There are now vehicle tracking solutions suitable for companies of all shapes and sizes, from large fleets to small businesses. But what should you look for when selecting a supplier? Here are some of the key points to consider:
Pricing and Payment
The key benefits that vehicle tracking can bring include increasing productivity and safety, while also cutting costs. Look for a provider that offers the best combination of savings for your business. Questions to ask include:
• What return on investment do I want to get from vehicle tracking?
• How long is the duration of the contract?
• What extra services does it provide apart from vehicle tracking?
Payment plans can also vary from a lump sum up front, to monthly or quarterly direct debits, to rolling monthly contracts for more flexible solutions such as Trakm8 Prime.
Installation
Self-install telematics devices plug into a vehicle’s on-board diagnostics (OBD) port. This eliminates vehicle down-time for installation; and there are no removal charges at the end of your contract. Another benefit to self-install units is that you can transfer them between vehicles, for example if you have vehicles on lease or hire.
If you choose hard-wired vehicle tracking devices, be aware that they will require vehicle down-time for installation. Most providers will offer free installation as part of your package. However, you might be liable for charges when they uninstall the device at the end of your contract.
Additional Features
Advanced telematics technology is increasingly more of a fleet management tool than merely track and trace. Most vehicle tracking solutions include downloadable time sheets. The better ones also offer useful technology such as geo-fencing and business/private mileage management. Geo-fencing creates digital boundaries around a real-world geographic location – for example alerting you whenever your vehicles arrive at and depart from a customer’s site.
Driver behaviour analytics identify and record events which impact on MPG, such as speeding, harsh acceleration, heavy braking, sharp cornering, and engine idling. During every journey, the vehicle tracker logs these events, to create a unique score for each driver. The higher the score, the more fuel-efficient the driver has been.
This type of driver behaviour technology is proven to boost fuel economy by up to 10% – and also reduces the risk of being involved in a road traffic incident. Some insurance brokers are now offering a discount on your premium if all your vehicles are fitted with driver behaviour technology.
Vehicle Health
Whether it is hardwired or plug n play, a high-quality vehicle tracking device will measure driving performance and connect to the vehicle’s CAN bus system. Not all vehicle tracking solutions provide performance monitoring or connect to the CAN bus, so check in advance. CAN bus connectivity can also enable your device to monitor the vehicle’s health and communicate issues before they result in a breakdown or non-start.
A business/private mileage management tool is a huge time-saver when it comes to P11D returns. You are obliged to provide details on all company cars and light commercial vehicles (LCVs) used for private journeys, which are trips taken for personal rather than business reasons. As part of this process, you need to file a P11D form for each vehicle at the end of every tax year, which covers employee benefits and expenses. Some vehicle tracking providers offer business/private mileage as a standard feature, making it quick and easy to download the data you need for HMRC compliance.
Integration
The best providers will be able to offer you much more than just vehicle tracking, such as dash cams to protect your business from fraudulent insurance claims, as well as telematics cameras which combine the benefits of vehicle tracking with those of vehicle cameras. Trakm8 is a leading provider of vehicle cameras and the manufacturer of the award-winning RH600 4G telematics camera. Along with integrating camera and telematics technology into a single compact device, the RH600 also includes advanced driver assistance systems such as distracted driving alerts as well as tailgating and collision warnings.
You could also integrate your telematics with route optimisation software for more efficient transport planning. Optimisation also helps provide accurate ETAs to further improve customer service; increases vehicle utilisation to improve margins; and cuts total fleet mileage, saving you money. Other interlinked technologies include electronic proof of delivery (ePOD). This is highly affordable to implement and integrates with back office software to provide a paper-free delivery solution.
Trakm8’s latest platform, Insight, goes beyond telematics to provide a true fleet management solution. It is specifically designed to easily integrate with other software such as transport management or courier systems – and can even accept data from third party telematics devices.
A single supplier who can provide this level of integration helps to keep things simple – you don’t need multiple systems with different logins and passwords to remember.
Return on Investment
The most important question to ask is about ROI. Telematics and associated technologies can decrease your fuel expenditure, reduce road risk, cut carbon emissions and lead to lower insurance premiums. The important thing is to find a provider who will listen to your needs and deliver a solution that meets your key objectives.
If you would like to find out more about our vehicle tracking solutions, fill out the short form below and one of our team will be in touch. Alternatively, call us on 0330 311 5157 or email us at info@trakm8.com.
Source: https://www.trakm8.com
CUT COTS OF THE FLEET WITH OUR AUDIT PROGRAM
The audit is a key tool to know the overall status and provide the analysis, the assessment, the advice, the suggestions and the actions to take in order to cut costs and increase the efficiency and efficacy of the fleet. We propose the following fleet management audit.
