subject: How Gps Tracking Systems Can Deliver Routing Efficiencies [print this page] Businesses are very well used to seeking benefits from the appropriate application of technology. For fleet operators, there are numerous potential benefits that can be obtained from the application of GPS vehicle tracking systems, including gains in fleet dispatching efficiencies.
Of course GPS vehicle tracking is not a new capability. It has been used by ambitious company owners for years. The first adopters of vehicle tracking technology were quickly able to deliver their companys a competitive advantage.
Because it was able to deliver clear immediate benefits, GPS vehicle tracking has quickly gone mainstream. The technology is being employed by a range of businesses such as plumbers, heating engineers, electrical and general contractors and construction companies, as well as several other business sectors that utilise fleet vehicles.
Just one of the ways in which GPS fleet tracking is able to provide a tangible benefit is through improved dispatching. When dispatchers know the exact location of company vehicles, they can clearly dispatch the vehicle closest to any job site with a much greater degree of confidence. in addition to saving fuel and cutting the need for phone calls to drivers in the field, this improved efficiency will often also increase customer satisfaction through significantly improved responsiveness.
This goes hand in hand with routing efficiencies. By watching vehicles en route, dispatchers can monitor drivers to ensure that they take the most direct route to any job site.
In addition, many tracking solutions can show both present-time location and also a record of the route so far, so owners know where their drivers have travelled and where they are heading. By combining this location and time-based information, fleet owners can track the exact number of hours to apportion to customers as well as verify employee hours worked.
With historical data, GPS tracking can also provide a record of when an employee starts a vehicle, when he arrives or leaves a job site, and when the vehicle is shut off. Fleet owners can thus easily establish precisely how long each employee has worked at each site and how long they worked during the entire day.
Some GPS tracking systems can also be extended to incorporate time/billing information into back office applications to automate payroll. By avoiding the need for using manual time sheets, fleet operators can make considerable savings in terms of back office productivity. In addition, automated payroll often translates into more accurate billing and fewer overtime hours.
Another major benefit of GPS vehicle tracking is the capability to record any unauthorised usage. This includes out-of-hours usage by employees, as well as protection from theft. If a vehicle is used out of normal working hours, business owners can be notified. If a vehicle were to be stolen, then the vehicle tracking device will be able to giv ethe vehicle's precise location. This considerably improves retrieval times and reduces the amount of damage that a vehicle may experience if stolen.
To conclude, for businesses with vehicle fleets, the ability to track the fleet and make intelligent use of this data can lead to very substantial operational savings.
