress with

DISPATCH MANAGEMENT.

GPS TRACKING: Locate a job, team, piece of equipment, or a fleet of cars on a map.

ROUTE OPTIMIZATION: After carefully weighing a variety of variables, such as vehicle capacity, traffic conditions, drop-off locations, and delivery windows, choose the best delivery route for drivers.

Track and manage driver performance, availability, and schedules for employees.

VIN LOOKUP: Use the vehicle identification number (VIN) search to find out a car’s year, manufacturer, and model.

FLEET TRACKING: Keep track of your fleet’s performance, fuel consumption, and preventive maintenance.

FLEET TELEMATICS

View reporting on average fuel costs, GPS tracking of vehicles, driver behavior, and road data for better route planning.

Factors to take into account while buying fleet management software

COMPLIANCE WITH ELECTRONIC LOGGING DEVICES (ELD):

Drivers must use an ELD to log their driving hours in accordance with U.S. federal law. Therefore, to avoid needless inspections and legal repercussions, be sure the solution you choose conforms with the ELD mandate guidelines.

TRY, TEST, AND SCALE: For small fleet operations, starting with a basic telematic system that satisfies your immediate needs and then scaling up as your needs increase may be a good option. The vendor you choose should be able to accommodate your growth without significantly increasing your upgrading costs. Scalability is crucial for purchasers since it enables you to benefit from your early investment and training efforts..

VERIFY INTEGRATION CAPABILITY: List every business application you now use that you want to combine with your new fleet management program. For accounting purposes, confirm that the solution can connect a driver’s personal records—such as driving hours, overtime, and damages—directly with your payroll application. Your connected systems’ flawless internal data interchange without the need for double entry is ensured via integration with other applications.