Why Fleet Management Solutions Are A Boon for Transport Vendors?

When we look at the e-commerce sector today, we’ll find that their businesses are largely dependent on reliable logistics services. Some of them have their own logistics fleet while others use third-party services. But the overall functionality of all these businesses is dependent on efficient logistics. Most of these e-commerce deliveries are carried out through road transport i.e. commercial vehicles. This fleet of commercial vehicles needs proper end-to-end management which is generally handled by transport vendors. The purpose is to control the complete life cycle of commercial vehicles in a way that minimizes associated risks, increases profitability, enhances efficiency and improves productivity. Small-scale transport companies generally handle this manually. But companies with a sizeable number of vehicles and limited manpower find it difficult to deal with the expected as well as unprecedented problems faced by transport vendors.

Following are some of the major concerns of transport vendors which hinder the productivity and efficient management of fleet:

● No clue of vehicle and driver:

Once the truck driver leaves the source with the goods-loaded vehicle, the vendor has no clue of the actual location of the vehicle and the driver until it reaches its destination. He has to trust the driver helplessly. And if the driver flees away in case the vehicle meets an accident, then the vendor or the customer suffers a huge loss for stolen goods.

● Fake claims of fuel cards:

Since the vendor is clueless about the path taken to travel from source to destination, the driver may present fake fuel bills to claim more money. This will in turn increase the vendor’s operational cost and result in lesser profits.

● Rash and intoxicated driving:

On a long journey truck drivers habitually consume liquor and other intoxicants which severely affect their driving pattern and increase the possibility of accidents. When drivers are intoxicated, they may drive carelessly putting their life in danger with an equal risk of goods displacement.

● Late deliveries:

Due to lack of maintenance, the vehicle may break down in an area where service centers are unavailable; in that case, it gets difficult to reach out to help, leading to late delivery of goods.

● Manual documentation and billing:

what is most stressful for transport vendors is the manual mapping of bills as well as managing paperwork . They have to personally verify driving licenses, identity proofs, fuel claims, food reimbursement, toll receipts, customer bills, and whatnot, and that too in a limited period. This puts a lot of pressure on the vendor and his efficiency is compromised.

Adopting an automated fleet management system is one of the best ways to deal with all these woes of transport vendors and ensure seamless logistics and delivery operations. An efficient fleet management tool like Vehicle Tracking & Monitoring Solution (VTMS) helps to monitor the procurement, transportation and delivery of goods in an organization. It is a one-stop solution with Telematics, OBD (On-Board Devices) and automation necessary for a fleet’s needs. Asti infotech’s VTMS is an end-to-end GPS vehicle tracking solution for all logistics management needs. Since it automates the maximum operations, managers can spend their productive time in taking important business decisions & ensuring customer satisfaction, rather than just being involved in tedious paper work and driver dealing. It reduces the manager’s overall stress and promotes the organization’s growth.

Following features of VTMS make it a one of its kind solution and prove a boon to transport vendors:

● Real-time fleet monitoring

Real-time fleet tracking is possible only with fleet management automation. This helps the vendor to keep an eye on the movement of vehicles, and if a driver takes the vehicle off the track, it will immediately send an alert to the manager. Geo-fencing does not allow the driver to deviate from the designated path. Managers can also predict the time it reaches the destination.

● Fuel monitoring & analysis

Using fleet management tools like VTMS, managers can identify fuel-saving potentials, such as avoiding the idling of engines when a vehicle gets stuck in traffic. According to a survey, 10% less fuel consumption can bring about a 31% increase in profit for the fleet management business. The fuel tank level detection feature helps in detecting a sudden drop in fuel. Such a drop indicates fuel theft; in case such an incident happens, the manager will be informed about this well in time.

● Pre-maintenance alerts

VTMS keeps a record of the distance traveled by the vehicle so far. It also keeps the history of the last vehicle service, important documents or certificates to be renewed, vehicle insurance to be renewed, or any part of the vehicle which requires any maintenance. It alerts the driver and the manager in case the fleet’s service date is near or if it requires any annual maintenance.

● Improved driver safety

Driver safety is one of the major concerns of transport vendors. With fleet management automation, they can look into each driver’s performance, expertise, background, driving behavior, and other factors to assign them the trips accordingly. Driving pattern is also analyzed while traveling, if the driver is found involved in irregular or rash driving, an alert is sent to the transport vendor.

● On-time delivery

Managing fleets with VTMS would streamline processes like the selection of the right vehicle for a particular type of product, timely pickups of goods, and more. Doing this would help to accomplish further processes on time and ensure every product gets delivered within the specified time.

GPS-based transport management software VTMS is the best alternative to choose for automating your logistics services. It helps streamline all transport-related processes and saves the overall cost. Fleet managers can access updates on inventory, driver management, real-time status on deliveries, fuel management, take care of driver safety, meet vehicle compliance requirements, and much more. Additionally, this data can be used to train drivers and ensure timely vehicle maintenance for better delivery. This improves an organization’s performance and contributes to better revenue generation. Choose VTMS to enhance efficiency and productivity of your delivery fleet and bolster client satisfaction. To learn more about VTMS or schedule a demo click here.

1. What is GPS fleet tracking?

Tracking and monitoring of fleet vehicles in the logistics/transportation, cargo delivery, waste management, etc. with the GPS technology is called as GPS fleet tracking.

2. How does real-time tracking help my business?

Real-time GPS tracking helps you to track the flow of goods, real time vehicle status and driving behavior, reducing the chances of delays, thefts and wastage of fuel. It also helps in improving the customer service by timely delivery of goods.

3. What are the benefits of using VTMS?

● Increased Efficiency

● Reduced Time and Costs.

● Greater Visibility.

● Improved Vehicle health

● More Efficient Task Management.

● Improved Operational Stability.

● Quicker, Error-free Billing

● Greater Customer Satisfaction.

4. How does vehicle tracking solution help in monitoring fuel theft?

The fuel monitoring sensor in the fuel tank helps us monitor the sudden decrease in the level of fuel through alerts and various reports.