Any company that depends on commercial vehicles to fulfill its day-to-day operations needs to invest in some form of fleet management. Fleet management is the administrative procedure of supervising, organizing, and coordinating commercial vehicles. Modern-day fleet management is carried out using fleet management software tools. These tools help companies improve their operational efficiency, eliminate risks like delays, lower administrative costs, maintain compliance with government regulations, and can potentially make our roads safer.
Although the main purpose of fleet management software and fleet management, in general, is to increase the productivity of commercial drivers, there are various other responsibilities involved. An average fleet manager will undertake various responsibilities throughout the day, such as – driver management, managing fuel costs, route planning, vehicle maintenance, and the implementation of specific programs (for example, a company has to follow new government regulations). This is where fleet management software tools come in handy.
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The Role of Fleet Management Software Tools in the Global Fleet Management Market
According to the latest reports, the global fleet management market will be valued at over $55 billion by 2026. A lot of this growth is fueled by the rise of fleet management software tools. Since these software tools conveniently present all the fleet-related data on one platform, it becomes easier for fleet managers to track expenses, timely deploy executives, guide drivers, maintain compliance, control fuel consumption levels, etc. Hence, fleet management companies or even retail companies that want to venture into fleet management are finding it easier to scale up and implement their vision.
Other factors driving this market include –
- The increasing demand to optimize the transportation and logistical management sectors and make them more efficient.
- The rise in practices like online shopping, same-day deliveries, etc.
- Internet-based technological advancements in the commercial, and automotive sectors, such as inter-connected vehicles.
- Increasing government backing for fleet management technology to improve road safety and decrease traffic congestion.
The best fleet management software in India will have a wide range of capabilities that will enable companies to streamline their fleet operations. More importantly, these tools can play a crucial role in boosting vehicle and driver safety.
The Need for Driver Safety
According to the latest reports from the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, commercial vehicles (multi-axle vehicles in particular) account for 29% of all road accidents every year. In 84% of these accidents, driver behavior issues are the main factors. Improper driver behavior such as over-speeding or sudden accelerations greatly increases the risk of major car accidents. They also cost the drivers their jobs (if not their ability to ever work again) and their employers a lot of money. So, fleet companies and fleet managers have a huge responsibility to keep their drivers safe.
However, ensuring driver safety or constantly controlling their behavior is difficult when fleet managers are located hundreds of miles away from the moving commercial vehicles. Fleet management software tools can give fleet managers real-time visibility into these remote vehicles. Fleet managers can implement basic driver training and safety practices using these tools. These fleet management tools can even improve drivers’ performance by boosting communications between the fleet managers and the drivers.
These tools also feature advanced sensors that constantly monitor the speed at which the operators drive. Patterns like their driving styles or how much time they spend idle can also be observed from the data these tools collect. More importantly, these fleet tracking tools always keep drivers aware of the retributions they may face if they don’t follow their company’s rules and traffic laws. So, they’re likelier to avoid risks like getting traffic violation tickets.
Here are other ways these tools can benefit both drivers and fleet managers –
- Better Working Conditions – When fleet managers leverage the data presented to them by their fleet management software tools, it becomes easier for them to improve workplace conditions. For instance, these tools constantly give fleet managers clear details about their drivers’ locations (using geo-tracking tools). The managers can easily delegate convenient tasks to their drivers based on their current locations.
- Better Work Relationships – Building stronger trust between the drivers and the fleet managers becomes easier as there’s no room for lies or misunderstandings. Both parties have access to verifiable data collected by the fleet management software.
- Improved Asset Management – Timely vehicle acquisition becomes easier as fleet managers can better predict what type of vehicles their fleets will need to operate more efficiently. They can constantly track which of their vehicles are consuming the most fuel or requiring the most maintenance and timely replace them with newer vehicles.
Support During the Pandemic
The vital role that fleet management software tools play in the global fleet management market was well-established during the global lockdowns because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Transportation and logistics companies had to operate to their full potential during the lockdowns to supply essential products.
To continuously maintain their supply chains, many companies had to use fleet management software tools and improve their ability to track available products, meet drivers’ safety requirements, reduce fuel costs, etc. That’s why it’s safe to argue that these tools are not just helping transport and logistics management companies, but they’re also making our roads safer!