You have a business, and part of making sure the business runs effectively is making sure that each car (or transportation vehicle) is used to its optimum capacity whilst reducing costs and taking care of the safety of everyone. Balancing the various priorities is not always easy – ask any fleet manager, and he or she will invariably tell you that there are days when everything seems to run smoothly, whilst there are days when all the problems seem to pile up at once. Here’s the thing: a lot of issues can be avoided through better planning with the help of a tracking system. Here’s how a car tracking system can benefit your business.
What’s a tracking system?
A tracking system uses GPS (a global positioning system) to keep track of vehicles – to position them where they are in real-time. This gives the business essential information to optimise their operations. Simple examples of data that can be gained are: location of the vehicle, routes taken, and speed at various times.
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Passive tracking systems. Passive trackers use GPS and the data from the vehicle – this data is then stored for the manager of the fleet to download at some later time. All the information is there, except that it is not available at real-time and needs to be analysed later on.
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Active tracking systems. Active tracking systems, on the other hand, receive the relevant information from the vehicle almost instantaneously – the manager of the fleet can find out where the vehicle is at any point of time, how fast the vehicle is going, and what route it is taking – in real-time, as it is happening.
The major advantages
Here are some of the major advantages of a tracking system:
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Track drivers
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Generate reports
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Increase productivity
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Reduce expenses
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Prevent unauthorised use of vehicles
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Prevent theft or help track vehicles in case of theft or loss
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Provide detailed data to help in decision making
The tracking system is not just about making sure that you know where each and every vehicle of your fleet is at any point of time – nor is it a means to make sure you know what the driver is doing. Getting the data about those issues is only a means to an end. The point is this: by being able to keep track, you are able to keep better records, and by being able to keep better records, you can come up with better strategies to deal with future problems. Furthermore, being able to see everything in real-time, not only with a tracking system, but with a car security camera as well, will eliminate a lot of doubt and will help you resolve issues as they happen, right there and then.
Image attributed to nitinut/FreeDigitalPhotos.net
