GPS Fleet Management Saves Money and Raises Standards

Businesses are facing more challenges than ever when it comes to keeping expenses low and profits robust. Especially in these difficult economic times, it is crucial to keep one eye open for new ways to save money. Even as many businesses are cutting back on human resources and employee training, GPS fleet management is giving savvy executives new opportunities to trim waste. Under the right management, a fleet-wide GPS rollout can lead to exceptional improvements in performance for all driving personnel. More than any other tool, GPS has the potential to strengthen dedication to excellence and incentivize positive behavior behind the wheel.

When most professionals think of GPS, they mainly think about the potential savings of time and fuel that comes from using these systems to plan optimal routes. That is one of the most important features of GPS, but it is not the only way to maximize a firm's investment using this technology. In the field of logistics, where most driving activities will take place, continual improvement is a necessity -- and GPS fits into continual improvement both from the operations and from the personnel perspective. The reason why is this: GPS can create a new level of synergy between drivers fleet-wide.

It was not too long ago that fleet leaders were mostly concerned about keeping tabs on mileage. Fleet management was as simple as ensuring that materials and personnel got from "Point A" to "Point B" in what seemed like a reasonable amount of time. The purpose, then, had more to do with proscription than optimization -- drivers needed to be discouraged from wasting time by equipment that offered few other functions except to "tattle" on their routes. While this is occasionally helpful, it led to reduced morale and, more importantly, did very little to ensure optimal overall performance on the road.

As GPS fleet management became more complex, technology offered drivers and their managers the ability to truly optimize their work time. Deliveries more than doubled for many enterprises with end-to-end GPS implementation. Thanks to GPS trackers for fleet tracking from companies like LandAirSea, global organizations are enjoying better performance from all elements of their supply chain -- not only truck shipments, but the more complex areas of aerial and sea routing. However, many businesses still need to be encouraged to go one step beyond and use the GPS tools to encourage excellence throughout their entire workforce.

GPS fleet management can be an incredible way to boost morale and build team-wide performance. That's because GPS demonstrates, more than any other technology, the way that each member of your staff impacts everyone else in a common web. To have true supply chain success and save money, you need to inspire the best performance possible. GPS gives you the chance to develop those performance benchmarks, enforce them and reduce your costs. Used correctly, enterprise-wide GPS will pay for itself many times over within the first several months of your rollout date.

How? LandAirSea is making it possible to use advanced GPS to track an entire commercial vehicle fleet in action. All fleet activities can be monitored in real time. Operators and managers at a central site can examine driver performance metrics at a glance, including ignition use, acceleration, harsh braking and many other items. All performance data across the fleet is archived for future playback and analysis. That means it is possible to recognize and reward excellence while evaluating areas for improvement. Analysts can focus on the easy, intuitive technology while leaders and drivers use the data to optimize the most important part of fleet operations -- the human factor.