Company vehicles can be a huge expense, especially if they are not being well monitored and maintained. A well cared for vehicle will have much better longevity and retained value than one that has been neglected or misused.
Your employees may have the best intentions when it comes to the vehicles they drive, but research into this issue has shown that certain driving habits can put extra wear and tear on a vehicle as well as increasing fuel costs.
Harmful Driving Behaviours
Some of the unfavourable driving practices many people engage in on a regular basis can end up costing your business unnecessary added expense.
Some of these detrimental driving habits include:
- Excessive speed
- Sudden braking
- Hasty acceleration
- Idling
- Sharp turning
- Ineffective route mapping
Excessive Speed
Stats provided by Natural Resources Canada report that even going just 20 km over the speed limit can result in a 20% increase in fuel expenses.
Quick Stops and Starts
Rapid stops and starts are bad for increasing the wear and tear on your vehicle, as well as fuel costs. Abrupt stops and starts can result 40% more fuel consumption.
Stepping on the gas after a red light, racing to the next intersection, only to stop short at the next light is terrible for your vehicle.
Also, your brakes will need to be replaced more frequently with these kinds of driving habits.
Idling
You often hear big trucks idling at rest stops, or during the loading or unloading process. This is a huge waste of fuel, and this driving behaviour can be easily corrected.
Sharp Turning
Sharp turns are another bad driving practice a lot of drivers engage in. Sharp turns put additional pressure on the steering mechanism, as well as undue wear and tear on the tires.
Sharp turning can also increase the risk of an accident.
Ineffective Route Mapping
Poor route mapping is another way to accumulate unnecessary expense. There are many factors that can influence the best route to take for a delivery. Careful planning can help ensure the most efficient route is taken.
How can GPS Tracking Help?
A GPS tracking system can be a massive benefit for effective fleet management. GPS tracking can monitor driver behaviours to reduce unhealthy driving practices like the ones mentioned above.
Aside from cutting out superfluous costs, and reducing vehicle wear and tear, GPS can provide many other advantages for your business.
- Control
- Safety
- Security
- Productivity
Control
Maintain complete control of your vehicle fleet with GPS tracking devices. This can provide business owners with peace of mind, with the ability to monitor every vehicle in the fleet at all times.
By overseeing all your vehicles in real time, it makes it easy to make any necessary adjustments when unexpected complications arise.
Safety
GPS tracking technology can help keep both your drivers and your vehicles safe. By curtailing harmful driving behaviours, it not only reduces needless expense, but also accidents and vehicular damage.
The ability of GPS tracking to monitor vehicle trends and driving behaviours can significantly reduce dangerous driving caused by speeding, quick acceleration, and wild turns.
There is also an option to have a panic button installed for emergencies for drivers in remote locations.
Security
The benefits of GPS tracking include security as well as safety. Not only will drivers be safer, vehicles and other assets can be protected against theft and property loss.
Stolen vehicles fitted with a GPS tracking device are easy to locate and recover. Displaying a visible GPS tracking sign on your vehicle can help deter potential thieves.
A tracking device can be placed on any of your valuable assets to keep an eye on them at all times.
Productivity
GPS tracking devices can help boost productivity in a variety of ways. It helps optimize route efficiency, and makes drivers more conscientious.
It can help reduce response time for customer requests, fulfilling more client orders, and improving customer satisfaction.
GPS tracking device helps streamline operations to make the whole process more efficient and productive.