Imagine it’s a Monday morning, and your fleet of 100 construction vehicles is ready to hit the road. You’ve got a bunch of active job orders, and one of them is pretty critical: your concrete mixer truck needs to be at a construction site by 8 a.m. sharp.
Having dispatched the truck, you find out about an unexpected road closure because of construction works. Concrete mix has a limited workable time. If the truck is delayed for too long, the concrete inside may begin to set, making it unusable and potentially leading to waste. If luck is on your side, the truck will get to the construction site on time.
Or another example. It’s midday and your bulldozer’s hydraulic system fails, bringing the machine to a halt. The failure is traced to a leak in the hydraulic fluid line that went unnoticed by your maintenance team. Such a mistake can end up costing your business a fortune.
With a fleet management system, these problems could have been avoided. Let’s look at fleet tracking benefits and see why fleet management is important for your business.
Advantages of fleet management:
Why track your fleet
When talking about the biggest issues that disrupt fleet operations, the lack of visibility would probably top the list. In the end, if you don’t know where your trucks are, you can’t be sure if your drivers are on location doing their jobs. Also, you can’t predict possible failures that might happen to your vehicles while in operation. Without a system to track things, you’re left in the dark about what’s going on.
But with well-implemented fleet management software, it’s a whole different story. The software provides full visibility over every aspect of your fleet so that you can cut ongoing expenses and improve efficiency. Here are some other benefits of a fleet management system to convince you it’s worth the investment.
Fewer accidents on the road
According to OSHA (the Occupational Safety and Health Administration), minor accidents can cost a company around $16,000 while severe ones can exceed $500,000. So even a few accidents every year can seriously drain your resources.
But here’s the good news. You can cut the risk of accidents and shut down fraudulent claims thanks to fleet management software. These systems often come with dash cams that record both the driver and the road. This means drivers stay sharp and if an accident does happen, you can quickly review the footage to resolve any issues.
Longer vehicle lifespan
Every construction vehicle is a big investment. Let’s look at the figures. A dump truck usually costs from $50,000 to $150,000, and sometimes even up to $200,000. So, it’s a real headache when one of your fleet vehicles breaks down beyond repair. That’s why it’s crucial to extend its lifespan and maximize return on investment.
One way to handle this is by using fleet management software. It comes with tools to monitor vehicle performance and safety metrics. The software automatically notifies mechanics, safety managers, or whoever’s in charge when vehicle maintenance is needed, catching small issues before they become big, costly problems that could damage your heavy equipment or cause injuries.
Always on-time delivery
In the construction industry, being on time isn’t just a promise – it’s the lifeline of your business. But let’s be real: things like traffic jams and unexpected weather can throw even the best plans out the window. Imagine this: your expensive heavy equipment stuck in a huge traffic jam, rain coming down in buckets, deadlines flying by, and money slipping away. Plus, it annoys your customers and can really hurt your company’s reputation.
These issues can be addressed with a proper fleet management system. Such software provides weather, traffic, and delivery location data to help fleet managers build the fastest and most efficient route.
More work orders
When dispatchers rely on traditional methods like phone calls or paper records, it leads to miscommunication and missed assignments. Construction vehicles get underutilized or overbooked, causing delays and frustration for both drivers and customers. For example, let’s say a crane truck was sent to the wrong job site because the dispatcher or fleet manager didn’t have an up-to-date view of the truck’s location or schedule. The outcome? Lost hours, and project delays for the client.
A fleet management system centralizes work orders in a single digital platform. Dispatchers can easily assign and track jobs in real-time, while automated notifications keep drivers informed of new assignments and changes. This way, fleet companies can handle more work orders and improve overall service quality and customer satisfaction at the same time.
Accurate customer billing
Without a fleet management system, billing customers is a total nightmare. If dispatchers and fleet managers rely on manual logs, mistakes are bound to happen. Needless to say, it frustrates customers and causes revenue loss for the company.
A fleet management system takes the guesswork out of customer billing. It automatically tracks every trip, mile, and service, giving you spot-on fleet data. With accurate records, generating invoices becomes a breeze, and customers receive clear, detailed bills with zero confusion. This transparency boosts customer trust while your company gets paid correctly for all services rendered.
More control over the fleet operating cost
Remember situations when you noticed rising fuel consumption and couldn’t figure out why? Maybe fuel costs just went higher, but this could also happen because your trucks are idling too long, or drivers are taking longer routes to avoid traffic, without you even knowing. Without clear data, you’re left reacting to problems instead of preventing them.
That’s why, one of the most crucial fleet management benefits is that it helps you pinpoint exactly where things go south. Fleet management systems give you real-time insights into fuel usage, vehicle performance, and route efficiency, so you can improve fuel management and make smarter decisions. It helps identify areas where you can save, like optimizing routes, reducing idle time, or scheduling maintenance.
No misuse or theft of vehicles
How do you know a driver doesn’t use your track to move furniture to their country house or, even worse, that it hasn’t been stolen? Without real-time tracking, it’s hard to monitor where each vehicle is and ensure it’s being used properly.
With a fleet management system, you can prevent this. GPS tracking lets you monitor every vehicle’s location in real-time. If a truck goes off-route or is taken without authorization, you’ll know instantly. It gives you the peace of mind that your vehicles are secure and where they’re supposed to be.
No one says that coordinating a fleet of vehicles is easy, but fleet management software definitely makes things simpler. It streamlines operations, reduces costs, and provides valuable insights you can use to operate efficiently.
7 main advantages of fleet management software
- Fewer accidents on the road
- Longer vehicle lifespan
- Always on-time delivery
- More work orders
- Accurate customer billing
- Better control over the fleet operating cost
- No misuse or theft of vehicles
If you want to make the most out of your fleet management, your tracking system needs some essential features. And Fleet Chaser has them. Let’s take a closer look at what Fleet Chaser offers and why fleet management is important.
How Fleet Chaser’s features drive key fleet management benefits
Fleet Chaser is fleet management software for businesses operating in the construction, landscaping, dirt moving, and service industries, like roofing, plumbing, and more. Our solution offers various features to help these companies improve their fleet management and increase revenue.
Here are some of the Fleet Chaser’s capabilities that will transform how you manage your fleet and improve overall productivity.
Customizable real-time map
Fleet Chaser has a customizable real-time map where you can filter assets by status, add layers for traffic, weather, or location. Whether your construction vehicles are employed, parked, or idling, you can track their location, getting complete fleet visibility and control.
Dash cam integration
Fleet Chaser provides telematics-based dash cams that give you live footage of the driver and the road. Safety managers or company owners can easily check the video footage when needed. You can set up alerts to wake up drivers if they’re getting drowsy or use the footage to figure out who’s at fault in case of an accident. In other words, Fleet Chaser is a security system for your fleet that keeps everything in check and everyone safe.
Personalized dashboards
With Fleet Chaser, everyone on your team, be it a dispatcher, safety manager, or mechanic, can create their own dashboard with the data that matters to them. This way, your team stays organized, tracks assets accurately, and avoids costly mistakes.
Automated reporting
Fleet Chaser allows you to generate automatic reports, including IFTA, vehicle work hours for payroll, state mileage, maintenance logs, and more. It cuts down on your workload and reduces human error.
Automated notifications
With our fleet management software, you can set up automatic alerts for things like engine failures or vehicle idling. This allows you to address any issues right away, whether by scheduling vehicle maintenance or reaching out to drivers.
Fleet Chaser’s key features that drive value to fleet management
- Customizable real-time map
- Seamless dash cam integration
- Personalized dashboards
- Automated notifications
Final thoughts
Fleet Chaser isn’t just another fleet management system – it’s a system designed specifically for construction fleets. It helps you stay on schedule, avoid expensive accidents, and extend the life of your vehicles. Fleet Chaser is your extra pair of eyes, always on the lookout for your business.
If you think your company could benefit from it, book a demo to see Fleet Chaser in action.
Still wondering about the importance of fleet management systems?
Here are some FAQs to help you decide if it’s something you need.
What fleet tracking benefits does Fleet Chaser ensure?
The advantages of fleet management are not limited to those we described in the article. Good fleet management solutions like Fleet Chaser can help improve driver behavior, keep your documentation in check, ensure you meet safety standards, and boost communication in real-time.
Plus, as your business grows, fleet management systems make it easier to scale operations. You can add more vehicles, track additional metrics, and expand your capabilities without major overhauls to your system.
Apart from the benefits of fleet management system, what risks should I watch out for?
Reliance on GPS tracking and software means that technical issues like connectivity problems or system downtime can disrupt operations. With the right fleet management software like Fleet Chaser, you shouldn’t worry about this. For example, if Internet coverage is lost, all data is stored locally and automatically uploaded once back online.
Taking the advantages and disadvantages of fleet management system into account, is getting one worth it?
Fortunately, the benefits typically outweigh the downsides. While there may be high initial costs and a learning curve, the importance of fleet management shouldn’t be underestimated. The long-term advantages – such as improved efficiency, reduced costs, better safety, and real-time tracking – make it a valuable investment for most businesses. For example, with Fleet Chaser, you pay between $20 to $25 per vehicle per month plus $25 per camera. If you need more information on our pricing, contact our team.
