A survey by the ATA (American Trucking Association) found that the productivity benefits to a trucking company ranged from 5% to more than 25% when the fleet management used real-time GPS tracking systems. As per the ATA, not only did customer service improve due to better on-time deliveries, but also customer pick-up requests were faster using GPS tracking.

While owners of businesses have numerous fleet tracking providers to choose and select from, it is important for them to think carefully about their business objectives and how to align them using GPS fleet management, how they could change in the future, how to choose drivers, train them and streamline the system for it to be cost-efficient and effective.

Understanding and setting fleet management goals: This takes a good amount of research, but the more precise that fleet owners are, the better the chances they have to choosing what will help them and their business the best. Owners should inquire with each department what information they want regarding the fleet during a working day, and identify the most critical problems, which include improving customer satisfaction, difficulty in finding pickup locations, drivers getting lost, fleet breakdowns, employees moonlighting or taking too many breaks for personal work, keeping trucks safe from theft and reducing fuel costs.

Outlining future needs: Fleet owners need to outline what kind of functionality they will need in the future, since they’d want a system that will grow with them. Fleet owners, for instance, could consider a Cloud-based system which can be accessed from anywhere with internet, is less expensive and offers automatic, easy updates. If fleet owners go in for a modular system, it allows them to buy just as much as they need at the current time, and also have the chance of investing in more as the business grows. Fleet owners should make sure that they can check about improved productivity and profitability.

Test drives: Fleet owners should ideally narrow down their choices to 2/3 of them by watching demos, viewing videos of GPS tracking providers and products and providers, and then considering installing them. They could use different trucks and maybe install them all at the same time, thus getting an idea of how it works in real world conditions. One can also ask their other companies who have bought systems about how the vehicle tracking system is as well.

Train everyone involved: The most important tip is to train anyone and everyone even remotely connected and/or working with the fleet management and GPS system, including the drivers and even the maintenance staff. This will ensure that owners get the most out of their investment.