How can a Fleet Management System Keep Your Fleet Secure?

Keeping a fleet up and running is the primary responsibility of managers and drivers combined. But with a large number of vehicles running on the road at the same time, the attention of managers can be divided. This is why it is important for businesses to invest in a fleet management system for optimisation.

This system ensures that their vehicles stay safe by adopting better practices. It also allows managers to work on other aspects of the fleet instead of maintaining surveillance over their fleet 24/7. So let us learn how unsafe fleets can harm a fleet.

Why secure your vehicles?

You must be wondering just how grave the consequences of running an unsafe fleet can be. Well, the damages are many, and here are a few for your reference:

• Monetary Losses: A fleet that often gets into situations that harms vehicles means a lot of the business’ budget going towards the repair. This loss can not just drain their funds, but can also obstruct the way towards business growth. If fleet owners are not earning any profit, how will they invest in better resources?
• Consignment Harm: When on the road, the fleet is completely responsible for any consignment they carry. This means that the business will have to compensate for any harm caused to the goods. This can incur huge losses for the business and diminish its reputation, affecting its clientele.
• Loyalty Breakage: Customers entrusting their consignment with a fleet business is a very high responsibility. Any harm caused to this consignment will lead to not just monetary losses but will also jeopardise the business-client relationship.
• Employee Turnover: A working environment and tasks where drivers do not feel safe can lead to a high turnover rate. A shortage of drivers can be a huge hit to the business's productivity in general.
• Higher Vehicle Downtime: In case of an accident, a vehicle has to be repaired or discarded if the damage is severe. With a lower count of vehicles out for tasks, fleets might not execute their tasks properly. This can again be the reason for lost productivity. 

How to Use Fleet Management System

So how to use a Fleet management system to overcome the issues mentioned above? To understand this better we have divided security into three major parts. All three parts separately affect the fleet businesses and the features of the software targeting their safety are also different. 

For Securing Against Accidents

Accidents can harm a fleet in several ways. Not only do they have to pay for consignment damages, but it can also reduce a vehicle’s life, in some cases damaging them to the point of no return. So how does a fleet protect itself from such situations:

• Driver Behaviour: This solution ensures that the drivers on the road adopt good practices. This leads to fewer cases of accidents on the road and saves the fleets from repair costs. The alerts that trigger alerts under this solution are harsh braking, overspeeding, idling, harsh cornering, and unnecessary acceleration. 
• Video Telematics: With the integration of dashcams, this solution offers managers visual evidence of any distracted driving event. This means that drivers have their undivided attention on the road when they are on road. This solution is also helpful in saving the vehicle from any potential risk like a collision.

For Securing Against Theft

When a vehicle is parked, it is vulnerable to all forms of theft attempts. This can include targeting any single part of the vehicle (like its batteries), or the full vehicle itself. In order to save vehicles from any such attempt, a fleet management system provides businesses with a wide set of solutions. These include:

• Parking Mode: When the vehicle is in parking mode, it is expected to be stationary If the GPS tracking system detects any form of movement during this time period, the managers will receive alerts for further investigation. 
• eLocks: In case there is no way for managers to contact their drivers if they suspect any theft, managers can lock their vehicles remotely as well. This means the person driving will not be able to take the vehicle any further. This extra layer of security can prove to be very useful for the fleet. 
• Battery Disconnect Alarm: Battery theft is a very common type of threat that parked vehicles face. This act in the long run can negatively affect the fleet’s budget and can also be a hit to their productivity. Thus, this alarm allows managers to stop any such acts and goes off every time the battery is dislodged from its designated place.

For Security of Drivers/Passengers

A fleet is responsible for not just vehicles, but also the people travelling inside. This is why the following features integrated with the system allow managers to ensure their safety on the road:

• SOS Button: This panic button is accessible to all drivers. Drivers can use it to send distress signals to the managers in case they face any kind of emergency. Managers can thus act on the signal and investigate the situation.
• Nearby: In case a driver needs to access any facility like a petrol pump, ATM, or hospital, they can inform the managers. Through this option available on the dashboard, managers can do a quick search of the vehicle’s nearby area and direct drivers to the needed facility.

Benefits of Using Fleet Management System for Vehicle Security

Having a secure fleet is extremely beneficial for any fleet. Some of these benefits include:

• Higher Profitability: Safer fleets means less accidents occurring on the road. This cuts down the repair cost of these automobiles, increasing the overall profit of the fleet. These good practices on the road can also lead to less fuel consumption. Thus, it cuts down the fuel cost for businesses.
• Lower Servicing: Vehicles staying safe on roads will not require more maintenance than their regular check-ups. This means that fleets will be able to be more productive due to lowered down time of these vehicles.
• Smoother Operations: We have seen how a manager optimises their fleet to keep them safe using a fleet management system. With this system’s involvement, all other aspects of the fleet are also optimised, leading to smooth running of fleets. Managers do not have to stress about ensuring that their vehicles are safe on the road and communication becomes easy.
• Customer Loyalty: A customer who experiences just how safe and sound their tasks execution is will ensure that they employ your business for future tasks as well. This can help businesses grow a strong clientele.
• Employee Turnover: With the system to optimise safety of a fleet, drivers do not have to worry about facing any fatal emergencies on the road. The SOS button can be a symbol of confidence for them. This satisfaction will in turn help businesses lower their employee turnover rate as well.

Conclusion

Having safe fleets on the road is not only positive for fleet businesses, but also a good sign for drivers to work for your fleet. Fleet management software can be a huge vote of confidence and the reports it presents can help vouch for your productivity as well. This is why investing in such a system is not just a luxury, but a necessity. 

Try TrackoBit, a system that holds the potential to completely transform your fleet. It keeps your vehicles safe and can also regularise your budgeting. Try a demo and witness its amazing solutions at work yourself.