What is Fleet Management?
Any enterprise that uses commercial vehicles for its regular functioning requires fleet management in some form or the other. Fleet management is the overseeing of fleet performance and maintenance and covers everything from acquisition to disposal. Fleet management is especially vital to companies in the logistics and transportation sector.
Fleet managers or operators are responsible for vehicle maintenance, driver management, route planning, and overseeing fuel consumption and fuel costs. They are tasked with implementing programs that raise productivity, improve efficiency, and reduce waste.
Fleet managers are responsible for ensuring driver safety and retention by maintaining trust with the driver while also monitoring their driving behavior. It is the task of the fleet manager to track every vehicle in the fleet, be the fleet size 10 or 1000.
To reduce operational costs and increase fleet efficiency, companies use fleet management software or vehicle telematics.
Problems Faced By Fleet Operators
Fleet operators or managers face numerous difficulties and some of these are elucidated below:
1) Driver Shortage
The shortage of drivers is a source of distress for fleet managers. With greater demand for freight transport and decreasing number of new drivers, there is scope for driver shortage and the subsequent disruption of the supply chain and logistics network.
Shortage of drivers may require fleet managers to hire inexperienced drivers, which raises safety concerns. This brings up the need for driver monitoring technologies which further increase the complexity of fleet management.
The shortage of drivers also brings up the need for driver retention. It is essential to maintain a good relationship with your drivers and build a healthy working environment. Maintaining trust and caring about their well-being can help fleet operators retain existing drivers and avert the shortage crisis.
2) Driver Behavior
Driver behavior is a crucial problem faced by fleet managers. Inappropriate behavior from the driver leads to safety concerns and maintenance requirements for the vehicle. Aggressive or intoxicated driving, improper shifting and excessive idling are all undesirable driver behavior and make fleet management more strenuous.
3) Fuel Costs
Fuel cost and consumption depend on the type of vehicles in the fleet. A slight fluctuation in fuel rates is reflected as a major increase in overall fleet management costs. Fleet maintenance teams must always stay alert on typical fuel usage, fluctuations, and fuel economy. They need to be up to date with fuel price predictions and forecasts. Underestimating fuel costs may result in greater fuel expenses fuel, which in turn elicits the need for drastic cutbacks in other sectors.
4) Vehicle Maintenance
Fleet operators are responsible for keeping vehicles maintained and serviced regularly. Regular vehicle maintenance and ideal driver behavior can help avoid the aggravation of issues.
5) Vehicle Digitalization
The best way to track the fleet, vehicle routes, and preventive maintenance is vehicle digitalization. Digitalization and innovation go hand-in-hand, which calls for fleet management software and telematics. In the long run, this can bring down the overall costs.
6) Environmental Concerns
Vehicles contribute to climate change through emissions and affect the air quality. This has led to the implementation of environmental legislation and standards for vehicles to reduce their impact on living conditions. Fleet operators are now tasked with ensuring that their fleet meets the necessary fuels and emissions criteria, and are prepared to switch to cleaner alternatives. In the upcoming years, they will be required to change from IC engines to electric vehicles as well. Fleet managers and technical teams need to be on the lookout for possible changes and develop strategies to implement them at a feasible rate.
7) Route Optimization
Logistics is all about planning and coordinating the flow of finished goods from the supplier to the consumer effectively and efficiently. Route optimization plays a key role in effective logistics. It is essential to find the ideal route that can avoid maintenance requirements due to environmental factors. A well-laid-out route also ensures that dispatchers find it easy to locate the vehicle in case of any emergencies.
Route optimization is of utmost requirement when the company in question has operations spread across states or even countries. This is the case with companies with larger fleets, where fleet managers find it difficult to track operations, communicate with drivers, and locate vehicles.
Why Use Fleet Management Software?
Businesses that employ logistics and transportation networks need efficient fleet management. There is a need for assessing the company's fleet requirements, purchasing the right vehicles and completing maintenance needs. Fleet management also involves employing measures to raise productivity, reduce risk probability and comply with the laws.
Effective fleet management can control costs and help companies gain a competitive advantage. This is made possible by employing fleet management software, which is usually outsourced to an external provider. Fleet management software provides all information regarding the fleet for easy access to the company. This includes vehicle management, maintenance, repairs, accident and risk management, and scheduling inspections for vehicles and drivers.
VAMOSYS (Vehicle Advanced Monitoring Systems)
Established in 2014, Vamosys specializes in Vehicle Telematics, Fleet Operations, and Driver management. There is always a probability for things to go wrong during transportation network, and this is where Vamosys comes in. With their Driver Relay Network, Vamosys takes care of transportation from the loading point to the unloading point.
Their Vehicle Telematics solutions cover driver behavior and vehicle tracking using GPS technology. With a strong background in telematics, they set foot into fleet management after careful consideration of the problems faced in the logistics sector. Vamosys developed the Fleet Operating System (FleetOS) to bridge the gap between companies and their logistics network. While fleet management solutions focus on fleet visibility, Vamosys adds to this with a focus on fleet efficiency.
Other solutions offered by Vamosys are Fuel Monitoring System, Driver Tracking Software and Vehicle Tracking System.
FleetOS in Fleet Operation
Fleet OS is an operating system for managing and monitoring a company’s fleet and solving the problems that occur along the way.
Features of FleetOS
Trip Planning and Execution
FleetOS provides seamless trip planning from the starting point to the destination. It is complete with route optimization and delay alerts.
Driver Management
Driver shortage and retention is a crucial problem, which calls for an effective driver management system. The VAMOSYS Driver App maintains a driver profile with all the essential information such as history, feedback, and salary. It also includes action-oriented communication to bridge the communication gap between fleet operators and drivers.
Document Management
FleetOS includes managing the flow of documents, their storage, and digitalization. This covers ePODs and eBILLS.
Expense Management
Expense management by FleetOS covers payment advances, reimbursements and trip, vehicle, and driver expenses.
Integrations
FleetOS provides smooth integration with manufacturers, 3PL, GPS providers, and tolls.
Location Tracking
FleetOS enables real-time location tracking with or without using GPS devices, including the precise loading and unloading points.
Thus, using fleet management software can help improve the efficiency and productivity of a company. Through accurate predictions and analysis, fleet management software can help decrease fuel usage, while giving fleet managers real-time insights into their fleet's performance.
How does FleetOS differ from Fleet Management Systems?
Fleet management systems focus on managing the problem, whereas FleetOS focuses on finding solutions to the problems encountered. This increases the efficiency of fleet operation.
Fleet operators use excel sheets for planning their trips, which is outdated and has several drawbacks. With better technology comes greater problems, which call for a robust system to handle the planning and execution of trips. FleetOS uses mobile and web interfaces for planning and execution of trips in collaboration with the drivers.
Driver management and retention are some of the areas that have not been given enough attention by fleet management software. FleetOS uses a comprehensive driver management system that handles the personnel and improves their productivity and efficiency.
Expense management is yet another area that fleet management software hasn’t worked much on. FleetOS uses a comprehensive expense management system allowing fleet operators to control the expenses for each trip.
FleetOS – Application
Available as a web and mobile application, using FleetOS is further simplified. The application can be used to plan the trip by specifying the loading and unloading points. It is integrated with the VAMOSYS Driver Application for simplifying the process.
The Vehicle Checklist feature contains all information about the vehicle, from brakes and engine to safety belts and headlights. This will come in handy during inspections and servicing of the vehicle. The Vehicle Status gives an insight into the mileage data, vehicle movement and fuel usage reports.
FleetOS greatly simplifies fleet management while covering various important yet overlooked factors in fleet management and transportation.
Fleet management is of utmost necessity for companies involved in the delivery of goods. With FleetOS, managing your fleet, drivers, route, and expenses become easier than ever. All relevant information regarding driver and vehicle is available in one place and easily accessible. There is no scope for a communication gap and there is effective, real-time monitoring of vehicle status, temperature, and fuel levels. The system is very useful for companies with highly dependent on logistics and transportation networks.
VAMOSYS has provided vehicle telematics and fleet management to companies like TVS, redBus, and Adani Group. Their proven expertise and experience in the field of logistics and transportation have aided them in the development of flawless solutions.
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