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Josh Park of Cartridge World needed efficient routing for deliveries and to\u00a0understand the exact location of his driver. A smartphone-based telematics solution fit the company\u2019s needs.\u00a0Photo courtesy of\u00a0Cartridge World.<\/em><\/p>\n For Josh Park,\u00a0it\u00a0was\u00a0hard to find a routing system that\u00a0wasn\u2019t too expensive for his small fleet. Based in\u00a0Davenport, Iowa and\u00a0covering the Quad Cities region, Cartridge World\u00a0runs three\u00a0fleet\u00a0vehicles, including a Scion for sales and\u00a0a\u00a0Nissan NV200 van for deliveries.<\/p>\n Each vehicle travels around 20,000 miles per year. Cartridge World\u2019s delivery driver completes up to seven deliveries and pickups per day in the NV200.<\/p>\n \u201cBecause our drivers can make multiple deliveries per day, creating efficient routing is important,\u201d says Park,\u00a0QC operations director\u00a0at Cartridge World, which supplies ink, toner, and other items for printers\u00a0along with\u00a0full-service\u00a0printer\u00a0repairs.<\/p>\n Park was drawn to\u00a0OnTerra\u00a0Systems\u2019\u00a0RouteSavvy\u00a0route optimization software\u00a0and the fact that\u00a0RouteSavvy\u00a0can be installed on a smartphone\u00a0instead of having to install hardware in the vehicle.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have a company smartphone and put the RouteSavvy app on it,\u201d says Park, adding that his company is not ready for the installation cost and greater monthly expense that come with other telematics systems. \u201cRouteSavvy\u00a0is a more cost-effective option for small fleets,\u201d\u00a0he says.<\/p>\n After inputting\u00a0multiple\u00a0delivery stops,\u00a0RouteSavvy\u2019s\u00a0software organizes\u00a0the locations and creates\u00a0the most efficient route for the deliveries.\u00a0The\u00a0web-based\u00a0software integrates\u00a0with mobile devices to send the optimized route\u00a0and\u00a0directions\u00a0to\u00a0the driver.<\/p>\n \u201cIf new stops need to be added to the driver\u2019s route that day, I can pull up the software on my\u00a0desktop\u00a0computer and email the new stops to the driver,\u201d says Park.<\/p>\n In addition to being more affordable, Park says that RouteSavvy has been easy to use. \u201cI like that all the features can be completed through one system.\u201d<\/p>\n The mandatory base license for\u00a0RouteSavvy\u00a0route optimization software is $300 per year.\u00a0For more than three users per year, it\u2019s $300 plus $100 per additional user, according to\u00a0OnTerra\u00a0Systems.\u00a0The fleet tracking function can be added to the annual fee.<\/p>\n Park started using\u00a0RouteSavvy\u00a0exclusively\u00a0for routing but is now\u00a0also\u00a0using\u00a0its\u00a0tracking feature. Working with RouteSavvy\u2019s route optimization software, the tracker mobile app displays a driver\u2019s location and history.<\/p>\n By tracking a driver\u00a0using a smartphone\u2019s geolocation capability, fleet managers can see the position of their\u00a0vehicles.<\/p>\n For Park, the tracking feature has been helpful\u00a0for letting\u00a0customers know the exact location of\u00a0his\u00a0driver. Park can\u00a0provide\u00a0a more accurate time of arrival and doesn\u2019t have to call the driver for his precise location.\u00a0Additionally, he can check speeding and see any instances of erratic driving behaviors.<\/p>\n “GPS fleet tracking traditionally costs $20-$50 per vehicle per month, costing small fleets thousands of dollars per year, plus the cost of hardware, for a typical fleet tracking system,”\u202fsays\u00a0Steve Milroy, president\u00a0of OnTerra Systems.<\/p>\n In contrast, the\u00a0RouteSavvy\u00a0fleet tracking app using smartphones costs $500 per year for up to 10 phones,\u00a0in addition to\u00a0the\u00a0$300\u00a0base price.<\/p>\n After using\u00a0RouteSavvy\u2019s\u00a0routing and tracking features, Park has noticed that deliveries are getting done at a faster rate. Before tracking, the company\u2019s driver wouldn\u2019t always finish his deliveries in\u00a0an\u00a0eight-hour workday. \u201cThe tracking has probably cut his route down by at least an hour per day,\u201d\u00a0he says.<\/p>\n For Park, the\u00a0OnTerra\u00a0System delivers driver accountability and management peace of mind.<\/p>\n \u201cWe wanted to make sure that the driver was adhering closely to the assigned routes,\u201d says Park. \u201cSometimes we need customers to be served in a priority method; we can now see if the driver decides to go off track and reorder the stops.\u201d<\/p>\n by Amy Hercher<\/a><\/p>\nApp-based GPS Tracking: An Intro to Telematics for Small Fleets?<\/h3>\n
<\/div>\nReal-Time Tracking<\/h4>\n
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I\u00b4m\u00a0a Fleet Management expert, and the manager of\u00a0