How To Choose The Right Fleet Vehicle For Your Fleet?
One of the most tedious processes is selecting the most suitable fleet vehicle for an organization. A lot of research and analysis is required to finalize these vehicles. Let us examine the various parameters to keep in mind while selecting. But first, what are fleet vehicles?
Fleet vehicles are a group of motor vehicles ranging from taxi cabs, rental cars, trucks, public buses, ships, boats generally owned or leased by a business, government agency, or other organization. More often than not, fleet vehicles are required to transport passengers and goods. The Grey fleet is primarily owned by employees but used for work-related activities.
A fleet manager is employed to manage the overall operations of a fleet. The Fleet Manager is responsible for planning, directing, coordinating, and supervising the acquisition, assignment, utilization, maintenance, repair, replacement, and disposal of fleet vehicles. They also serve as the primary contact concerning the vehicle fleet and operations. As your venture expands in proportion, it becomes difficult to organize the fleet manually. Hence, there is a requirement for a fleet management system. Fleet management tools can help fleet managers gain real-time visibility into their operations while increasing driver satisfaction and decreasing fuel usage through predictive analytics and accurate reporting. That is why 75% of fleet managers rely on fleet management software or vehicle telematics to help support their day-to-day operations.
The range of functions involved in fleet management is highly interrelated and generally integrated. You can always get the components of a fleet management solution separately, but you need a well-blended and comprehensive solution for optimal performance. Vehicle tracking systems provide several data points regarding engine diagnostics, driving behaviors, and geo-location. But there are other data points outside of vehicle tracking systems that significantly impact fleet performance. Fuel transaction data, maintenance repair data, individual vehicle documents such as vehicle registrations, titles, and travel permits, supply chain data including vehicle and equipment specifications, warranties, build and delivery data as well as driver-centric data such as acceptance of fleet policies, completion of required safety training, as well as demographic data on job types – all contribute to the fleet data records. The more specialized functions a fleet performs, the more systems and data points are involved in integration.
Let us step back a bit and understand how to build a fleet. What are the best vehicles to select for your fleet? Now, we know that a big chunk of your budget goes into acquiring and maintaining fleet vehicles. That is why you need to be thorough while choosing them.
Factors to Consider When Choosing the Best Vehicles for Your Fleet:
- Usage and Operation – Consider your purpose and what your operations involve. Subsequently, focus on the capabilities and performance of the vehicle to match your unique fleet needs. Work out if the automobile will have lengthy motorway commutes, urban driving, or other specialisms such as off-road jobs. Ruggedness or fuel consumption could be significant factors. For example, you may need to consider a robust truck that does not consume too much fuel on long road trips. If your operation does not require big vehicles, consider downsizing to reduce vehicle weight and directly impact fuel savings. Consider the usage of your fleet vehicles to transport goods, and choose the ones that have the capacity for your cargo size. Bear in mind enhanced features you may need – like GPS tracking systems to better track your fleet, car entertainment systems to entertain clients, or an alarm system to safeguard company merchandise.
- Cost – Well, definitely one of the most important factors is cost. Do some research into tax burdens, funding costs, leasing costs, maintenance and fuel costs, and even residual values. You can achieve significant savings on fuel consumption and maintenance by factoring in usage, specifications needed, future business projections, driver safety, and comfort.
- Drivers – Drivers spend long hours on the road, sometimes on rough terrains. A manufacturer should be ready to demonstrate all vehicle functions, showing its suitability to drivers. Being an inclusive workplace, you must also account for any special requirements of your drivers. Research has proven that drivers who dislike their vehicles may neglect or abuse them to get a replacement vehicle sooner. Ensure the automobiles you are considering offer up-to-date automation features. These safety specifications must match up with your business safety policy. If your drivers spend extended periods in their trucks, make sure you keep comfort in mind during your selection process. Ultimately, it is necessary to give your drivers a bit of agency; ask your current team what they would like in a fleet vehicle and try to accommodate that.
- Fleet size – Once you have all the vehicle specifications figured out and factored in your drivers’ safety and comfort, you must focus on your fleet size and projected growth. Analyze the possibilities of your fleet scaling with the future of your company. Determine if you have plans to grow as a company or consider making further vehicle acquisitions in the future. If you plan to add more field operators or ship more merchandise, the need for purchasing or leasing more vehicles is inevitable. Planning for your organization’s fleet growth should be strategic and go hand in hand with your overall business growth goals. Consider if there are plans to expand and possibly relocate to new geographical areas. Relocating to new areas could mean increasing or decreasing mileage for your vehicles. Different cargo types may also play an integral role when choosing the best automobile for your fleet.
- Maintain and repair – Maintenance can be a costly element of vehicle ownership, so be sure to do your research into projected costs for a vehicle’s routine service needs, parts, and labor. Check the warranty coverage to ensure that it will offset projected repair costs, too. Fleet maintenance software can be invaluable for reporting on vehicle performance, maintenance, and finances to help influence future choices. Routine service requirements, parts, and cost of labor can add up to ludicrous amounts. Ensure that you check all the warranty details, most importantly, where the cost of projected repairs is supposed to be offset by the manufacturer or dealer.
Based out of the Bay Area in San Francisco, Matrack’s tracking software and system give companies the visibility they need to track and manage their assets, fleets, and trailers. Armed with a process-oriented fleet management system, Matrack enables companies to streamline their operations while reducing costs and increasing profits. If you are interested in Matrack’s services, you can opt for a free consultation with an in-house expert.
Some of the features for Matrack include the following:
- Instant email/text alert
- A geofence alert in real-time
- You can manage the geofence radius with a tap
- You can allocate each vehicle with different geofences
The new dashboard is customer-centric and made easier to use. It is adaptable to iOS and Android devices and has several unique features that make it stand out as a fleet management system.
Why choose the Matrack GPS fleet tracking solution?
Matrack Inc. is known for offering all-comprehensive, customizable fleet management solutions to businesses of all kinds and fleets of all sizes. While our devices are affordable and reasonably priced, we never compromise the quality.
You get to enjoy our services stress-free. There are no contracts or activation and cancellation fees. You pay month-to-month for the services you have used. We also offer a lifetime warranty on all our hardware.
Matrack GPS fleet tracking solution incorporates productivity-increasing, time-saving features that allow fleets to manage the workforce and resources with the utmost capability. Here is how our services and products benefit you:
Real-time location
Knowing the real-time location of your vehicles is pivotal and directly influences your operational costs. It also ensures the safety of your resources and workforce. When you know where our vehicle is – at your garage or any loading/unloading dock, or if on the road – that information gives you better visibility and helps to assign the jobs. In case of an emergency like an accident or theft, fleet managers get immediately notified, enabling them to alert the local authorities and send the required help, potentially minimizing the loss. We also have a Roadside Assistance program available for our fleet solution customers.
Big Savings
Matrack’s GPS fleet tracking solution is a money-saver in countless ways. You can optimize the best route considering traffic, weather conditions, the amount of time it will take for the vehicle to be loaded/unloaded, fuel stops, driver break times, and more. It allows you to save fuel as well as use the driver’s working time optimally. The data records automatically, ensuring its authenticity and saving the time required for paper documentation. Fleet managers can plan for routine maintenance of vehicles with diagnostic records.
GeoFencing
Geofencing refers to creating a virtual boundary. If the asset or vehicle enters or exits this boundary, an alert goes to the authorized user. For fleets, this feature serves a special purpose. Through Geofencing, fleet owners and managers get alerts when their vehicle is either near a loading dock or near a delivery site and inform the clients of the estimated time of arrival/delivery.
Alerts and notifications
Matrack devices come with an easy access application, downloadable on any mobile device of choice. The application tandemly functions with all our hardware. It also sends alerts and notifications for pre-set incidents like a violation of Hours of Service, fuel levels, next maintenance appointment, unauthorized use of vehicle, unacceptable driving behavior, and more. It helps you to be in constant touch with your driver.
Driver safety
Apart from vehicles in the fleet, managers and owners are also responsible for the drivers. They need to create a safe working environment for the drivers and ensure they are motivated and encouraged to practice safe driving and professional ethics. Matrack’s GPS tracking solution also records unsafe driving data like hard braking, rash driving, unnecessary speeding, and more. With immediate alerts for accidents, they can also ensure that their driver gets all the medical attention on time.
Vehicle and asset recovery
Matrack solutions come from Aggressive Theft tracking mode, which allows for quicker retrieval of stolen goods, reducing losses and damages.
Efficiency
Our fleet tracking solution takes care of all your operational functions then eliminates tedious tasks like paperwork, giving you more time to focus on business verticals that are more important and profitable. You get intelligent reports on idle time, fuel usage, mileage, engine status, and more, giving you productive insights into those sections of your business for better productivity.
Compliance
According to FMCSA’s ELD rule, all commercial motor vehicles need elog devices to adhere to DoT’s Hours of Service rules. Matrack’s ELDs are GPS-enabled and approved by FMCSA. Matrack can help you be compliant with all the regulations and avoid huge losses in fines.
24/7 support
At the heart of Matrack’s success as a leader in vehicle fleet tracking rests our cherished customers. That’s why we have a dedicated team of experts at your disposal 24 hours a day. Whatever query or problem you have, we assure you of a quick and perfect solution.
You can avail of all the above benefits with Matrack’s OBD Classic Plug-in or Standard/ MA-HW Classic. Our GPS vehicle trackers are easy to install and do not require expert help. The hardware is designed to be sturdy and reliable and can survive any harsh weather conditions and terrain, with absolutely no extra maintenance. You can get real-time location with 4G compatible fleet tracking devices.
Our GPS trackers for fleet vehicles – OBD Classic Plug-in, Standard MA-HW Classic, and Weatherproof MA-HW Silver – are all available at a competitive rate. Our subscription plan for these devices is the lowest in the market at $12.95 per month only. There are no extra or hidden charges. There are no contracts, and you can unsubscribe from our services at any time. You also get a lifetime warranty on our devices and a 30-day return policy.