Fleet management has always been a crucial part of logistics management but the present COVID-19 scenario has made it all the more so. During these times, fleet managers require some essential features to handle the increasing number of orders. Only a quality fleet management software can provide these features.
What is a fleet management software?
A fleet management software is a tool that enables logistics businesses to handle delivery fleets. It allows fleet managers to manage drivers, dispatchers, and vehicles. Whether it is an internal fleet or a third-party logistics provider, the software can be used to monitor on-ground activity while keeping in mind the various business needs.
Essential Features every fleet manager needs in 2020
Today, fleet managers cannot function without a fleet management software that suits their custom business requirements. Here are the features of a quality fleet management solution that can help maximize profits and minimize delivery costs.
Real-time visibility
Fleet managers need to know what’s happening to their fleet in real-time. Visibility becomes crucial as logistics businesses are now looking at scaling the number of deliveries. It is necessary to look for a real-time tracking software that ensures visibility as you add more vehicles, extend geographic reach, and onboard more drivers.
Real-time tracking software provides higher visibility to fleet managers at a tour-level. It offers more map control to view the information in different ways. It also enables the visibility of multiple riders and tours simultaneously, thereby providing greater control over fleet operations.
Managing driver performance
Managing drivers is a daunting task, especially when you don’t have a real-time view of their operations. A real-time tracking solution enables smart task management and necessary delivery flows for fleet managers.
Last-mile tracking software helps fleet managers and riders to review routes and confirm delivery. It helps them to get deep into a particular tour and understand its execution history. It also tracks drivers’ off-time, breaks, waiting time, and idling time, thereby helping with analytics.
Optimal route planning
Fleet managers face a variety of last-mile delivery constraints while planning the routes. A route planning solution enables fleet managers to decide the most cost-effective and efficient route based on various constraints. These constraints include the cost of delivery, driver breaks, road conditions, and so on.
Route planning software integrated with real-time tracking accurately applies various constraints and provides an optimal route.
A dynamic route planning software with a last-mile tracking solution enables fleet managers and drivers to update the routes as and when required and ensure efficiency. It ensures that you meet promised SLAs.
Check out: The Definitive Guide to Logistics Route Optimization
Vehicle Management
The core job of a fleet manager is to manage vehicles. Scheduling deliveries is a crucial aspect of vehicle management and depends on fleet availability. Many deliveries require vehicles with specific requirements like refrigeration, heat, or those that can handle unusually large dimensions.
Fleet tracking software helps logistics managers to assign the right vehicles based on loading and unloading time. It helps them minimize the delivery wait time by cutting down the excess unloading time.
Also, real-time fleet tracking software helps fleet managers prioritize necessary repairs and take preventive maintenance measures, thereby helping avoid unwanted breakdowns. It also helps manage fuel consumption.
Essential notifications and alerts
Excessive speeding, idling, and unnecessary breaks could harm your business heavily. Beyond vehicle efficiency, these could possibly also ruin the delivery experience a brand wants to ideally offer to its customers.
The last-mile tracking solution provides essential notifications and alerts on different metrics that determine delivery performance. These metrics include SLA (Service Line Agreement) breach, ETA (Expected Time of Arrival) breach, ignored tasks, missing location, etc. This helps fleet managers immediately take the necessary calls.
Reports and Analytics
Important decisions for logistics managers depend on metrics. Analytics and metrics provide a quick snapshot view that can enable one to make the right decisions.
A real-time visibility solution monitors delivery performance and presents it as reports with easy-to-understand graphics. These can help fleet managers in building effective strategies.
Electronic Proof of Delivery
Electronic Proof of Delivery Software enables field agents to validate completed deliveries. It helps logistics managers keep a track of completed deliveries.
Conclusion
Fleet managers across the globe are now focusing on updating and adopting last-mile technologies. They also now have the additional pressure to accommodate increased demand with available resources.
Using these essential features logistics managers can manage their fleet effectively.
Locus’ real-time fleet tracking software enables fleet managers to improve operational productivity, efficiency, transparency, and safety. It helps them compare executed and planned optimal routes.
