Top 10 Fleet Telematics Features to Look For

As any fleet manager will tell you, fleet telematics for fleet management is increasingly becoming an indispensable tool for cost-efficient operations. From accurately tracking your fleet vehicles to driver behavior and maintenance alerts, fleet telematics systems offer a plethora of features that make the job not just easier but more efficient.

Fleet telematics offers GPS tracking features that give you insight into how well your fleet is optimized so that you can make better decisions about what to change or improve. Here are ten key features to look for in your fleet telematics system.

1. Visibility via GPS

Fleet telematics with GPS tracking gives you visibility into your fleet's location and movements in real-time. This tracking system lets you monitor journeys and vehicles from start to finish. The system can generate exceptions and send you real-time notification of your fleet vehicle's position, whether it is stationary or moving, and which driver is behind the wheel. You can view information on speeding, driving direction, ignition status, driving violations, past trips, and more. You also get information on where they stop and for how long. This can increase productivity, improve your customer service, and increase overall fleet efficiency.

2. Real-Time Communication

Powerful software allows operators to not only track but to manage, monitor, and measure the performance of their vehicles and drivers and be notified, in real-time, about events, deviations, infringements, or impending dangers. These streams can be user-defined and contain information about events as well as messages to and from the connected asset and/or driver. For priority trips, you can undock a stream and keep it while navigating the rest of the application.

3. Actionable Driver Data Reports

How do you get the most out of your data? Robust, customizable reporting. Choosing a fleet telematics system with the robust reports you need and the ability to customize reports is key to seeing your data and using it to make decisions. Fleet telematics collects a ton of data. Using a system that provides robust, actionable reports lets you see the relevant information you need to make the best decisions for your fleet.

Look for a system that lets you review and analyze data in dynamic and customizable formats. They should include movement, location, trips, and utilization as well as fuel usage, cost analysis, driver scoring, and event violations.

4. Asset Management

Asset management software can help you easily oversee all of your assets. On the surface, it might appear as though this type of software only tracks and locates assets, with the main benefit being security. However, this is merely the tip of the iceberg. Asset management software has many benefits that may not be immediately apparent but provide equal value to any fleet manager. Fleet telematics asset management can help you with inventory management, maintenance and service scheduling, compliance with fleet licensing and certification requirements, and more.

5. Cloud-Based Infrastructure

Cloud-based infrastructure lets you get started in minutes. Your data is typically backed up more frequently and protected at higher security levels. You can focus on managing your fleet and not worry about your software. You can access your information from any device and any location. The only thing you need is an internet connection.

6. Alerting Functionality

Although making sure your drivers get where they are expected to be on time is a big part of fleet management, you also have to make sure your vehicles are properly maintained. This means keeping track of several different service schedules. Some maintenance tasks are scheduled based on mileage or engine hours, while others are based on time. Keeping track of all this can get complicated, and missing regular maintenance can cause your vehicles to use excess fuel or even breakdown unexpectedly. Make sure your fleet telematics system offers alerts that can help you schedule maintenance in advance, keeping your trucks on the road and your crews on the job.

7. Better Integration

No one likes to hunt around for all the information they need to do their job efficiently. Working in multiple systems can be frustrating and time-consuming. Integrating fleet telematics data with other business applications gives you a complete view into your fleet operations and helps you make better business decisions. Your fleet telematics systems should be able to communicate with your other business applications through APIs, data connect, Webhooks, and data dumps.

8. Driver Scorecards

The best fleet telematics systems offer tools to measure and monitor driver behaviors. This lets you analyze events such as harsh braking, speeding, excess acceleration, excessive idling, and more. Drivers often need to be made aware of the effects their behavior on the road has on the fleet's safety and vehicle health. You can share this information with drivers to help them improve their driving and help reduce accidents throughout your fleet. Correcting these behaviors can also reduce fuel costs and wear and tear on your vehicles, reducing maintenance costs and downtime due to unexpected repairs.

9. Simplified Administration

Increasingly fleet telematics systems are moving towards simplified interfaces to increase usability for their users. You don't want to have to click around to find what you want or lose that report you've been working on for hours. Look for a fleet telematics solution that is easy to use and puts essential information at your fingertips.

10. Customer Service

And last, but very far from least, don't forget to look for a fleet telematics solution provider who offers superior customer service. Look for a fleet telematics provider who guides you through all the features their system provides to help you achieve your goals as a telematics partner. They should offer training and troubleshooting as well as 24/7 customer support.

If your fleet telematics service doesn't offer the features you need, your business will miss out on the benefits that make tracking your fleet valuable. Choose a provider that is focused on making your life easier. Changes can happen daily, whether it is changing driver-vehicle assignments, changing routes, or adding new jobs to the schedules, and fleet telematics should make what used to take hours to do able to be done in just a few minutes.

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