It’s Monday morning, and your fleet of delivery vehicles is already on the road. You’re expecting everything to run smoothly until you get a call.
One of your drivers reports an unexpected breakdown in a remote area. Another vehicle is taking longer than expected to reach a client, and you have no idea why. Meanwhile, fuel costs seem to be skyrocketing, but you can’t pinpoint the cause.
Does this sound familiar?
Without real-time visibility over your fleet, minor inefficiencies can quickly snowball into major operational issues, creating many more headaches. That’s where fleet monitoring comes in.
In this guide, we’ll explore how fleet monitoring works, the technology behind it, and how it helps businesses improve efficiency, reduce costs and enhance driver safety.
Before we get into the guide, let’s test your current knowledge about fleet monitoring with a short quiz.
What is fleet monitoring?
A- A comprehensive solution that includes GPS tracking, telematics, and analytics
B- A driver training program
Does fleet monitoring include fuel tracking?
A- Yes
B- No
Are GPS tracking and fleet monitoring the same thing?
A- No. They are not the same, each offers something different from the other
B- Yes. It is the same offering with two different names
How can AI enhance fleet monitoring?
A- By detecting risky driving behaviours, analysing data, and improving fleet efficiency
B- By replacing the need for human drivers
What is vehicle telematics?
A- A system that collects and transmits vehicle data, including speed, fuel usage, and engine health
B- A mobile app that schedules vehicle maintenance
Does fleet monitoring only benefit the logistics industry?
A- No, many types of businesses across industries can use it.
B- Yes, this type of system was created specifically for logistics.
How does fleet monitoring help prevent vehicle theft?
A- By providing real-time tracking and alerts for unauthorised movement
B- By locking the vehicle remotely
If you answered B for any or all of those questions, then this guide is for you. All the correct answers were A, highlighting how versatile and comprehensive a fleet monitoring system is. Let us get into all there is to know about fleet monitoring.
Running a fleet of business vehicles requires a focused mind and an eye for precision. These qualities are essential when ensuring on-time deliveries and minimising delays. This means that knowing where your fleet of vehicles is at all times is important and plays a vital role in keeping operations successful. Fleet tracking serves as the solution to this problem as it uses GPS technology to locate vehicles and show progress on trips.
Knowing the location of vehicles helps tremendously but unfortunately, that alone is not enough as it does not solve all the problems that a fleet manager faces. This is where fleet monitoring comes in as a more holistic system for managing your fleet.
Fleet monitoring plays a major role in managing business fleets and transforms what would otherwise be tedious tasks into efficient processes. This is done with the use of key technologies such as GPS, telematics, and AI-powered analytics.
This makes it easier to manage fuel consumption, driver behaviour, route planning and other fleet-related expenses.
Fleet monitoring is an amalgamation of services and fleet management features, coming together as one comprehensive product offering. In order to know the full value of this system, you will first need to understand what each component offers and comprises.
Here is how each feature functions in a fleet monitoring system:
In a fleet monitoring system, GPS technology is used to keep track of where vehicles are, providing real-time location data at the touch of your fingertips. This is done through the use of satellites and GPS tracking devices, which triangulate the physical location of the vehicles.
Some systems make use of a hybrid model which combines GPS technology with a cellular network connection to ensure accurate and uninterrupted tracking. This hybrid model also works as a backup system in case one of the options fails.
Telematics is an important part of fleet monitoring, it forms the backbone of all the tracking that is done in a vehicle. With this technology, monitoring systems can collect data on fuel consumption, vehicle health, and driver behaviour. This is done through the use of artificial intelligence (AI) technology and the Internet of Things (IoT), which work together to pull information on a vehicle's functions.
One of the main benefits of telematics is that it allows for predictive maintenance, with alerts being sent out whenever the vehicle shows signs of wear and tear. Additionally, performance reports are provided on fuel consumption and trends, which assist in keeping fuel waste at a minimum.
The use of AI has had a tremendous effect on the fleet management sector. Not only can it be used in vehicle telematics but also in AI-powered dashcams. In this case, it is used to assist not only with footage collection but also with monitoring vehicle safety.
With these cameras, you can record the trips that your drivers take, with footage of the road ahead, inside the cabin, around the vehicle, and in important areas such as the fuel tank and cargo door. These trips can be streamed as they happen and can also be replayed live to review footage in real-time.
Another AI feature that these cameras have is the ability to detect and log driver behaviour. These cameras record the driver while they are on a trip, sending alerts for any risky driving behaviours that they may engage in. This assists in keeping drivers compliant with road rules and preventing accidents.
This footage is saved on a cloud and can be downloaded when necessary, whether this is for supporting insurance claims or driver coaching.
A fleet monitoring system also tracks fuel levels and assists in the management of this expense. The causes of high fuel costs can easily be identified, whether they are due to fuel waste, fuel theft or mechanical issues in the vehicle.
This is done through the use of fuel probes and sensors that are installed into the tank, gauging the levels at which fuel is filled and consumed.
When businesses look at how fleet operations are going, they need to ask themselves one question: Is this the most efficient way to do it? By asking this question, they can re-examine current protocols and processes to see how much they are serving the business goals.
Having complete fleet visibility makes it easier to accomplish this task and no other method works better than fleet monitoring. With the system's host of features, a business is bound to see the positive results it can yield.
Here are some of them:
As a business, the goal is to make enough money so that your income covers all your expenses. The greater the income, the greater the profits. Unfortunately, increasing income is easier said than done, which is why the next best alternative is to cut unnecessary costs.
This is the biggest benefit of having a fleet monitoring system in your business, as it will remove inefficiencies that incur costs. These could be operational issues, fuel wastage, expensive vehicle maintenance or driver salaries.
Coupled with route optimisation, you can expect your business to see its expense bill drop significantly.
Fleet monitoring streamlines processes and reduces downtime, making it easier for vehicles to go about their daily operations uninterrupted. Vehicle breakdowns and fuel waste can be a thing of the past, reducing downtime and lost work opportunities. Additionally, these systems can integrate with business management tools, allowing for seamless functionality and reporting, where insights can be pulled from one system into the other.
With bad driver habit alerts and coaching, driver safety becomes much more possible with the likelihood of risk reduced significantly. Driver monitoring encourages safer driving habits and fosters a culture of accountability and compliance. This is all made possible thanks to driver scoring and behaviour analysis features. These tools aid in performance reviews, coaching, and insurance support.
A fleet of vehicles is a major asset for a business and can sometimes be hard to replace. This is particularly true for vehicles that have specialised use like cement mixers and cold storage trucks. This is why making sure that they do not get stolen or have their cargo tampered with is important.
This is where fleet monitoring shines, with systems often including anti-theft features such as panic buttons, geofences and stolen vehicle recovery. This is an invaluable benefit for fleet owners as it ensures that not only will their vehicle be tracked but will also be found in the case of theft. Additionally, it reassures drivers that they will also be covered in the case of this emergency.
Fleet monitoring may seem like an extremely high-tech solution designed to assist large businesses with many vehicles in their fleet. This is not the case at all, any business of any kind can use this system, regardless of fleet size or type.
In some cases, smaller businesses could benefit more as they tend to have fewer resources to allocate to fleet management, often overstretching staff and budgets. It does not matter where you are in the world or how complicated the business is, fleet monitoring can work successfully for you.
Here are some examples of industries it can function in, along with how it can specifically help.
Fleet monitoring can be very useful in this industry as it can help business owners keep track of fuel consumption and vehicle wear and tear. It also assists in figuring out which routes are most popular and have the most customers, along with the times at which they occur. This will assist in managing resources and driver schedules.
This industry can use GPS tracking for its equipment and farm vehicles, such as tractors. This is called asset tracking and offers the same benefits as vehicle tracking.
The logistics industry can benefit by improving delivery times and efficiency. This is often the issue most businesses face in this industry, with schedules and routes getting complicated and mismanaged.
Tracking machinery and heavy equipment can also be done using GPS solutions. This is useful as it can help in preventing equipment misuse and theft. This industry often has its vehicles and equipment scattered across different locations, making it hard to find out which tools are available for use and which have been left behind at a work site.
The e-commerce industry continues to grow, and with more and more people getting into it, the need for reliable and efficient delivery has become more important. This industry can benefit from delivery management, driver monitoring and customer proof of receipt. All this is made easier with a tracking system in place.
When it comes to fleet monitoring and management, Cartrack offers a complete and robust solution. Cartrack offers all the essential features and services required for a top-tier fleet monitoring solution.
As an industry leader, Cartrack is ideally positioned to take your business to the next level and get everything in the fleet running smoothly and efficiently. There are many reasons to take us on for your business but the biggest one is that we can guarantee that costs will go down.
Here are some of the other reasons we are the go-to option for fleet monitoring:
Cartrack is an innovator in the fleet management sector, having full ownership of the entire value chain from creation to installation. This has meant that we have quality control of how our monitoring tools are made and can ensure that everything is consistent and meets our high standards.
This is why our real-time tracking and advanced telematics technology is of the highest quality, meeting industry standards and, in some cases, surpassing them. The same goes for the AI-powered driver monitoring and fleet analytics tools.
Our customers can expect cutting-edge technology with the latest innovations and a fleet monitoring system that will enhance all vehicle operations.
We know how important your fleet’s safety is, this is why we offer stolen vehicle recovery and control room support. Our dedicated recovery teams come with a high success rate, approximately 90%.
This is supported by our 24/7 online and phone support teams, ensuring help is always available. They can assist in the case of other emergencies, such as accidents and vehicle mechanical failure. Additionally, we offer crash-detection software that alerts us in the event of a collision. For these situations, we provide roadside assistance, which comes with emergency services.
What makes us different to our competitors is that we care about you and your business. We do not have a one-size-fits-all business model, we offer flexible packages which can be tailored to various industries and business types.
What this means for you as a business is that you get comprehensive services customised to your unique needs. This means that there will not be any extra unnecessary costs or added features, as everything will be of value and aimed at optimising your fleet.
All our services are available for you to use on our mobile app and web platform, with interfaces that provide seamless fleet management. It is this ease of use that we pride ourselves on, knowing that we have a system that is simple, clear and straightforward in functionality.
The user experience is one of the best and can be easily understood by any of your staff members. This means that integrating this system into current workflows will not be an issue and will only make processes more efficient.
Having a system that gives you these benefits is essential and will make running your business a lot easier. This is why Cartrack is trusted by many businesses across the world, it has delivered quality service and products at a world-class level and continues to serve in new industries. With a reliable fleet monitoring system by your side, you can rest assured with the knowledge that your business is being well-managed. This peace of mind will make it easier to focus on other matters in the business such as strategy and growth.
If you want to enhance your fleet’s performance and get operations running at 100% then contact us today to hear how our fleet monitoring system can work for you.
What is the difference between fleet tracking and fleet monitoring?
Fleet tracking is more focused on locating and keeping track of vehicles while they are on the road. Fleet monitoring on the other hand is more holistic and includes the monitoring of vehicle health, fuel, drivers and many other metrics.
Can fleet monitoring help reduce fuel costs?
Yes, it can. By monitoring and keeping track of vehicle diagnostics a business owner can detect areas of inefficiency and fuel waste. They can then put in measures to mitigate these problems, thus saving on costs.
How do I get started with Cartrack Kenya’s fleet monitoring services?
This is a quick and easy process, all you will need to do is contact us and we will get you started with onboarding. Our sales team will take you through our service offering and find a solution that is tailored to your business needs.
How much does fleet monitoring cost?
The cost of GPS tracking varies and can be dependent on a number of variables. If you would like to know more about the cost of tracking in Kenya, then read our blog on this topic: How Much Does Fleet Tracking Cost in Kenya.
How long is a GPS tracking contract?
The contract period can vary based on the provider and their respective offering. At Cartrack, our contracts run for 12/24/36 month periods.
What are the challenges businesses face that fleet monitoring can fix?
Typical challenges that a business with a fleet experiences include:
A fleet monitoring system addresses all these problems and provides solutions that are efficient and easy to understand.
