What Is Fleet Tracking And How Can It Benefit Your Business?
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Fleet tracking is the process of using a technology-based system to monitor the locations of vehicles, as well as their direction and speed. Fleet tracking is the combination of the global positioning system (GPS), telematics, and various other technologies. Together, these tools help you make smarter, data-driven decisions.
More South African companies are embracing smart fleet tracking tools. In 2024, Berg Insight released the “Fleet Management in South Africa﹘7th Edition” report. According to the report, the number of active fleet management systems is expected to reach 3.8 million units by 2028. They also mention Cartrack as one of the largest providers of fleet management solutions in South Africa.
Fleet tracking helps businesses see where their vehicles are and how they’re used
It helps improve safety, save money, and make drivers more productive
Many industries, like delivery, construction, and mining, benefit from fleet tracking
Cartrack provides smart tools like live tracking, theft recovery, and easy digital records to keep fleets safe and efficient
What is fleet tracking?
Fleet tracking refers to the practice of monitoring commercial vehicles using advanced software and hardware. These tools provide data on everything related to the vehicles. Fleet tracking systems share more than just a vehicle’s location. They can also monitor driver behaviour, fuel usage, and vehicle component health.
How it works:
Several components must be present for a fleet tracking system to function optimally. Mainly GPS, telematics, and some real-time data reporting capabilities. Here’s a brief breakdown of each component:
GPS: The Global Positioning System (GPS) provides you with location data. This is done through the process of triangulation, which uses signals from at least three satellites to figure out exactly where your vehicles are. GPS is the foundation of fleet tracking, as it enables real-time visibility of each vehicle.
Telematics systems: A telematics system is a structure that connects your devices with communication networks and software. The system collects and transmits GPS data from your vehicles using onboard diagnostics and cellular connectivity. Telematics technology gathers data such as speed, engine performance, and idling. Through this, you can monitor vehicle activity and driver performance effectively.
Real-time data and reporting: For a fleet tracking system to deliver great results, it needs to be an active form of tracking. Active tracking refers to a system that has real-time monitoring capabilities. It provides ongoing location data and immediate updates to a central portal (such as a dashboard) for you to view.
Key features of fleet tracking systems
Let’s have a look at the features you should be looking for in a fleet tracking system, and why they matter:
Feature
What is does
Why it matters
Real-time vehicle location tracking
Tracks and shows vehicle positions live on a map
Improves visibility and safety, and ensures driver accountability
Route optimisation software
Suggests the quickest or most efficient routes
Saves time, reduces fuel costs, boosts productivity, and improves client satisfaction
Driver behaviour monitoring
Detects behaviours such as speeding, harsh braking, harsh cornering, harsh acceleration and idling
Improves driver safety and reduces the risk of accidents
Maintenance scheduling and alerts
Tracks vehicle health and sends service reminders
Minimises unexpected downtime and prevents costly breakdowns
Fuel usage monitoring
Monitors fuel consumption, wastage, and potential theft
Lowers operational costs and reduces carbon emissions
Reporting and analytics
Provides detailed data insights, presented in simple terms
Helps managers make better-informed, data-driven decisions
The real impact of fleet tracking on your business
Fleet tracking serves many benefits to businesses. It gives you greater control over operations and resources, making your management more effective. Here’s how:
Improves safety
Monitoring how your drivers operate their vehicles encourages driver accountability, as they know they are being watched, which improves their behaviour. A change in risky driving habits helps reduce the chances of accidents. It also reduces the chances of possible lawsuits due to accident disputes.
Enhances productivity
Properly planned and optimised routes save time. Your drivers take fewer detours, spend less time stuck in traffic, avoid temporary road closures, and make it to delivery destinations on time. You’ll also have better scheduling and dispatching. This enhances the overall productivity of your drivers and improves the company’s reputation.
Reduces operational costs
Unhealthy driving habits, such as speeding and long idling, lead to higher fuel usage. They also put more strain on your vehicles, which causes them to degrade faster. As mentioned, they also increase the chances of road accidents, which means frequent insurance claims and repairs.
With a fleet tracking service, you get to save costs on all these aspects. The real-time monitoring of vehicles reduces fuel costs, vehicle wear & tear, as well as those frequent insurance claims, which may result in higher premiums. This reduces the overall costs of running your fleet.
Strengthens customer service
Route optimisation software also helps provide customers with accurate delivery time estimates. It improves response time to customer requests, because you’ll know exactly where drivers are. This strengthens your overall relationship with customers and improves ratings, which brings in more clients.
Aids compliance and accountability
As a fleet manager, you’re responsible for the lives of your drivers and the people they encounter on the road. You must ensure that all vehicles are roadworthy to ensure safety for your drivers and the public. You also need to ensure that drivers who work long hours have enough breaks in between stops. This ensures that your drivers don’t exceed the daily limit of allowed driving hours.
A fleet tracking system helps you maintain digital trip logs to monitor driver Hours of Service (HOS). It also gives you reminders of vehicle service days and alerts you on vehicle performance issues. These updates ensure that your fleet meets compliance and regulatory laws.
Delivery and logistics companies: Businesses in this industry must have a fleet tracking system for efficient delivery operations. Vehicles that are on the road for long hours need close monitoring to ensure timely deliveries, good vehicle health and less fuel consumption.
Service-based businesses: Plumbers, electricians, and technicians are always on the move. Using a GPS fleet tracking system to monitor such field services ensures that you know where your plumbers or electricians are during their workday. It also enables efficient dispatch of the nearest technician for urgent calls, improving response times.
Construction companies: In construction, the fleet not only consists of vehicles, but also equipment and machinery such as bulldozers and excavators. A fleet tracking system ensures the safety of those assets through location updates. It also ensures that they’re in good health.
Mining companies: Just like the construction industry, mining companies also have a mix of heavy equipment and machinery. As such, a fleet tracking system ensures that all equipment remains within work zones and in good condition.
Taxi, ride-hailing, and shuttle services: Businesses that are responsible for transporting people benefit immensely from fleet tracking systems. It reduces customer wait times and improves routing and scheduling.
Any business with a vehicle fleet: A fleet tracking system can benefit any business that has company vehicles. For example, if you’re responsible for overseeing vehicle activities in a law firm, a fleet tracking system will make your job easier. You’ll know who took the company vehicle, where that person went, and if it was a business-related trip.
Fleet tracking made easy with Cartrack
Start transforming your fleet with smarter tracking tools. Our solutions give you real-time visibility of your vehicles, helping you monitor routes, improve efficiency, and ensure the safety of your assets and drivers. Here’s what we have to offer:
Remote location tracking See where all your vehicles are from anywhere with our GPS tracking services. With this, you get smart-map or satellite views of vehicles so you always know their movements. You can also replay trips and view driver behaviour reports, to see how well vehicles are being operated.
Stolen Vehicle Recovery In the unfortunate event that one of your vehicles is stolen, Cartrack offers a stolen vehicle recovery service. Our team of experts is available nationwide and always on standby, waiting for your call. With over 100,000 vehicle recoveries in the last decade on all vehicles connected to our platform, Cartrack will give you peace of mind so you can rest assured your vehicles are safe and secure.
Geofences Ensure that vehicles and equipment remain in their stipulated zones. With our geofence feature, you can create virtual boundaries around areas of your choice. You’ll get alerts whenever vehicles enter or leave those boundaries, which might indicate route deviations or potential theft.
Driver Identification tag (DID) Cartrack DID tags ensure that you instantly know who’s driving which vehicle or using which machine. If you have a mixed fleet, with trucks, vans, and equipment of different sizes, this feature is crucial. Some employees might want to operate vehicles or machinery they aren’t licensed for, which is a safety hazard. DID tags help prevent this from happening, as each person will have a tag that matches the vehicle they can operate.
Digital logbook The Cartrack logbook ensures that you closely monitor driver working hours as the logs are done automatically. It also ensures that the business remains tax compliant.
Avis is one of the world's largest vehicle rental companies in the world. They needed an easy-to-use fleet tracking system to help monitor and manage their large fleet of rental vehicles. They also needed data to give them insight into ways in which they can track and improve vehicle usage. Lastly, Avis needed a reliable tech partner to help keep their vehicles and clients safe from theft and hijacking.
How we helped them:
Our fleet tracking system allows Avis to monitor vehicle activity and provide accurate mileage data. This ensures their rental vehicles are maintained at the right mileage milestones and are always in good working order for their clients. These preventative maintenance measures minimise fleet breakdowns and downtime. This helps them get the most out of vehicles and rentals.
Avis has access to historical data on their vehicle usage from Cartrack’s dashboard. This gives them insights on vehicle trends and performance. They can identify which vehicles are cost-effective and popular for rental. Avis can then use this data to make informed business and investment decisions when selling or purchasing vehicles for their fleet.
Thanks to our advanced technology and 24-hour recovery team, Avis is able to reduce the risk of vehicle theft and increase their chances of vehicle recovery within their fleet. This reduces Avis' costs associated with vehicle loss and allows the company to offer competitive rental rates. It also helps reduce their insurance premium as they’re less of a risk.
With our geofencing feature, Avis’ fleet managers are able to set virtual boundaries to mark no-go or high-risk zones. They receive alerts before their customers enter these areas with their rentals, providing an added layer of risk management.
“We chose Cartrack largely due to their strong brand, track record of delivery, and commitment to customer service. We are thrilled with the benefits this partnership has delivered for our business.” - Armour Gittings | General Manager Investigations Department, Avis South Africa
Cartrack – Your go-to fleet tracking service
Invest in our fleet tracking solutions to maximise your fleet and boost profits. At Cartrack, we always strive to give advanced tech solutions to simplify the management of fleet operations. Contact us for next-level fleet tracking services.
Frequently Asked Questions about fleet tracking
How do you run a successful fleet?
To run a successful fleet, you need to keep track of all your vehicles, plan routes well, and make sure drivers follow rules. Regular maintenance, checking fuel use, and using tools like GPS help keep vehicles safe and efficient. Good communication with drivers also helps the fleet work smoothly.
What is meant by 'fleet' in logistics?
In logistics, a fleet is a group of vehicles a company uses to move goods or transport people. This can include trucks, vans, or cars. A fleet helps businesses deliver products on time, manage large shipments, and operate efficiently. The size of a fleet depends on the company’s needs.
What is the difference between logistics and fleet management?
Logistics is about planning and moving goods from one place to another. Fleet management is about taking care of the vehicles that do the moving. Logistics focuses on delivery, storage, and timing, while fleet management focuses on vehicle maintenance, fuel, tracking, and driver safety. Both work together to run a smooth operation.
Learn more about GPS fleet tracking and the many benefits it will bring to your fleet business.
