How automation has revolutionised fleet management

Fleet management in the automation age

In the fleet management industry, greater inter-connectivity and tracking through the cloud has greatly improved efficiency and helped to better track crucial processes such as maintenance.

Automation gives Fleet Managers the ability to play big brother, so to speak – it provides you with in-depth knowledge of every vehicle anywhere at any time, records and analyzes driver behaviour and keeps track of vehicle condition.

In this blog, we take a deeper look into how technology is giving Fleet Managers more control over their operations than ever before.

Vehicle connectivity and predictive maintenance

Vehicles are getting more intelligent and we’ve already seen how intuitive on-board computers and internet connectivity have improved the driving experience in passenger cars.

When it comes to commercial vehicles, repair and maintenance diagnostics have started to play an invaluable part in the management of the health of large fleets.

The more effectively vehicles can keep track of their own maintenance needs and communicate this information, the easier it is to be proactive and minimise downtime. Continuously collecting and correlating vehicle and driver data enables you to schedule repairs and maintenance according to a predetermined roster.

Data collection and analysis for fleet optimisation

Data has become one of the most valuable currencies in the modern business world. The more you know about your fleet, the better you can plan ahead and optimise on road productivity.

Every vehicle in your fleet generates a large amount of data on a daily basis, such as:

• Kilometers travelled
• speed
• fuel consumption
• oil condition
• etc.

Capturing this data digitally and in real-time gives fleet managers more control to effectively analyse data that can help guide process improvement and fleet productivity.

Better connect with and track your drivers

The management of the drivers of your fleet is one of the most crucial elements of a well-functioning operation, and perhaps even requires the majority of your attention.

A lack of adequate driver reporting can have devastating consequences for your fleet’s health. The line of communication via traditional channels such as job sheets and cell phone calls isn’t always as clear as required for adequate reporting.

Driver tags, a new technology that tracks and analyzes the behaviour and actions of a specific individual have made manual driver sheets redundant.

Improved budgeting and cost-optimisation

Costing is one of the responsibilities that requires the most time and planning for any fleet manager. A fleet, in most instances, doesn’t generate direct revenue and is a costly structure to maintain.

Budgeting that makes provision for contingencies and minimises cash leakages is the ideal, yet without automation this has been near impossible in the past. The inter-connectivity of vehicles, drivers and Fleet Managers has made more accurate budgets a reality.

This gives Fleet Managers the ability to collect and analyse data automatically which improves the accuracy of maintenance and repair predictions making it possible to tighten budgets.

Fleet management automation also makes it possible to plan ahead and manage other administrative duties such as permits, filing taxes and licensing.

As automation in the vehicle and fleet industry continues to evolve, we can expect to see even more efficient tracking and analysis that improves productivity and predictive maintenance capabilities.

At Avis Fleet, we are constantly seeking new ways to improve our fleet management solutions with the help of emerging technology.

Our Telematics technology supports improved communication with drivers and provides information necessary to diagnose elements that affect maintenance and cost, such as driver behaviour and GPS tracking.

Find out more about how our fleet solutions can help improve the productivity of your fleet.