Top Ten Fleet and Telematic Principles

Fleet Management

Fleet Management refers to ‌the process of accessing vehicle-related information in real-time and reacting to it. Knowing where your fleet is, how soon it will arrive at its destination, how fast are your drivers going, and what’s causing a delay? 

Fleet management is all about remote surveillance, revaluation, and reaction.

Fleet Management Platform

Any software application that allows you to perform fleet management is a fleet management platform. These differ from simple GPS tracking systems that just give you vehicle location and speed. Fleet management platforms, on the other hand, are comprehensive and depend on telemetry data. They allow you to gain visibility across your entire fleet business and supply chain.

User Dashboard

The first screen of any good fleet management platform, a dashboard, is an analytical tool that lets you review fleet-related data intuitively. A dashboard helps you scan through data quickly so you can respond to emergencies in real-time. The dashboard includes a variety of widgets that give you a bird’s-eye view of your organisation. 

With a single glance, you can figure out the driver with the most violations, possible delays, or the status of your fleet’s engine.

Hours of Service

Hours of Service are the permissible number of hours that your drivers can spend behind the wheel (on the driver’s seat). Most accidents happen due to long, unmonitored driving hours; hence, it is important to give your drivers the necessary breaks. Fleet management platforms help you monitor HOS by recording the engine hours of a vehicle or equipment. So, you know exactly how long your drivers or employees have been working. Restrict the over-working of a fleet or heavy equipment and greatly reduce the risk of accidents.

OBD (On-board Diagnostics)

Accessing vehicle OBD parameters has become as important as your vehicle itself. By consistent tracking of these parameters, it can help you avoid costly repairs and lengthen engine life. You can access vehicle health parameters like fuel level, engine temperature, coolant temperature, axle load, gear shifts, vehicular errors, and more.

For instance, over-heating of a vehicular engine can be hazardous and, not to mention—an enormous waste of time when your drivers are running on a fixed time schedule. Therefore, getting to know engine temperature or coolant status can help you keep your fleets moving.

IMEI (International Mobile Equipment Identity) Number

An IMEI is a unique 15 digit cellular module number that helps you identify your GPS trackers or GPS-related hardware. It helps to know this number, as it is easy to lose track of hardware devices when you deal with multiple fleets. 

Consider the IMEI number as a unique fingerprint for your GPS trackers. It will help you differentiate between multiple trackers or locate a lost tracker.

Driver RAG Scores

Driver RAG Scores refers to the Red, Amber, and Green scoring scale that helps you identify at-risk drivers. Your fleets are run by your drivers. Safer drivers make safer fleets. Hence, the RAG scoring scale helps you rate driving behaviours. Based on the alerts generated by drivers over time, they’ll fall on the red, amber, and green spectrum scale.

DVR (Digital Video Recording)

DVR – Digital Video Recording systems are used to record video footage on local storage devices like a hard disk, so that you can;

• Review data collected by video telematics tools like ADAS and DMS.
• Store up to one month of recording footage which was collected by DashCams or dual-lens cameras. 
• Trace historical recordings and use it for driver coaching and training. 
• Use video recording to exonerate your drivers and battle false insurance claims with confidence. 

Geofences

Geofences are your virtual zone perimeters. When you create a geofence around an address, you add a virtual fence. The shape and the diameter of these geofences can be customized as per user needs. You can also colour-code geofences on the basis of utility. Geofences are primarily used to determine when a vehicle enters or exits an identified area.

Tyre Tread Depth

Knowing the tread depth of your tyres is one of the most important aspects of tyre maintenance and safety. By knowing, in real-time, the pressure of air in your commercial fleet tyres is of paramount importance.

Tread is the part of the tyre that is in constant contact with the road. If the depth between these treads isn’t enough, tyres lose traction. With Fleet Management platforms, not only can you monitor and keep track of tread depths but also decide when to discard a tyre. 

Single-object Mode

Single-object Mode allows you to single out a fleet on your live-tracking screen. As a transporter, you’re going to have multiple fleets at a single location, like a base location or a manufacturing plant. Therefore, by singling out a vehicle on such hotspots will allow you to view only one vehicle at a time on the online map.