Fleet Management
Fleet management is the management of a company’s fleet of vehicles. Fleet management includes commercial motor vehicles such as cars, vans, and trucks. Fleet, or vehicle, management can include a range of functions, such as vehicle financing, vehicle maintenance, vehicle telematics (tracking and diagnostics), driver management, fuel management and health & safety management. Fleet Management is a function which allows companies which rely on transportation in their business to remove or minimize the risks associated with vehicle investment, improving efficiency, productivity, and reducing their overall transportation costs, and providing compliance with federal and state laws (duty of care).
Fleet management functions can be dealt with by either an in-house fleet-management department or an outsourced fleet-management provider using various software packages and technological devices. According to market research from the independent analyst firm Berg Insight, the number of fleet management units deployed in commercial fleets in Europe will grow from 1.5 million units in 2009 to 4 million in 2014. Even though the overall penetration level is just a few percent, some segments such as road transport will attain adoption rates above 30 percent. A cousin of fleet management is asset management, which is similar, but related to assets like computers and mobile devices rather than motor vehicles, but some of the same software can be used to track both fleet vehicles and assets.
GPS or Cellular Fleet Tracking
The most basic function in all fleet management systems, is the vehicle tracking component. This component is usually GPS based, but sometimes it can be based on a Cellular triangulation platform. The iPhone, for example, can use both a GPS device or cell phone tower triangulation to use its Google Maps app. Once vehicle location, direction, and speed are determined from the tracking device, additional tracking capabilities transmit this information to fleet management software. Methods for data transmission include both terrestrial (through the use of cell phone towers) and satellite. Satellite tracking communications, while more expensive, are critical if vehicle tracking is to work in remote environments without interruption.
Fleet Management Software
Fleet management software enables people to accomplish a series of specific tasks in the management of any or all aspects relating to a company’s fleet of vehicles. These specific tasks encompass all operations from vehicle acquisition to disposal. Software, depending on its capabilities, allows function such as driver/vehicle profiling, trip profiling, dispatch, vehicle efficiency, and remote control security features like Geo-fencing and remote vehicle disabling. Current vehicle diagnostic information can also be related to a management site, depending on the type of hardware installed in the vehicles. A new platform, based on Fleet management software, is called Fleet controlling, which are telematic systems for vehicles and mobile machinery that offer advanced services to both back-office and management of any transportation company.
Fleet Security
Recent advances in fleet management allow for the addition of over-the-air (OTA) security and control of fleet vehicles. Fleet managers can recover stolen or rogue vehicles while reducing the chance of lost or stolen cargo. The additional of fleet security to a fleet management system gives a fleet manager preventative measures to address cargo damage and loss, reducing risk and saving money on insurance costs.
