Installing fleet management technology on vehicles that are not part of your core fleet, such as a rental vehicle for a travelling salesperson, does not always make sense. It could be due to the cost, the time required to install the gear, or the fact that you do not have the authorization to do so.
However, if you want to take fleet management seriously, you must constantly monitor your drivers’ performance regardless of which vehicles they are driving or where they are. There is, however, an alternative to installing fleet management gear, and it is known as app based fleet tracking (like what the LocoNav Tracking App offers).
Let us dive right into the world of app based fleet tracking.
What is an App Based Fleet Tracking System?
An app based fleet tracking system, also known as a mobile fleet management system, is a simple solution to increase fleet visibility. The only requirement of this system is that the drivers that need to be tracked, download an app on their phone and enable location tracking.
A fleet manager can then monitor the vehicle’s location in real time and also keep a check on their driving performance. The key difference between a fleet management system and an app based fleet tracking system is that the latter provides almost all the benefits of the former without all the additional hardware.
Which Industries are Vehicle Tracking Apps Best Suited For?
GPS Tracking as a function has tremendous growth potential. And with almost everything being available for delivery, fleet vehicles are at their peak demand as well. Considering both these things and that mobile fleet tracking simplifies the process of tracking your fleet vehicles, it is gaining monumental popularity.
Here are some industries that app based fleet tracking or mobile fleet tracking is best suited for:
- Logistics and Last-Mile Delivery
Since both these sectors make use of multiple small vehicles such as cars, bikes, and even e-scooters, mobile fleet tracking is quite ideal for this industry. The no additional hardware and training requirement has made this form of fleet tracking quite popular in the logistics industry.
- Paid Cabs
Paid cabs are a rather popular form of public transport these days. Since it is not used by a single owner, a mobile fleet tracking system is ideal for it. Cab aggregators can keep track of the cab’s movement throughout the city and provide live location information to the passenger as well.
This tracking system also allows passengers to share their location information with friends and family. This not only contributes to their safety but also positions cab aggregators in a more responsible light.
- Food & Beverage
Food & beverage cargo has a lifeline and every minute spent in transit is crucial. Mobile fleet tracking enables quick access to the location of the transporting vehicle. This ensures that perishable cargo is delivered on time and in good condition.
- School Buses
The safety of school children is a topic of interest to many. And rightly so. It is ideal to make school bus tracking systems as tamper-proof as possible. A mobile fleet tracking system also allows schools to carefully monitor driving behaviour as well as the location of the children at all times.
How Does the Increased Use of Apps in Fleet Tracking Benefit your Business?
As we discussed earlier, app based fleet tracking provides businesses with all the benefits of a traditional fleet management system. Here are some key app based fleet tracking benefits:
- The hero benefit of a mobile tracking app is that it runs silently in the background, without distracting the driver with additional hardware. Moreover, since the only requirement for it is a smartphone, service hours are also not disrupted due to the installation process.
- It allows fleet managers to monitor the exact time and location of the trip’s beginning and ending points.
- With a tracking app, harsh driving behaviour such as overspeeding, seat-belt violation, harsh acceleration, sudden braking, and more can also be monitored. This information proves to be quite crucial when evaluating driver performance.
- Drivers do not need additional time to learn how it functions which significantly reduces training costs and driver downtime.
- It is also relatively very affordable, easy to use, and offers complete visibility of all vehicles irrespective of whether they are in your everyday fleet or not.
5 Things to Consider When Upgrading to Mobile Fleet Tracking
When selecting the best app based fleet tracking, make sure it includes the following 5 features:
- More Than Just Fleet Tracking
Many people associate fleet tracking exclusively with position, as determined by GPS or telematics equipment. While location tracking is an important function, it only scratches the surface of what fleet managers can monitor.
LocoNav fleet tracking software assists you in tracking the most crucial fleet data sets in a single system. Other fleet aspects you can monitor are:
- Driving Metrics
- Trip Start & Stop Data
- Speed & Fuel Utilization
- Easy Usage
Finding software that is simple to adopt and use across the board is an ongoing issue for fleets. Your investment will be futile if you can’t quickly locate crucial information or if your drivers can’t quite work out how to enter facts.
Even the most technologically challenged member of your staff should be able to use a fleet management tool. When developing a mobile app, many developers strive for an app that is simple and easy to use.
Take the time to browse over the fleet tracking app’s capabilities and put them to the test.
- Data Sharing with Traditional Fleet Management Systems
The most effective fleet management app should have the capability to be used in conjunction with web-based fleet management software. This automatically syncs your data on a PC and a fleet tracking app, which you may download on a mobile device.
- Defines Access Levels
Once you’ve decided on a fleet tracking tool and software that supports unlimited users, double-check that user limitations are in place. Only fleet managers and administrators should have access to locations, confidential material, and other fleet data.
The finest fleet tracking tool lets you establish different levels of restriction for different users. Drivers should only have access to items that are relevant to their daily tasks, such as inspections and communication mechanisms for updating issues.
- Enables Real-Time Communication
Your goal as a fleet manager is to be as active as possible. Unexpected problems will come, but how you deal with them will make all the difference.
Using a fleet tracking tool will keep fleet managers up to date on location while also allowing for real-time communication between you and your on-road drivers. A good solution also lets you set up notification criteria to prioritise concerns and start procedures to address them.
A mobile app is typically one of the value-added services that an app based fleet tracking service may have in order to attract additional subscribers. As you can see, most of these mobile apps necessitate a membership to fully utilise their features. Nonetheless, these prominent fleet tracking mobile apps may assist you in deciding on a fleet tracking provider to deal with.