Fleet management involves a lot of rotating cogs. Without proper greasing, the whole operation falls apart. Everything from the moment cargo is loaded onto the truck to the moment the truck gets to the destination needs to be documented to enhance efficiency.
These records inform important decisions like how much to charge clients and fuel required for each truck to service its route. Just like the trucks must be well-oiled machines, so should the entire fleet management operation. Introducing the latest technology in your fleet management business will make things easier and efficient. Below are five benefits of using mobile apps in fleet management.
When employing a manual system, there will be a lot of pieces of paper, texts, and verbal data being passed around. Keeping track of all of these communication processes will be difficult. Often, some data will be lost if you are not careful, including important data critical to the operation. You want a convenient space in which all the data can be stored and retrieved at will.
With high-quality mobile apps, you will always know exactly where a certain truck is at any given time. This kind of digital documentation creates a trail and enhances efficiency. You can track data accurately right from the warehouse to the destination. In short, an efficient mobile app will help you track every movement of your trucks, the activities involved, and many other details that are essential to your fleet management business.
Imagine you need to know the mileage for all the trucks in one week. You would have to call each driver and ask them about the routes they covered all week. Some of the drivers might not be available on the phone. Others might not have accurate information. It will take you too much time to get all the information and consolidate it. A mobile app will help you gather all this information and consolidate it within a short period. The app will also instantly offer accurate information if a client wants to know the estimated arrival time. A lot of time would be saved when fishing for information.
When managing your fleet, the last thing you want is for a truck to be ailing while on the road. It might even break down and attract thieves, losing the cargo. In worse scenarios, it could cause an accident injuring or killing people. A mobile app will help you keep an eye on the trucks and their statuses. Instead of having a planner for when every truck needs to be serviced, the app will tell you. Additionally, you will keep a close eye on fuel use of the trucks. This is an essential aspect because it has a direct effect on the bottom line.
For budgeting to be done, different departments need to share data. Drivers need to share their route plans. They must report the mileage expected, which in turn helps the finance team budget for fuel expenses.
The warehouse needs to share what needs to be driven and where. Often the office will need to get in touch with the drivers. If it is a big fleet, an efficient mobile app will help you record the necessary information to keep the organization moving forward. If an emergency occurs, it will get realized on time, and the concerned department will send help. A mobile app will be like an Ethernet cable to the fleet management operation.
Without an app, you will have to collect and manage data manually. Human beings make errors all the time, and there will always be a number that has been entered wrongly. Additionally, there will always be something that was forgotten and needs to be estimated for the purpose of planning. For example, imagine if a driver had several stopovers but used shortcuts instead of the expected route? The distance covered would be shorter than the projected one. An app would ensure that all data used not only in real-time but also very accurately.
Having a mobile app for fleet management will streamline all the processes from the dispatch station to the destination. While it might cost more to go digital, it will surely pay off.
Mikayla St. Clair is a Public Relations Specialist for Transport Resources. She loves to write informative articles and share her knowledge with the readers.
Digital workflows across the supply chain.
