How to Keep Track of Company Drivers
One of the problems many companies who employ high numbers of drivers face is how to keep track of their driver’s habits and behaviours when they are out on the road. Measures can be taken to hire only the most competent and reliable drivers, but money is often lost because of the company’s lack of control over its employees. By implementing a sound GPS fleet tracking system, a business can monitor several different elements of a driver’s behaviour, and ultimately save the company money.
GPS tracking isn’t a new concept, but when a business installs sophisticated GPS vehicle tracking on its entire fleet of vehicles, the result is instant accountability on the part of the drivers. When a driver is accountable for his or her actions on every level, productivity eventually increases and expenses decrease. Not to mention, the company becomes more efficient and the customer service element is enhanced.
GPS fleet management allows you to monitor and record performance aspects of each vehicle. This includes the speed, braking, and even whether or not the driver is wearing his seatbelt. When you can see the route the vehicle is taking and how the vehicle is being driven, unsafe habits are brought to the surface. Many GPS vehicle tracking systems are equipped with buzzers that alert the driver when he or she has gone outside the parameters you have programmed into the system. Fleet tracking is basically a modern way to keep an eye on your employees when your business model dictates that they aren’t in front of you to see.
Aside from the way the vehicle is driven, the company can also see if the driver is remaining on the most efficient route, and if the vehicle is being driven after hours for uses other than business. For longer trips where the driver isn’t coming back the same day, it is reassuring to know when the driving is supposed to be finished for the day, it actually is finished for the day. Extra fuel consumption and the possibility of incurring an accident after hours, make this feature of GPS fleet management particularly appealing.
Many drivers will balk at the thought of being watched while they do their job, but if they are honest and doing their best for the company, GPS flee tracking should be of no concern. In some instances such as accidents or unforeseen vehicle problems, GPS fleet management can even help the driver because the details of the incident will be accounted for, for management and everyone else to see.
At the end of the day, the primary reason for using GPS tracking to monitor the drivers is to reduce expenses and increase profits. Just as you would keep an eye on employees in an office or factory and admonish them for wasting company time and resources, vehicle tracking allows you to do the same with drivers. And by doing so, fuel costs, fleet maintenance costs, insurance claims, worker’s compensation claims, and wasted company time will go down.